Argentina
Argentina is one of the most beautiful countries in South America and has numerous cities and places to visit. Ten days only scratches the surface of Argentina. I’ve included below my itinerary for ten days in Argentina. There are still so many places I want to explore but on this trip the highlights included: Buenos Aires, Bariloche, El Calafate, and El Chalten. There is no doubt in my mind I will be back for some more exploration.
Getting to Argentina
The cheapest and most accessible city to get to via flight is Buenos Aires. This is where the trip began for my friend and I. Once in Argentina this is a great place to get domestic flights to other cities.
Ten day itinerary in Argentina
Day One- Buenos Aires
Arrive in Buenos Aires via flight. We stayed in AirBNB in Palermo Area. We decided to catch public transport to the Plaza de Mayo and when we arrived, we were thrilled to see there was a gigantic festival going on. No better way to experience the city than this. We were able to buy beers and enjoy the sites. We got dinner and drinks back in Palermo area. Other things you can consider on this day include: Recoleta Cemetery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Teatro Colón, La Casa Rosada, MALBA, La Boca neighborhood or the Botanical Gardens.
DAY TWO-BARILOCHE
Fly from Buenos Aires airport to Bariloche (BRC). We arranged for car rental and that included a pick up from the airport. In South America most of the cars you rent are standard and being American we are much more used to automatic cars. If you are in the same boat just expect to pay a little more. To my friend and I this was worth it. Plus, this company picked you up from the airport and dropped you off on the way back. We got into the car and headed north to San Martin de los Andes. The drive up is approximately 3 hours without stopping. Since we arrived late morning, we knew we had all day to explore on the way. Immediately we were blown away with the scenery. This national route 40 between the towns of Villa La Angostura and San Martin de los Andes is known as the Road of Seven Lakes. In San Martin de los Andes we really wanted to check out Domingo Restaurante but they were packed so we headed over to Torino Bar and Bistro and had a wonderful dinner. Morphen is the highest rated restaurant in town. We spent the night at the Hosteria Hostal del Esquiador via Booking.com.
DAY THREE-BARILOCHE
We woke in San Martin de los Andes and headed back down to San Carlos Bariloche on the same route we came up on. It was just as incredible, and we stopped at a few other vantage points. We then headed around the short circuit of Bariloche. Leaving town on Av. Bustillo you head around this lake region on route 77. Highlights included Llao Llao, Patagonia Brewery, Mirador Lago Moreno, Cerro Campanario. Bariloche is known for its chocolate so you must check that out. We spent the night at Piuké which was centrally located and had parking.
DAY FOUR- EL CHALTÉN
Today we checked out of our hotel, returned our rental car and headed to the airport to fly down to El Calafate. If you have more time you can make the drive which is about 18 hours and 15 minutes but since we were short on time so skipped this part. El Calafate is the gateway to the Argentinean side of Patagonia. We caught a bus from El Calafate to El Chaltén We were going to stay at the Rancho Grande in El Chaltén but they overbooked so they put us at the Destino Sur Hotel and Spa for no additional charge which was the best upgrade I’ve ever had. It was a beautifully done hotel with modern amenities, spa, and delicious breakfast included.
DAY FIVE-EL CHALTÉN
El Chaltén is known for its epic hiking. There are two main hikes that you should consider while here. Today we did the Cerro Torre Hike. The Cerro Torre hike is about 18 km long and takes about 6-8 hours to complete. After this incredible hike, we headed straight to La Cervecería Chaltén for a nice beer.
DAY SIX-EL CHALTÉN
Still based in El Chaltén, I geared up for the Fitz Roy Hike. My friend opted against this after doing the Cerro Torre the day before. Because of our upgrade we opted to take advantage of the free spa so my friend and I booked a late afternoon session. Initially I planned to just make it to the Lago Capri and the Mirador because I thought it would be nice to enjoy the spa in the afternoon. After getting to that area serious FOMO kicked in and I decided I would do the whole journey. Fitz Roy hike is about 24 km and should take around 8 hours. I was making incredible time and since I really wanted to make it back in time for this so decided to jog back. Somehow I got disoriented and ended up on the wrong path. The path that connects Cerro Torre to Fitz Roy. Anyways I found a shortcut and did regret some decisions but made it out alive. It was an experience I will never forgot. Needless to say, I missed the spa. We made a reservation the night before at restaurant and I ate the best Argentinean steak I’ve ever had in my life.
DAY SEVEN-EL CALAFATE
El Chaltén to El Calafate – we took the bus back to El Calafate and spent the rest of the day exploring the town of El Calafate.
DAY EIGHT-PERITO MORENO GLACIER
Perito Moreno Glacier- you simply cannot come to this area and not see this most impressive glacier. We decided to do it on our own terms which included catching a bus from El Calafate and then booking the boat and paying for the entrance there. There are a number of paths around the area to explore from multiple different viewpoints. Getting the boat tour was epic because you got a whole different perspective and got much closer to experience occasional calving of the ice breaking from this impressive glacier. Another option to explore is to do a ice glacier trekking. Of note they recommend if trekking to be in good physical condition. They only take people ages 8-65, no one with BMI >30, pregnant people, and certain medical conditions that may limit ability to complete the activity. Please check with your tour operator to ensure you will be able to participate.
DAY NINE-BUENOS AIRES
El Calafate Flight back to Buenos Aires. Today my friend and I spent the afternoon exploring the Recoleta Cemetery. This cemetery is stunningly beautiful. We explored the area around there and then headed back to Palermo where we enjoyed drinks and dinner.
DAY TEN-LEAVE ARGENTINA
My friend left on a plane back to the United States and I continued my journey on to Uruguay via the ferry to Colonia del Sacramento.
