Travel in Argentina: Subtropics, Desert and Glaciers - INTI Tours

The vastness of the pampas in the heart

Argentina - we think of gauchos, steppe, tango and football. In addition to these attributes, the country overwhelms us with its magnificent landscapes. Experience Buenos Aires, the Iguazú waterfalls, vineyards, Valdés, Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia with its glaciers and mountains when travelling in Argentina. The mighty condor circles above the Andes regions as well as the steppes. Not to forget the overwhelming wealth of animals on the Atlantic coast and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago with its untamed nature.

If you love vast landscapes, the south of South America is the right place for you. On top of that, Argentines are gourmets. The country spoils its people with the best beef from the Pampas region, wonderful wines from the provinces of Mendoza and Salta and the heritage of a diverse cuisine of immigrants.

Whether on the "Train to the Clouds" or the "Train to the End of the World" - you will be amazed by a country where the ever-changing sky will be your companion.

Bienvenidos a Argentina!

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Country information on ARGENTINA: „Tango, gauchos and wild nature“

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world and the second largest in South America. Its national territory covers about 2.8 million square kilometres, including the Antarctic claim, it is almost 4 million. Argentina stretches 3,694 km from north to south and 1,423 km from west to east at its widest point. These vast dimensions create incredible natural landscapes, ranging from tropical forests around the Iguazú Falls to vast desert regions with bizarre as well as enchanting rock formations, up to the highest Andean peaks and down to the far south into rugged Patagonia. In many places outside the larger cities, man still seems a pioneer in the vastness of untamed nature. The 16.1 inhabitants per km² does not say much here, for the metropolitan area of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires is home to just under a third of the country's entire population. Argentina is blessed with natural wealth: it has huge usable areas for livestock and fertile soils that produce tropical fruits as well as grain and grapes for top wines. Natural resources such as oil and gas, various ores and rocks - plus diverse fishing grounds in the country's huge rivers and on a nearly 5,000 km long Atlantic coast. And yet the country, so richly endowed with natural resources, is repeatedly on the brink of economic collapse. 
Uniquenesses known worldwide make Argentina an attractive travel destination, such as the "blue wonder of Argentina" - the Perito Moreno Glacier, the dreamlike Iguazú Waterfalls, the southernmost city in the world Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego Island, animal wealth on the Atlantic coast, lakes and volcanic landscapes along the Andes, deserts, salt pans as well as floodplains. All this forms a conglomerate of natural spaces that are absolutely worth seeing. 

Capital Buenos Aires:

Buenos Aires is located on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata about 57 metres above sea level. The climate is pleasant in winter with average temperatures of 6 degrees, there has only been snow twice. In summer it can be very hot and humid, with temperatures close to 40 degrees and humidity of around 95 %. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant. The city covers about 200 square kilometres and is home to 3.2 million inhabitants in its inner city; with the outer districts, it has a third of the country's total population. It is hard to get around the Argentine capital, as international flights usually always land here and many domestic flights always go via B.A.. The city itself has a lot to offer visitors and you can spend several days there. Sights in the classical sense are few and far between in Buenos Aires, the biggest attraction is the city itself - and its people. Buenos Aires wanted to be like Paris or Madrid and has become a bit like them, 12,000 kilometres away from Europe. It lies on the world's widest river, has the world's widest street, is the birthplace of the tango and an absolute football metropolis, and has the most psychotherapists, corner pubs, dog guides, bookshops, cinemas and theatres south of the equator. Plus the most delicious wine and succulent meat. Meanwhile, Argentina's metropolis became more and more of a South American metropolis during several existential crises, yet remained more European at its core than any other city in the region. André Malraux called Buenos Aires the "capital of an empire that never existed".

Absolutely worth seeing: 

• La Boca, the birthplace of tango and the first port of Buenos Aires. In the so-called Caminito, you can see what this part of town once looked like with its small houses and bars painted brightly with ship's paint.
• Absolutely worth seeing is a tango show. Professional artists and high-quality gastronomy await you! If you have more time, you can also visit one of the smaller milongas where the locals dance the tango.
• Café Tortoni, the oldest bar in the city, takes travellers back to 1858.
• Main square Plaza de Mayo with the government building Casa Rosada and the city cathedral as the scene of many political demonstrations and events.
• Recoleta Cemetery with many mausoleums of famous personalities, including Eva Perón.
• San Telmo antique market, the famous Teatro Colón, the modernly restored old port of Puerto Madero with the best restaurants, various parks and squares, Palermo neighbourhood, Recoleta, San Telmo...
• Excursion by bus and boat to the Tigre Delta

