ktmc

Hi, my husband and I are headed to Argentina in March for two weeks for our honeymoon and need help with our itinerary! We have a vague outline of spending a few days in Beunos Aires before heading to Patagonia, then back to BA before flying back out. We wanted to focus on BA and Patagonia so as not to spread ourselves too thin, though we know Patagonia is a huge area! We are interested in hiking (moderate skill level), culture, food/wine, art and of course the breathtaking scenery. We weren't sure of the best way to logistically cover the geography - fly from BA to? Then rent a car to explore Patagonia? Are we crazy to just limit ourselves to these two areas? Any ideas, advice, input would be great!

francisc0

March is an excellent time to visit Buenos Aires! It's still warm but not scalding hot. And it's probably still pleasant in Patagonia, too. Also, there are less tourists than during the summer months (Dec-Feb).

Maybe you could fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia --in Tierra del Fuego-- and then work your way North through Patagonia. I assume you want to go to Calafate to see the glaciers, and that's relatively close to Ushuaia. A drawback is that Tierra del Fuego is an island cut off from the rest of the country, so you'd have to take a ferry or a plane to get back to the mainland (or skip Ushuaia and fly straight to Calafate).

I don't know how long it would take to drive through Patagonia (this also depends on whether you want to follow the Andes N-S or if you want to cross over to the coast), but renting a car *is* possible. There are rental offices throughout the region; for instance, take a look at http://www.avis.com.ar/.

The drive between Buenos Aires and Patagonia is long (15 hours at the very least), but it could be a chance to appreciate the vast expanses of the Pampas. You could also take a bus for that leg of the journey: Argentinean long-distance buses are *very* comfortable, and some even recline completely (great for overnight trips). You can check out prices and trip lengths at http://www.plataforma10.com/ (though March services aren't available yet). You could even use that to calculate how long it would take you to drive between certain points.

So, one possible itinerary would be Buenos Aires --> plane to Ushuahia --> drive North through Patagonia --> bus to Bs As.

"Are we crazy to just limit ourselves to these two areas?" I think it's ok for two weeks, especially since Patagonia is so huge. You could also take day trips to places near Buenos Aires, like Tigre (in the Parana River delta) or rural towns like Luján or San Antonio de Areco. But I don't think you have time to visit some of the other places which I'd otherwise recommend, like the Northwest provinces of Salta and Jujuy. At most, I think you could visit the Cuyo region just north of Patagonia, which might interest you due to its winemaking tradition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyo_%28Argentina%29).

clove7524

My husband and I spent 3 1/2 weeks travelling through the whole country. We were fortunate to find Isabel, a local travel agent who's fee is a pittance for what she does! My son and his wife found her on a forum, and went to visit twice in two years they loved it so much. We took their recommendation and were we thrilled! She planned everything out and made sure every connection was perfect. In South America, you can never tell when the flights will be cancelled etc. She was ont top of it all! We went to BA, Iguazu Falls, Salta, Mendoza and Patagonia. We never stayed in the same type of accommodations. One time, an estancia, another a boutique hotel, another time a bed and breakfast etc. THE best vacation
we have ever had!!!!

qwovadis

www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/argentina
Keep weather issues to the south in mind as you plan
argentinaforless.com wowargentina.com good route info.
Might add Iguazu Sheraton spg.com falls view for a splurge
Fly long legs quicker easer safer. Driver/guides are cheaper
safer than car rental there.

www.saexplorers.org/clubhouses/buenosaires tips discounts

Happy Planning!

ktmc

Thanks so much, will research all of the above!