Argentina

directly to the detail pages

Argentina

General

Argentina is located in South America. In the north it borders Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. To the northeast, it borders Uruguay. In the west it has a long border with Chile. For Argentina, the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (British overseas territory) clearly belong to Argentina. You will see and hear this again and again on a journey through Argentina.

In Argentina summer is in Jan/Feb, while winter is in July/August. The region of Patagonia is located in southern Argentina together with southern Chile. The southern part of this region is also known as Tierra del Fuego.

Country and People

Spanish is the spoken language in Argentina. In the hotels and with tour operators English is usually possible or there is at least one who can speak English. However, many Argentineans only speak Spanish. You will notice this when you meet travelling Argentines on your trip or when you go to the bakery around the corner. But somehow with hands and feet you can always communicate.

A lot of meat is eaten in Argentina. Argentine beef is known all over the world. You can get steaks here which are cheap and high quality. Especially in the Buenos Aires region. The north claims the empanadas for itself, so you should eat them in this area. In Patagonia there is a lot of lamb and you can try guanaco. Ushuaia is the paradise for affordable king crab. But you can also notice the foreign influence in the whole country. You can get burgers and pizza everywhere. HotDog is also an often found snack.

Argentien has a lot to offer for tourists. From rainforest, rainbow mountains and cactuses in the north, over the Iguazu waterfalls, which are one of the new 7 natural wonders, to the capital city flair in Buenos Aires. Countless penguins and seals, depending on the season whales, glaciers and impressive mountain landscapes and hiking trails in Patagonia. All the way to Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city Ushuaia, which is the starting point for Antarctica trips. More about the possibilities on the detail pages.

Argentina is much cheaper in the north than in the south. In the north there are also more Argentineans for vacation. For the northern Argentines, the south is far away and expensive. They prefer to travel to Peru, for example. In the south you find tourists from all over the world.

Money

The Argentinan currency is the Pesos. Since the currency is subject to strong inflation and strong fluctuations, please inform yourself about the current exchange rates directly before and also during the trip.

The ATM fee s is extremely high and the maximum amount you can withdraw is limited. Usually you will only get about 100-150$ with one withdrawal, but you will pay almost 10$ fee. If you don’t have a bank which refund this fee, you should avoid withdrawing cash. If you have a bank that adds fees for use in foreign countries, it will be even more expensive.

The best option is actually cash in the form of euros or dollars. You can exchange money free of charge, and many restaurants and shops also accept euros and dollars. Even at a better exchange rate than the official one. Sometimes you get a 10% discount when paying in cash.

It is best to take Euro or Dollar with you, but of course you should keep security in mind. You wouldn’t walk around with 2000$ in your pocket at home, so you want to do it in Argentina?

Another and often used option is Western Union.

I paid mainly by card. The acceptance of Visa was higher than MasterCard. But it is not always possible to pay by card, so you should always have some Pesos with you.

You should always pay hotels with credit card or cash in dollars, then you don’t have to pay taxes as a foreigner.

Safety

Argentina is considered one of the safest countries in South America. I myself have never felt uncomfortable here either. Especially in the smaller and touristic places everything was always quite and relaxed. A little more caution should be taken in Buenos Aires and the other bigger cities. Don’t necessarily go for a walk here with the large SLR around your neck and your cell phone in hand. Also at night, better take a taxi than to walk through half of the city. Overall, however, it didn’t seem any less insecure than e.g. Paris. Before your journey check for the latest security information at the website of your Federal Foreign Office.

Detail pages

I show you the highlights of my Argentina trip in detail and with lots of pictures. The links to the detail pages are directly below the overview map. The map should give you an overview where in Argentina the described places are.

Argentina

1 – Buenos Aires

Tourist Bus, La Boca, Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)

Argentina

2 – Puerto Iguazu

Iguazu Falls in Argentina & Brazil, Itaipu Dam (Paraguay)

Argentina

3 – Salta – Jujuy

Salinas Grandes (salt flat), Hornocal (rainbow mountain), Los Cardones (cacti)

Argentina

4 – Peninsula Valdes

Argentina

5 – Punta Tombo

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6 – Ushuaia

Tierra del Fuego National Park, Laguna Esmeralda

Argentina

7 – El Calafate

Perito Moreno Glacier, Ice Trekking, Torres del Paine (Chile)

Argentina

8 – El Chalten

Infos about hiking trails in Argentinas trekking capital

Argentina