Argentina's North:

Subtropical forests spread out in the north-east of Argentina. In the border triangle with Paraguay and Brazil lie the most beautiful waterfalls on earth - the Cataratas del Iguazú. At 60-82 metres, they are twice as high as Niagara Falls in the USA and form a 2.7-kilometre-long precipice. The various individual falls tumble down in several stages through lush greenery and provide a spectacular backdrop for flora and fauna. The Rio Iguazú and the waterfalls form the border between Argentina and its northern neighbour Brazil. Southwest of the falls, the Esteros del Iberá wetlands spread out, bordering Paraguay to the north. Covering more than 13,000 square kilometres, the wetland is one of the largest freshwater lakes on the South American continent and home to some 4,000 species of plants and animals.
In the northwest, the country borders first on Bolivia and second on Chile. The high Andes dominate this region, the famous Ruta 40 runs through it and it is the only region in Argentina where you can still encounter indigenous people and their traditions, food and handicrafts. The landscape is characterised by Andean steppes, salt pans, salt lagoons, colourful mountains, cactus landscapes, gorges and impressive river valleys with eroded rock formations. Colonial flair can be found in the provincial capital Salta as well as in small villages in the Quebrada de Humahuaca or in the Valle Calchaqui. The highest wine-growing area on earth is also located here, near Cafayate.

Absolutely worth seeing: 

• The fabulous Iguazú Falls - be sure to visit both national parks, the one on the Argentinian side as well as the one on the Brazilian side.
• Visit Jesuit reductions from colonial times - e.g. San Ignacio Mini or Santa Ana
• Minas de Wanda, the most famous gemstone mine in Argentina
• Boat trip in the Ibera Wetland
• The colourful Quebrada de Humahuaca with the 7-colour mountain of Purmamarca, many small colonial churches as well as excellent handicrafts.
• Pass roads up into the Andes, possibly also across the Andes into Chile - e.g. Paso de Jama, Paso Sico with fantastic landscape panoramas, salt lagoons, flamingos, vicunas, the Salar Grande.
• Salta, la linda - Argentina's most beautiful colonial city
• Tren a las Nubes - the train into the clouds from/to Salta
• Quebrada de las Conchas - Quebrada de Cafayate: wonderful rocky landscapes created by river courses and wind erosion. The towns of Cachi and Cafayate are unspoilt and dreamy. In Cafayate, a visit to a winery is worthwhile; here is the highest wine-growing area on earth with the excellent white wine of the Torrontés grape. In April, fields of chillies lie out to dry everywhere.
• Visit to the Quilmes ruins amidst huge columnar cacti near Cafayate.
• Visit Cardones National Park, also with ancient giant columnar cacti. September, October is the best time to see flowering cacti.

Central Argentina:

Ruta 40 runs in Argentina's west below the Andes from north to south, reaching the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza. The highest snow peaks form the border to the western neighbour Chile, countless cross valleys run from west to east, rivers bring valuable minerals to the plains and make them fertile. Where there is irrigation, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables can thrive, Argentina's most famous wines come from here, especially in the Mendoza region. Further east are shrub savannahs and desert regions. Just north of the country's geographical centre is the city of Córdoba. With 1.3 million inhabitants, it is the second largest city in Argentina after Buenos Aires and is located in the transition area between the mountain ranges of the Sierras de Córdoba in the west and a plain geographically divided between the pampas and the Chaco in the east.

Absolutely worth seeing:

• The Talampaya National Park and the Ishigualasto Nature Reserve are in the immediate vicinity and can be combined very well. Since 2000, both parks have been UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites. Not only geologists will be thrilled. The formations are about 200 million years old. A visit can also be wonderfully combined with the Ischigualasto National Park in the immediate vicinity. Steven Spielberg is said to have developed the idea for his famous film Jurassic Park here. Both parks are very different. The Talampaya National Park is dominated by steep red rock faces and several rock formations created by water and wind, while in Ishigualasto you drive through a vast desert landscape exposed by the wind. Fossils dating back some 230 million years have been found in both areas, including some of the oldest known dinosaur finds.
• Mendoza is located at an altitude of 707 metres at the foot of the Andes Cordillera, which has the highest peak at this point, the 6,961-metre-high Aconcagua. The city itself is modern, offers the best cuisine and is surrounded by excellent wineries. The famous red wine Malbec is grown in the region. Worth seeing is a visit to one of the ultra-modern wineries in a dreamlike location, a drive high into the Andes to the foot of the Aconcagua as well as to the colourful Puente del Inca. A crossing of the Andes to Santiago de Chile is also scenically magnificent.
• In the Sierra de Córdoba you can do great hikes and multi-day treks.

