One of my first long trips was to Argentina. The country had been on my wish list for years, after I had seen images of the overwhelming nature and bustling Buenos Aires. Argentina met all expectations and is definitely worth a visit! We’ll tell you all about the 10 reasons to visit Argentina at least once in your life.
10 reasons to visit Argentina
#1 Metropolis Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a wonderfully vibrant city. It feels a bit European, but with an Argentinian touch. The city is large and busy, so there are so many lovely areas to visit. Highlights are the Cementerio de Recoleta with the tomb of Evita, a free walking tour to explore the city and a visit to a tango show. In our city guide you can read everything you need to know before you visit this metropolis (soon online)!
#2 The amazing food
Are you a meat lover? Then you will be very pleased with the famous Argentinian steaks. As a sweet tooth, dulce de leche – a kind of caramel paste – made me very happy. It was on almost every breakfast table, lucky me! But the Argentinian empanadas are my absolute favourite. Con carne, pollo o queso? You should also try out the bitter ‘mate’ tea once, but as far as I’m concerned, leave it at that first try.
#3 Wildlife in the Peninsula Valdés
Always wanted to spot whales and orcas? Want to stand next to penguins? And would you like to see sea elephants and walruses in the wild? The Peninsula Valdés is a beautiful national park on a peninsula with great opportunities for wildlife spotting. You can go on a tour here or drive your (rental) car around yourself. You can already see the whales from the beach, but you only get really close from a boat. Tip: you can see the whales here mainly from June to December.
#4 Hiking on a glacier
This is the kind of thing people put on their bucket list: hiking on the Perito Moreno, the largest glacier outside the poles. The glacier moves a few meters every day. Though most of the Perito Moreno is therefore too dangerous to visit, you can go on great hikes of two or four hours along the edges. The view from the front of the glacier – an enormous wall of ice – is also impressive.
#5 The enormous diversity of nature
You visit the south of Argentina for the snowy peaks and glaciers. You can visit Antarctica from here, as it is so close. But are you traveling north? Then you’ll see deserts, salt plains and seas of cacti. The country is so diverse! From glaciers to blue lakes and from salt plains to the vast Patagonia.
#6 The end of the world: visit Ushuaia
It is very special to visit the southernmost town in the world. It takes a long journey to get there, but it is certainly worth it. Hike to a glacier, go on a ski trip and visit the Tierra del Fuego National Park. And do you want to visit Antarctica? From here the boats leave for the South Pole. Tip: get a Ushuaia passport stamp with the dramatic line ‘fin del mundo’.
#7 Colonial Salta
This was one of my favourite destinations in Argentina. Where I visited the glaciers in the cold south on the same trip before, I suddenly found myself here at a sunny destination with cacti and dserts. Take a few days for your visit to Salta. With its colonial architecture, picturesque streets and interesting museum, Salta is a nice city to explore, but the area also lures. You can take day trips to the salt flats in the north, the coloured mountains at Purmamarca, the northern villages along the Río Grande and the canyons and mountains in Quebrada de Cafayate.
#8 Amazing mountain bikes
If you love hikes, Argentina is a great travel destination. Around the lake district you can make beautiful mountain bikes to glaciers and you can climb Mt. Fitz Roy on a multi-day hike. Other popular destinations for mountain hikes are El Chaltén and El Bolsón, all in beautiful Patagonia.
Read more: these are the best hiking trails in Patagonia according to travel bloggers.
#9 The beautiful lake district and Bariloche
The blue lakes, the snowy peaks and glaciers and picture pretty towns make the lake district a must visit on your Argentina trip. Bariloche is the largest city in this region. In this picturesque town you also have a beautiful viewpoint to see the bright blue lakes in the hilly landscape. The town itself is also quite an attraction with its German architecture!
#10 The excellent wine
In Argentina the wine is so good that even the supermarket wine from a cardboard package is still tasty. We therefore recommend a visit to the wine region of Mendoza, where you can visit the vineyards for tastings. We did a bike tour to visit a few of them on one day and loved it. Cheers!
