Argentina

About Argentina

Argentina stretches from subtropical rainforest in the north to the windswept tip of South America, and its sheer size means most holidays focus on a few contrasting regions linked by domestic flights. UK travellers usually arrive on a long-haul flight into Buenos Aires, and because the seasons are reversed, the British winter is summer in Argentina, ideal for exploring the far south.

Buenos Aires is a sophisticated, energetic capital with grand boulevards, European-style architecture and distinctive neighbourhoods. San Telmo is known for antiques and tango, La Boca for its brightly painted houses, and Recoleta and Palermo for elegant streets, parks and restaurants. Dining late on steak and red wine is part of the experience, as is an evening at a milonga or tango show.

In the north-east, the Iguazú Falls, shared with Brazil, are one of the world's great natural wonders, with walkways leading right to the edge of the roaring cascades. The north-west around Salta and Jujuy offers colonial towns, high-altitude deserts and the vividly coloured rock layers of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. To the west, Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes and is the heart of Argentina's wine country, celebrated for Malbec, vineyard lodges and mountain views.

Patagonia is the region many travellers dream of. Near El Calafate, the Perito Moreno Glacier creaks and calves into a milky lake, while El Chaltén is a hiking base beneath the jagged spires of Mount Fitz Roy. The Lake District around Bariloche has forests, lakes and chocolate shops, the Valdés Peninsula is famed for whales, sea lions and penguins, and Ushuaia, on Tierra del Fuego, is the departure point for many Antarctic cruises. Argentina suits food and wine lovers, hikers and wildlife enthusiasts alike.