Argentina's south:

Towards the south, the fertile Pampas region slowly turns into a steppe landscape that becomes increasingly dry and inhospitable. Somewhere begins the large area we call Patagonia. In 1877, the northern border of Patagonia for the Argentinean part was established according to the course of the Rio Colorado, approximately at the 38th parallel. The provinces of Rio Negro, Neuquén, Chubut and Santa Cruz were also created. Patagonia takes up about 1/3 of all Argentina, but only about 4 % of the population lives there. The southern border is clearly defined by Cape Horn on the 56th parallel. Patagonia can be clearly divided into two areas, each extending from north to south: 1.the western part with the Andes Cordillera, its ice peaks, glaciers and lakes. 2. the eastern part towards the Atlantic as a predominantly wide hilly grass steppe with an incredibly rich fauna along the coast.
In the western part, the romantic lake district around Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes with its national parks is considered the "Argentine Switzerland", a paradise for hikers and sport fishermen. South of there, the landscape becomes rougher, huge distances open up. In the southern Patagonian Andes there is an extensive ice sheet, the largest continental ice sheet in temperate latitudes on earth, with a total area of about 18,000 square kilometres. As a comparison: all Alpine glaciers together have an area of about 3,500 square kilometres. The small town of El Calafate has developed as a tourist centre for visiting the glacier region. From here, the Perito Moreno Glacier - the most famous of all Argentinean glaciers - is easy to visit. But El Chaltén below the spectacular Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre has also become a hotspot for mountaineers, hikers and adventurers to experience the wild mountain and glacier world of Southern Patagonia.Between the Cordillera and the Atlantic Ocean stretches a series of high plateaus called mesetas in Patagonia. Their average height is 700-900 metres. More than 100 million years ago, the now steppe-like areas of Patagonia east of the Andes were lushly vegetated. The Andes Cordillera had not yet risen, so that the winds from the Pacific could reach the plains unhindered and bring precipitation with them. Some of these forests were buried under ash and lava during volcanic eruptions. This must have happened very quickly, because under the sudden exclusion of oxygen, the forests became fossils that are still very well preserved today. Wind erosion has uncovered these "petrified forests"; araucaria trunks, twigs and cones remain visible to this day. Dinosaur finds also tell of the fertile times of that time.
Argentina's Atlantic coast is bare, rough and windy. The sea, on the other hand, is full of life and provides food for a wide variety of animal species. Penguins, sea lions and elephant seals, whales, dolphins - they can all be found in large numbers along the coast.
In the south, the Strait of Magellan separates the South American mainland from the island archipelago, named Tierra del Fuego after its largest island. The Andes, which stretch from north to south on the mainland, bend from west to east on Tierra del Fuego. Thus, in the north of the large Tierra del Fuego island, the steppe landscape continues, while in the south the mountains tower up and then slope down to the Beagle Channel. Further south, you only find more mountainous islands and fijords up to Cape Horn. The distance from Ushuaia to the geographic South Pole is just under 4,000 kilometres as the crow flies.

Absolutely worth seeing:

• Lake district around Bariloche: Nahuel Huapi National Park, Los Arrayanes National Park and Los Alerces National Park with log cabin idyll, hiking possibilities, boat trips and sport fishing.
• El Calafate and the Glacier National Park with excursions to Perito Moreno Glacier, Upsala, and Spegazzini Glacier. Combined excursions by boat or glacier trekking can also be undertaken - all recommended.
• El Chaltén as a starting point for hikes or mountain climbs on Cerro Fitz Roy or Cerro Torre.
• The Cueva de las Manos is located in an impressive gorge south of the town of Perito Moreno and features wonderful handprints and drawings of Patagonian indigenous people.
• Bosques Petrificados - the "petrified forests": one is not far from Ruta 3 at the height of Puerto Deseado. Another is near the village of Sarmeinto.
• Península Valdés: The wildlife-rich peninsula is home to a great wealth of animals on land as well as at sea: guanacos, pampas hares, Magellanic penguins, elephant seals, sea lions, sea birds, whales - an animal paradise.
• South of Trelew is the Magellanic penguin colony of Punta Tombo. With around half a million penguins, this is the largest mainland colony outside Antarctica!
• Puerto Deseado was once an unknown coastal port. Today it is known for its abundance of wildlife in the surrounding area. The very rare rockhopper penguins also nest on Isla de los Pingüinos, which is about 30 kilometres offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.
• On Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost city on the South American mainland is worth a visit in itself. Ushuaia is the starting point for excursions to Lapataia National Park, where you can go hiking. A boat trip on the Beagel Canal is also a must.

