Tango halls, glacier walls and long steak dinners that start at ten.
Argentina stretches from subtropical jungle to the edge of Antarctica. Buenos Aires mixes grand avenues, café culture and the tango of San Telmo, while Iguazú Falls thunders through rainforest in the far north. In Patagonia, the Perito Moreno Glacier calves into Lago Argentino and the granite spires of Mount Fitz Roy rise above El Chaltén, and the vineyards of Mendoza sit beneath the Andes.
Meals run late and generous: asado grilled over wood, Malbec, empanadas and a steady supply of dulce de leche. Distances are huge, so most travellers mix domestic flights with comfortable overnight buses. March to May and October to November suit Buenos Aires and the wine country best, while Patagonia is at its most accessible from November to March.
Best time to visit Argentina
March, April, October, November.
Places to visit in Argentina
Buenos Aires: Argentina's elegant capital of European-style boulevards, tango halls, steakhouses and dinners that start after ten.
Iguazú Falls: The Argentine side of the great falls, with catwalks above and below the cascades and a platform on the brink of the Devil's Throat.
Perito Moreno Glacier: A huge, accessible glacier in Los Glaciares National Park whose 70-metre face calves great blocks of ice into Lago Argentino.
El Chaltén: A small mountain village in Los Glaciares National Park with free trails to the granite spires of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.
Ushuaia: The southernmost city in Argentina, set between mountains and the Beagle Channel, and the main port for Antarctic voyages.
Bariloche: An alpine-style town on Lake Nahuel Huapi, with lakeside drives, hiking and skiing, and a strong tradition of chocolate.
Mendoza: Argentina's wine capital, a leafy city surrounded by vineyards with the high Andes and Aconcagua on the horizon.
Salta: A handsome colonial city in the northwest, gateway to red-rock gorges, high-altitude vineyards and Andean villages.
Península Valdés: A windswept peninsula on the Atlantic coast of Patagonia where southern right whales, elephant seals and orcas gather.
Quebrada de Humahuaca: A long valley in Jujuy where striped mountains in red, green and ochre rise above adobe villages on an ancient trade route.
Essentials
Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)
Language: Spanish
Plugs: Type C / I, 220 V
Driving: Right side
Time zone: UTC−3
Tipping: Around 10% in restaurants is customary
Getting around: Domestic flights cover the long distances; overnight buses are comfortable and widespread
Entry: Check the official rules for your passport before booking