Argentina General Information

NOTE: Country Information & Maps at the bottom of the page

Buenos Aires, Pampas and Sierras

Buenos Aires, city of tango, passionate for football (soccer), is a city of contrasts: archictectural beauties, as the famous Colon Theater, palaces of a clear French and Italian influence, and buildings from colonial times live together with modern skyscrapers in pefect harmony.

Buenos Aires is, with no doubt, the most European of the Latin American cities.  The great quantity of immigrants which reached Rio de la Plata shore in the 19th century gave Buenos Aires its current cosmopolitan character, which is one of its major attractions.

Some of the most important cities of the country are situated in this region: Buenos Aires, La Plata, Córdoba, Rosario, and Santa Rosa.

The Pampas is perhaps the best-known region in Argentina.
The bare mention of its name is enough to bring forth a feeling of legend, mystery and infinitude.
It is a word of Quechua origin meaning "treeless plain".
As a matter of fact, most of its surface is composed by vast grasslands and crops where the image of the "gaucho" is still present in the mores inherited by countrymen.

There is very little vegetation that is native to the pampas.
The only tree that grew here as an autochthonous species is the "ombú".
The main city in the region is Buenos Aires, "la Reina del Plata" (the Queen of the River, as the tango lyrics go).
Undoubtedly starting point for any itinerary within Argentina.
However, there are somo other very important cities such as Córdoba and Rosario because of their population and cultural patrimony.

Main Atractions: Buenos Aires, Estancias

Iguazu and Litoral

Iguazu Falls: Upon seeing Iguazu, First Lady Eleanor Roosvelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" Vastly larger than North America's Niagara Falls, Iguazu is rivalled only by Southern Africa's Victoria Falls,  which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa.

The waterfall system consists of about 270 falls along 2.7 kilometres (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82 metres (269 feet) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 feet). The Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat (Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped 150-metre-wide and 700-metre-long (490 by 2300 feet) cliff, is the most impressive of all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil.
 
The main cities of the area are Puerto Iguazú, Posadas, Corrientes, Resistencia, Formosa and Paraná, starting points to the countryside of each province.
The so-called littoral is an extensive area that includes the provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Misiones, Formosa, Santa Fe and Chaco.
Also known as Mesopotamia because it is surrounded by the Iguazú, Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, this is a region where the landscape surprises with its colors and movement.

From the gentle slopes of Entre Ríos to the wet marshes of Corrientes and the red hills of Misiones, everything is a reason for amazement.
Natural and cultural patrimonies of unique beauty can be admired in the middle of an exuberant vegetation landscape: the spectacular Iguazú Falls, the magic Iberá Marshes, the Palmar National Park in Entre Ríos, the majestic Jesuit Ruins of San Ignacio, the summer carnivals and the visits to native comunities in Chaco and Formosa Provincies.
These are just a few of the tourist attractions that the Littoral has to offer.
The climate of this area can be considered subtropical and it is moderated by the winds from the Atlantic Ocean, frequent rains and abundant vegetation.

The assorted fauna completes its natural attractions, turning it into one of the most captivating regions in Argentina.

Patagonia

Patagonia is the scene of the world's great adventures. Even if we know little of the place, the name itself inhabits our subconscious, whispering of an unknown finger of the earth, el fin del mundo. We picture large silent spaces, tempestuous seas, windblown solitude.

The first Europeans to lay eyes on this landscape were led by Ferdinand Magellan, who pioneered passage through the treacherous strait that now bears his name. His expedition named the mainland 'Tierra de los Patagones,' unwittingly spawning the myth of a race of Patagonian giants. To the south, they saw the horizon darkened by smoke from the natives' fires, and named the great island Tierra del Fuego.. The legend of Patagonia was set in motion.

Vast extensions of woods surrounded by countess lakes, with the unmistakable mark of the Patagonian range, where nature offers different scenarios in each season:  this is where San Carlos de Bariloche is settled.  It is famous for skiing but also great for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing.  The name Bariloche comes from the Mapuche  word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (furi = behind, che = people). The Vuriloche pass was used by the Mapuches to cross the Andes and was kept secret from the European priests for a long time.

Antartica

Antartica and the subAntarctic Islands constitute one of the last regions in the planet that really conserve their natural beauty.

The mysterious White Continent, with its multicolor ice rocks, its brilliant glaciers and their imposing snow crowned mountains, offers an unique scene with great opportunities to take wonderful photographs.

    * Islas Sandwich del Sur
    * Islas Orcadas del Sur
    * Islas Shetland del Sur
    * Península Antártica

In waters of the Antarctic and subAntarctic coasts, rich in food, enormous amounts of penguins, marine whales, seals and birds are congregated.

The future of the Antártida is crucial for the climate and the ecology of the entire world.

Northwest

The main cities of the region are: Tucumán, "the Republic's Garden"; Salta, "the pretty"; Jujuy, the gateway to the Puna; Santiago del Estero, with its spring waters and Catamarca, land of archaeological treasures and handicrafts.
Undoubtedly, one of the most attractive regions in the country due to the infinite variety of its colors and its scenery: the colorful slopes of the Andes and the gorges, the reddish wind-carved rock formations of the Cafayate Gorge, the whitish dryness of the Puna, the bright light green of the cropped Calchaquí Valleys and the lusty green of the subtropical jungles in Tucumán.

However, the landscape is not all. The Northwest region has been inhabited as from immemorial times by different aboriginal people.
Their influence can be observed, even nowadays, in several interesting archaeological sites scattered in the region, in the astonishing beautiful handicrafts produced according to ancient traditions, in the typical local cuisine and even in the features of its local inhabitants.
It is also the region which has best preserved its colonial heritage, especially in the architecture of some of its cities and small towns, some of which seem to be stuck in time, as if the action of the pristine atmosphere and the dry and fresh air, had contributed to avoid the ageing effect of the years.

Cuyo and Andes

The Cuyo region displays the full splendor of the Central Andean Range.
The Aconcagua (6.959 m) the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere towers over its surroundings.
Its steep slopes are renown and respected by mountain climbers the world over, who come to challenge its imposing heights as condors soar over their heads.

The Talampaya River canyon reveals amazing multi- shaped layers in its high red walls.
The "Valle de la Luna" or Moon Valley, located in Ischigualasto, is a journey back in time.
These natural parks have been declared World Heritage by the UNESCO.
The valleys of the Cuyo region are renown for the excellence of their grapes and wine production.