Argentina travel

A journey to Patagonia is every great traveller’s dream. Swept by the winds and eroded by the sea, the ports of the South Atlantic bear witness to the boldness of people. From here, you set off for Cape Horn and Antarctica… The vast desert steppes are overlooked by the Andean mountain range. The thousands of Magellanic penguins endlessly re-enact the March of the Emperor. The Valdés Peninsula is the heart of Atlantic Patagonia, with its penguins, whales, sea lions and elephant seals. Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, and its very name evokes the ends of the earth. Departing from El Calafate, travel through Andean Patagonia, with the highlight being Los Glaciares National Park, a unique spectacle in the world, featuring a concentration of glaciers along the shores of Argentino Lake.

A trip to Buenos Aires irresistibly sparks the desire to spend six months living on the banks of the Río de la Plata. The call of the New World is certainly intact. Its architecture, a blend of colonial, Art Deco and contemporary design – tells the story of Argentina. We relish getting lost in the lively streets of the Microcentro, with its leather shops and quirky tango shoe boutiques. For the classic experience, San Telmo and La Boca bring together all the local folklore, from tango to Boca Juniors. Buenos Aires today is also Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, chic and bohemian with its bourgeois houses transformed into lounges, concept stores and designer boutiques. For going out, you have to hang around Puerto Madero, where the docks have been converted into very fashionable spots.

A journey through the Sierras de Córdoba will have you flirting with Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas. Córdoba rivals Buenos Aires. The Society of Jesus settled there in the 17th century and made it a genuine Jesuit capital. An important part of the region’s cultural heritage, estancias such as the Jesuit Block and Estancias are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the heart of the Argentine Andes, the Sierras de Córdoba stretch from the vast desert plains of La Pampa to Mendoza, the capital of Argentine wine. National Route 7, heading towards Aconcagua, whose cone is crowned with eternal snow, leads to the valleys where Malbec and Chardonnay share the vineyards. Here, “Ché!” is more than just an expression. It was in Alta Gracia that the very young Che Guevara lived. The family house has been transformed into a museum.

A journey to the Misiones region combines the discovery of two UNESCO-listed natural and cultural sites: Iguazu Falls and the Jesuit Missions. 275 waterfalls and cascades, a marvellous spectacle of nature, are nestled in the lush greenery of a tropical forest, where the only traces of human presence are the remains of the old Jesuit Missions. Misiones is also home to Corrientes, vast areas of marshes and ponds that make up the continent’s largest freshwater reserve. An extraordinary ecosystem. A journey through Argentina, far from the beaten track. Posadas and lodges set in the heart of the Iberá Wetlands offer opportunities for exploration on foot, by canoe or on horseback. A paradise for photographers.

The Andes of northwest Argentina boast some of the most beautiful and unusual landscapes on earth, those of the Puna high plateau. Travelling through northwest Argentina means experiencing the full breadth of the country’s rural and indigenous life, from adobe villages to well-preserved colonial towns. The Tin-Tin Straight road runs alongside dizzying quebradas ravines, and as the day draws to a close, you cannot help but be moved by the blazing colours and shades of red that fill the clear skies of the Argentine Andes. Tucumán, Jujuy, Salta and Cafayate are home to vast estancias ranches on a Latin American scale: thousands of square kilometres or miles, thousands of horses or heads of cattle, and vineyards of great repute. Further west, the road leads to Los Cobres and the border with the high-lying deserts of Chile.