Holidays in Argentina

Travelling involves moving around quite frequently and travelling long distances due to the size of the country. You can expect some absolutely incredible scenery, great art, wildlife, culture, friendly hospitable people and not to mention fantastic food and wine.

It is always best to pack light and while casual dress has become more acceptable in recent years, Latin Americans tend to devote great care to their clothes and appearance. A laundry service is available at most if not all hotels. Depending upon where you are travelling to in Argentina will dictate what is best to wear.

We find that a good fleece, waterproof jacket, layers, good walking trainers/boots and zip-off trousers work well for the chilly south with its sub-arctic conditions and for the tropical north.

Being a meat loving country this is very much the staple of most dishes such as the asado (barbeque). Mate (tea) is the national beverage of choice and for desert, or those with a sweet tooth, dulce de leche is served in many forms such as ice cream, pastries or just spread onto a slice of bread.

Argentina’s seasons are reversed from ours and the best time to visit Buenos Aires is spring from October – November/December before the heat arrives. December to February is also the best time to travel to Patagonia but do remember the cliché of four seasons in one day does apply here.

Early winter (Apr – June) sees autumnal colours in the Lake District and the end of the wine harvest in Mendoza with the month of March hosting the wine festival.

Argentina hosts many festivals from folklore, carnival, tango, gaucho to Mendoza’s national wine festival – to visit you will need to book up early. We can also arrange time spent with Gauchos both riding and to their homes, Polo, cooking classes and blend your own wine classes.

It’s true that Argentina has a worthy reputation for its steak but there are many different types of food and strong influences from Italy. In cities such as Buenos Aires then you’ll find just about every type of international cuisine going. Elsewhere then options may be more limited but you definitely won’t go hungry and there are a growing number of Argentine vegetarians.

Argentina’s economy is complicated. The official exchange rates can be hugely different from the unofficial ‘blue’ rates. At times this has meant that using the blue rate you would receive twice as many pesos for your dollar so it is worth knowing about.

Many people will advise you to avoid official rates so that you can get more for your money but of course this is very much a personal choice and may be something that you want to discuss further with your guide when you arrive in Buenos Aires.