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Fitz Roy

How best to visit Argentina obviously depends on how much time you have available to travel. Most visitors will arrive in Buenos Aires and begin their trip from there. It seems although many profess wanting to tour Argentina one of the first places they wish to visit is Torres del Paine National Park. There is no question that Torres del Paine is a spectacular park, but the fact is it is in Chile and not Argentina.

Though to fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, in the heart of Argentine Patagonia, and overland from there, is geographically straight and shortest way to get to Torres del Paine, the transportation to the park is not exactly overabundant. There is public bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas one can catch and hop off it at the park’s entry, and private transfers are available as well though not plentiful nor cheap.

Hanging glaciers in Torres del Paine

Without a doubt the best access to Torres del Paine is from Punta Arenas, the focal point of Chilean Patagonia. Of course this poses a bit of a dilemma if starting from Buenos Aires. To get to Punta Arenas can be done either by flight via Santiago de Chile or by going to Bariloche in the heart of Argentine Andes first and from there overland across the Andes Lakes District to Puerto Montt and fly to Punta Arenas from there.

If going to Punta Arenas via Santiago may seem like a cumbersome detour, then add a stop and break up the trip by visiting Mendoza first. Mendoza is an easy flight from Buenos Aires and on the way to Santiago. In Mendoza you can tour the best wineries of the region, sample local dishes, lodge at some wonderful hotels, and after three or four days continue on to Santiago.

Another alternative is to forget Torres del Paine altogether, tailor it into your itinerary on a future trip focusing on Chile only, and instead proceed from El Calafate to El Chalten, a base town for treks into the wilds of the incredible Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy. If you may be on a limited time, from El Chalten you can head back to El Calafate and return to Buenos Aires from there. With two weeks to spare you can visit both Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine and you can even add Southern Patagonia, Argentina’s legendary Tierra del Fuego.

Following are the very best three options for experiencing Best of Argentina on 15-days, starting from Buenos Aires.

Option one is to fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, overland to El Chaltén, then to Ushuaia and finish with Iguazu Falls. This Best of Argentina itinerary allows for tango in Buenos Aires, seeing the spectacular glaciers, hiking in Fitz Roy National Park, sailing the Beagle Channel, and in the end marvel at the impressive Iguazu Falls.

Another Best of Argentina itinerary on 15 days is a variation of the above with the inclusion of a visit to Mendoza, so in summary the itinerary packs in Tango, Wineries, Glaciers, Tierra del Fuego, Beagle Channel, and Iguazu Falls.

And one more Best of Argentina tour on 15 days can be designed to include Peninsula Valdes, in other words, Buenos Aires, Whales & Penguins, Glaciers, Ushuaia, and Iguazu Falls.

Some would argue I left out Salta and the northwest of Argentina but for logistical reasons best to leave that part for another trip.

Trekking in Torres del Paine

USA TODAY published a list of 10 out-of-the-ordinary getaways. Here is the list and our links to where you can inquire for more info:

The Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland
Boiling Lake and the Valley of Desolation, Dominica, West Indies
Cappadocia Region, Turkey
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Alaska
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
Jellyfish Lake, Palau Islands, South Pacific
River caves, Belize
Atacama Desert, Chile
El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Angangueo, Mexico
Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Travel & Leisure’s article on Best of South America’s Haciendas brought attention to the windswept pampas of Argentina, the cattle ranches of Argentina, where haciendas are known as estancias, where it is possible to get a taste of the bygone era of the world of the land barons and the Club de la Union. It’s an unforgettable experience to ride on horseback to experience the Patagonian estancias in the surrounding areas of Torres del Paine National Park and to enjoy the estancias’ homey feeling and comfort, sharing together with local people a delicious lamb barbecue cooked in the Patagonian style. One of the grand tours to consider, to which estancia stay can be added, is the In Depth Argentine & Chilean Patagonia tour.

Conde Naste published last year an article on Sporting Events to See Before You Die, listing Boca Juniors match in Buenos Aires among those not to miss. Indeed ambiance at a soccer at the La Bombonera game in Argentina will rival a tango show, another staple of travel and tours in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires transgresses the traditional way of Latin American capitals and its strongly European-accented eclecticism shapes its particular profile and you will be mesmerized by what noise sixty-thousand plus fans can make when the Boca Juniors play at home, to say the least. Do yourself a favor, indulge or relax, but no matter what see a soccer game while in Buenos Aires!

Concierge.com, the online home of Conde Nast Traveler had published its 2008 list of the world’s best adventure trips. Here are their selected destinations, more details on each can be had in their article:

Best of Peru
Lost Alaska by Kayak
Bicycle trip in northwest Argentina, a trip that begins and ends in Salta
Sand and Savannas in Mali, perhaps best known for the fabled trading city of Timbuktu
Panama: Jungles and Caribbean Beaches
Gabon
Trekking Through Transylvania
Swiss Alps
Trekking in Tibet
River Wild in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
Philippines
British Columbia
Biking Big Bend