Argentina has many sites that could claim the title of natural
wonders of the world: the majestic waterfalls of Iguazú ,
the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier , whose towering
sixty-metre walls calve icebergs into the lake below, fascinating
whale colonies off the Península Valdés , or the
quintessential Argentine mountain holiday-resort of
Bariloche - indeed Patagonia and the south in
general. Yet many of the country's most noteworthy sights are also
its least known, such as the Esteros del Iberà , a huge
reserve of swamps and floating islands offering unforgettably
close-up encounters with cayman, monkeys, capybara and hundreds of
brightly plumed birds; or Antofagasta de la Sierra , an
amazingly remote village close to the biggest crater on the
Earth's surface, set amid frozen lagoons mottled pink with
flamingos; or Laguna Diamante , a high-altitude lake
reflecting a wondrous volcano straight out of a Japanese woodcut.
In any case, weather conditions and the sheer size of the country
will rule out any attempt to see every corner or even all the main
destinations. If you do want to see each region, air travel will be
the only way of fitting them in, unless time is no object. But
climatic restraints make it far more sensible and rewarding to
concentrate on a particular section of the country, and that's
where the excellent network of long-distance buses comes into its
own.
Other than if you're visiting Argentina as part of a South
American tour, Buenos Aires is likely to be your point of
entry, as it has the country's only bona fide international
airport. Only inveterate city-haters will resist the capital's
charm. Not a place for museum fans - though several of the city's
art collections are certainly worth a visit - BA is one of the
world's greatest urban experiences, with its intriguing blend of
French-style architecture and a vernacular style that includes
houses painted in the colours of a legendary football team. From
the city, also Argentina's unrivalled transport hub, the various
regions fan out to the north, west and south.
Due north stretches El Litoral , a region of subtropical
riverine landscapes sharing borders with Brazil and Paraguay. Here
are the photogenic Iguazú waterfalls, and the much-visited Jesuit
Missions whose once noble ruins are crumbling into the tangled
jungle, with the notable exception of well-preserved San Ignacio
Miní set among manicured parkland. Immediately to the west of
El Litoral stretches the Chaco , one of Argentina's most
infrequently visited regions, a place for those with a dogged
interest in wildlife , especially birdlife and endangered
species of mammals; but be prepared for often fiercely hot
conditions, a poor tourist infrastructure and a long wait if you
want to see some of its rarer denizens. Tucked away in the
country's landlocked Northwest , the historic cradle of
present-day Argentina, bordering on Bolivia and northern Chile, is
the polychrome Quebrada del Toro which can be viewed in
comfort from the Tren a los Nubes , one of the world's
highest railways. Even more colourful is the much photographed
Quebrada de Humahuaca , a fabulous gorge winding up to the
oxygen-starved Altiplano, where llamas and their wild relatives
graze on straw-like pastures. In the Valles Calchaqúes , a
series of stunningly beautiful valleys, high-altitude vineyards
produce the delightfully flowery torrontés wine.
West and immediately south of Buenos Aires is pampa, pampa and
more pampa. This is where you'll still glimpse signs of the
traditional gaucho culture , most famously celebrated in the
charming town of San Antonio de Areco . Here, too, you'll
find some of the classiest estancias , offering a
combination of understated luxury and horseback adventure
activities. On the Atlantic coast are a string of fun beach
resorts, including long-standing favourite Mar del Plata .
While the farther west you go, the larger the Central Sierras loom
on the horizon: the mild climate and bucolic woodlands of these
ancient mountains have attracted Argentine tourists since the late
nineteenth century, and within reach of Córdoba , the
country's vibrant second city, are some of the oldest resorts on
the continent. Both the city and its hinterland contain some
wonderful colonial architecture , including the
well-preserved Jesuit estancias of Alta Gracia and Santa
Catalina . In the Cuyo , farther west still, with the
highest Andean peaks as a splendid backdrop, you can discover one
of Argentina's most enjoyable cities, the regional capital of
Mendoza , also the country's wine capital . From
here, the scenic Alta Montaña route climbs steeply to the
Chilean border, passing Cerro Aconcagua , now
well-established as a dream challenge for mountaineers from around
the world. Just to the south, Las Leñas is a winter resort
where a lot of skiers end up on the pages of the continent's
glamour magazines, but the nearby black-and-red lava-wastes of
La Payunia , one of the country's hidden jewels, are all but
overlooked. Likewise, San Juan and La Rioja provinces
are relatively uncharted territory, but their marvellous
mountain-and-valley landscapes will reward exploration, along with
their less known but often outstanding wineries. Their star
attractions are a brace of parks: Parque Nacional Talampaya
, with its giant red cliffs seen on many a poster, and the nearby
Parque Provincial Ischigualasto , usually known the Valle
de la Luna on account of its intriguing moonscapes.
Whereas neighbouring Chile takes up a mere sliver of the
continent's Southern Cone, Argentina, like a greedy bedfellow
hogging the blankets, has the lion's share of the wild, sparsely
populated expanses of Patagonia and the archipelago of
Tierra del Fuego . These are lands of seemingly endless arid
steppe hemmed in for the most part by the southern leg of the
Andes, a series of volcanoes, craggy peaks and deep glacial lakes.
An almost unbroken chain of national parks along these Patagonian
and Fuegian cordilleras make for some of the best trekking anywhere
on the planet. Certainly include the savage granite peaks of the
Fitz Roy sector of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
in your itinerary but also the less frequently visited
monkey-puzzle forests of Parque Nacional Lanín or the trail
network of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi . These regions
exert an irresistible lure on many visitors, and in addition to the
fabulous scenery, they offer excellent opportunities for
fly-fishing and adventurous horse-riding, with the famous sheep
estancias as a base. For wildlife enthusiasts the Peninsula
Valdés is a must-see: famous above all else as a breeding
ground for southern right whales, it and the nearby coast also
sustain enormous colonies of elephant seals, penguins and
sea-lions. If you have a historical bent, you may like to trace the
region's associations with early seafarers such as Magellan and
Drake in the Bahía San Juliàn or Fitzroy and Darwin in the
beautiful Beagle Channel off Ushuaia. Ancestors of the
Tehuelche, one of the many remarkable indigenous cultures wiped out
after the Europeans arrived, painted the wonderful collage of
handprints and animal scenes that adorn the walls of the Cueva
de las Manos Pintadas in Santa Cruz Province. Finally, you
might like to track down the legacy of outlaws like Butch Cassidy
who lived near Cholila, or of the Welsh settlers whose
influence can still be felt in communities like Gaiman and
Trevelin .