Facts and figures of Argentina:

Land area: just under 2.8 million sq. km, including Antarctic claim just under 4 million sq. km
Population: 45 million - 90% whites and mestizos, 10% people of indigenous and Afro-Caribbean descent
Capital: Buenos Aires with 3.2 million inhabitants, Greater B.A. approx. 1/3 of the total population
Highest mountain: 6,961 metres, Aconcagua
Form of government: presidential republic
History: Argentina's history can be divided into four chronological sequences: the pre-Columbian period up to the 16th century, the colonial period from around 1516 to 1810, the wars of independence as the nation's post-colonial early period from 1810 to 1880, and the history of modern Argentina from the wave of immigration around 1880.
Economy: Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world until the early 1950s. It had a level of prosperity comparable to that of other immigration countries. However, due to various crises, Argentina fell far behind these countries in the second half of the 20th century. Today, Argentina is usually referred to as a so-called emerging economy, as the level of its economy is no longer comparable to that of industrialised countries. In general, Argentina's economy has traditionally been dominated by the agricultural sector and related industries due to natural conditions. In the course of the 20th century, however, other economic sectors have also settled, so that today industries of all kinds and a wide-ranging service sector complement the local economy. Nevertheless, the main exports are soybeans, meat, petroleum and gas.
Currency: Argentine peso
Language: Spanish
Festivals: 1 January New Year; February/March Carnival parades and festivals; March/April Semana Santa = Holy Week with Easter; 2 April commemorates the Falklands War; 1 May Labour Day; 25 May commemorates the May Revolution of 1810; 20 June Día de la Bandera honours the national flag; 9 July is Independence Day; 12 October (or 2nd Monday in October): Cultural Diversity Day; the official Christmas holiday is 25 December.

Travelling in Argentina:

Entry requirement: The passport must be valid on entry. A period of validity beyond the duration of the planned stay is recommended. German nationals do not require a visa for entry and stay of up to 90 days as a tourist. Fingerprints of each traveller are digitally scanned and a digital portrait photo is taken at the airport of entry or seaport.
Vaccinations: No compulsory vaccinations are required for direct entry from Germany. Neither for entry from a yellow fever area (often the neighbouring countries) nor for entry from Germany is proof of a valid yellow fever vaccination required. When travelling to the yellow fever areas of Argentina (provinces of Corrientes and Misiones, also Iguazú Waterfalls), a yellow fever vaccination is recommended for all travellers over the age of 9 months. Coming from Argentina, vaccination may be required for onward travel to a third country.
Climate/Travel time: Basically, the seasons in Argentina are exactly opposite to ours. However, as the country stretches over many latitudes, it has just as many different climate zones. In the extreme northeast around the Iguazú Falls, subtropical climate prevails, so that the region can be visited all year round. For the northwest and central Argentina, the spring and autumn months are best, i.e. September/October and March/April. At this time of year it is not extremely hot, there is no rainy season and the mountain passes in the Andes are snow-free. Tip for cactus lovers: travel to the northwest in the Argentinean spring, you will love the splendour of the flowers. For Patagonia, only the local summer months are suitable, i.e. November to March. During the South American summer holidays from Christmas until the end of February, the locals also love to travel. If you want it to be quieter, you should avoid this time.
Local time: The time difference between Germany and Argentina is -4 hours. (CET) During summer time the time difference is -5 hours. (CEST)

Addresses:

Embassy of the Argentine Republic
Kleiststraße 23-26 
10787 Berlin 
Telefon +49 (30) 22 66 890  Fax +49 (30) 22 91 400
https://botschaft-konsulat.de/argentinien-botschaft/
info@embargent.de