Buenos Aires evenings, the Iguazú falls and the glaciers of Patagonia, joined by short domestic flights.
Argentina is big enough to hold a city break, a jungle waterfall and a glacier in one fortnight. Buenos Aires is late dinners, steak and tango. Iguazú, on the border with Brazil, is nearly three kilometres of falls in subtropical forest. Far to the south, Los Glaciares is ice fields, peaks and milky lakes.
It suits couples and families who like to walk and eat well. We join the pieces with domestic flights of two or three hours, and give each place enough nights to settle in. Wine lovers add Mendoza; wildlife lovers add Península Valdés for whales.
The honest caveat is distance and weather in the south. Patagonia is windy, changeable and mostly closed to walkers in winter, and flights between regions often route back through Buenos Aires.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
About 78 kilometres from El Calafate, a network of walkways faces the glacier front across a channel of Lago Argentino. Spend a morning there, take a boat along the face, or walk on the ice itself with crampons and a guide. Early starts beat the day-trip coaches.
El Chaltén is a small trekking village inside Los Glaciares, and its trails start from the edge of town. The day walk to Laguna de los Tres climbs steeply at the end to face Fitz Roy; Laguna Torre is gentler. Allow a spare day, because cloud often hides the peaks.
The falls drop over a horseshoe almost three kilometres wide. The Argentine side has the walkways to the Garganta del Diablo, where the river pours into a gorge, and trails along the top. Cross to Brazil for the wide panorama. Two nights let you see both without hurry.
Recoleta for grand avenues and the cemetery, San Telmo for the Sunday antiques market, Palermo for restaurants and parks. Evenings start late: dinner at ten, then a milonga where locals dance tango. Three nights is right at the start of a trip to beat the jet lag.
Southern right whales come to the sheltered gulfs of Península Valdés to breed from June to December. Boat trips leave from Puerto Pirámides, and at El Doradillo beach near Puerto Madryn they swim close to shore. Elephant seals and sea lions breed on the same coast.
Mendoza's vineyards sit on high ground below the Andes, and the Uco Valley has lodges among the vines. Plan two tastings a day, a long lunch and a morning ride in the foothills. Harvest falls in March and April.
In Buenos Aires, stay in Recoleta for calm or Palermo for restaurants. At Iguazú, be close enough to reach the falls when the gates open. In Patagonia, El Calafate has the widest choice; estancias on the steppe give space, horses and big skies.
We match each trip in Argentina to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsSample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
A night in Buenos Aires and one in Ushuaia, then 11 nights on a small expedition ship across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula, with Zodiac landings among penguin colonies and cruises through the ice.
The shape of the year follows Patagonia. From October to April the trails are open, and December to February brings the warmest days, averaging around 19°C in El Calafate. From May to September it is cold and many trips there stop.
Buenos Aires is best in spring and autumn; January is hot and many locals leave. Iguazú works all year but is steamy in summer. Whales visit Península Valdés from June to December, which makes spring the time to see everything.
Three nights in Buenos Aires, two at the Iguazú falls, then six in Los Glaciares between El Calafate and El Chaltén, with a last night in the capital. 12 nights.
Arrive in the morning and settle into Recoleta. A guided walk through San Telmo and La Boca, dinner in Palermo and an evening at a milonga.
Fly north, about two hours. The Argentine walkways and the Garganta del Diablo first, then a day on the Brazilian side for the panorama.
Fly to El Calafate. A morning at the Perito Moreno walkways, a boat along the ice and a day riding on an estancia.
Drive north along Lago Viedma to El Chaltén. Day hikes to Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres, with a spare day for weather.
Fly back to Buenos Aires from El Calafate, about three and a half hours, for a last long dinner in the city.
A slow morning, then the evening flight to London from Ezeiza, arriving the following day.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Argentina (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
British Airways flies from Heathrow to Buenos Aires, currently with a stop in Rio de Janeiro, in about 17 hours. The airline plans a daily non-stop service from summer 2027. Domestic flights to El Calafate take about three and a half hours.
UK passport holders can currently visit Argentina for tourism without a visa. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book, as rules can change.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Argentina (opens in a new tab)
Altitude matters mainly in the far north-west, around the Quebrada de Humahuaca and the high Puna of Jujuy. In Patagonia the sun and wind are strong, so bring high-factor cream and windproof layers. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page before you go.
The currency is the Argentine peso. Carry cash out of sight in cities, as the FCDO advises, and you may be asked for your passport when paying by card.
Coverage is good in El Calafate and El Chaltén, but signal is very limited or absent on the trails around Fitz Roy. Estancias may have Wi-Fi only in the main house.
Around 10% is usual in restaurants, more for exceptional service. Tip guides and drivers in cash at the end of a day; we suggest amounts in your travel notes.
October to April for Patagonia, with December to February warmest and busiest. For a trip that takes in Buenos Aires, Iguazú and the south, October, November and March are the most comfortable. Spring also brings the whales at Península Valdés, which are there from June to December.
Both, if you can. The Argentine side has more trails and puts you right at the edge of the Garganta del Diablo. The Brazilian side is a shorter visit with the wide view across the whole horseshoe. With two nights you can do each at an unhurried pace. Check the entry rules for Brazil too, since you cross a border.
Yes. El Calafate and Torres del Paine are a long day's drive apart, crossing the border by road. Many people spend four nights in Los Glaciares, then continue to a lodge in Torres del Paine and fly home via Santiago. It adds a border crossing and a long transfer, but it shows you both sides of Patagonia.
Between 12 and 14 nights covers Buenos Aires, Iguazú and Los Glaciares without rushing. With 10, drop Iguazú or El Chaltén. Mendoza or Península Valdés each add three nights. The distances are large, so we avoid more than one flight in a day and keep a spare day in Patagonia for weather.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: October to March.
The Atacama's high desert and the granite towers of Patagonia in one trip, with Santiago's wine valleys in between.
Rio on its granite peaks, the roar of Iguaçu and jaguars on the Pantanal riverbanks, in one long-haul trip from Heathrow.
The Antarctic Peninsula by small expedition ship from Ushuaia: penguin colonies, blue ice and landings by inflatable boat.
