I visited Argentina as part of South America tour including Antarctic.

Argentina is such a beautiful and vast country. Itself can take more than 3 to 4 weeks to explore. Argentina shares land borders with Chile across the Andes, Brazil, the Drake Passage to Antarctic, and several other countries. Ushuaia is the main start point for cruising to the Antarctic Ocean. I spent three days in Argentina’s Capital, Buenos Aires, before cruising to the White Continent and a week in Argentina’s Patagonia after the cruise.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is Argentina’s big, cosmopolitan capital city. Its center is the Plaza de Mayo, lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace. Other major attractions include Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house with nearly 2,500 seats, and the modern MALBA museum, displaying Latin American art. The El Ateneo Grand Splendid is supposedly the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

Buenos Aires is world famous for its Tango dance. I visited three different Tango venues each of their different charm. Gala Tango Show is on a small stage with intimate Tango experience. You can watch the dancers at close distance. Piazzolla Tango show is in large theater with stargazing performance.

In Argentina, visiting a Gaucho (Argentina “Cowboy”) Ranch is a must-do. I visited one in Buenos Aires and two in Patagonia sampled Argentina beef BBQ and “Gaucho” dance.

The best restaurant you can try out the Argentina beef dishes is Don Julio famous for house cuts like bife de cuadril (rump steak) and entraña (skirt steak).

Ushuaia

Ushuaia claims the title of world’s southernmost city. Ushuaia is located roughly 1,100 kilometres (680 mi) from the Antarctic Peninsula and is one of the Antarctic gateway cities in South American. The other is Chile’s Punta Arenas.

My journal to the Antarctic will be blogged in an report in the Polar Regions. Ushuaia is bordering the Beagle Channel. A cruise along the channel provides opportunities to see Penguin Colony and Seals. It is next to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. I saw many birds and wildlife including a red fox. There are sights in Ushuaia such as a fort used as prison, as well as southernmost post office. Shopping on the main street is very good too.

Patagonia

Patagonia is a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America , governed by Argentina and Chile . The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords , temperate rainforests , and glaciers in the west and deserts , tablelands , and steppes to the east. Patagonia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan , the Beagle Channel , and the Drake Passage to the south.

El Calafate is a city in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, in Patagonia. It is located on the southern border of Lago Argentino. El Calafate is an important tourist destination, serving as the hub for visitors of different parts of Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Chaltén, and Cerro Torre, in addition to the area surrounding Lago Argentino. I used El Calafate as my tour base. The flight that take you from Ushuaia to El Calafate is about 1:15.

The Perito Moreno Glacier and Los Glaciares National Park have the most beautiful glaciers in the world, in my opinion. The glaciers come in different shapes and vary depending on the micro-climate. There are day tours that can take you to the glaciers. You can also participant in a mini-trekking or a big-trekking of Perito Moreno glacier. The tour takes you to see all glaciers at Lake Argentina is called All Glaciers by Azul Latina.

El Chaltén is a “nearby” town (3 hours aways) where you can see Andean Condor and do some nice hiking.

A very famous national park, Torres Del Paine National Park, which is actually in Chile, can be visited from El Calafate on a day trip. You need to bring your passport with you as you will cross the Argentina-Chile border.

Back in El Calafate, there are several Gaucho (Argentina “Cowboy”) Ranches worth visiting. One is Estancia 25 de Mayo in El Calafate promise. The other one is about one hour away, Nibepo Aike Ranch. Nibepo Aike Ranch experience is very nice. After a delicious Argentina BBQ lunch, the ranch owner put on a sheepdog show, followed by a horse ride along a beautiful lake.

This is all for now. Enjoy reading!