A 12-Day Itinerary in Argentina
Here's how I spent 2 weeks in Argentina
| Day | Activity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Disembark or Fly into Ushuaia | I continued on from Antarctica, but if you’re just arriving it’s likely an overnight flight from the US to Buenos Aires, followed by an airport transfer and another 4 hour flight. | |
| Day 2 | Ushuaia / Tierra del Fuego National Park / Beagle Channel | Ushuaia is a great base to take an excursion across the Beagle Channel and spot Magellan penguins. If you’re going to Antarctica you should either do this first or not at all, as you’ll get sick of penguins after two weeks. | |
| Day 3 | Ushuaia / Tierra del Fuego National Park / Beagle Channel | You need 2-3 days tops in Ushuaia. There are a few nice hikes, such as in Tierra del Fuego or up to the lagoon. | |
| Day 4 | Transit to Patagonia | Fly to El Calafate, from there take a 2 hour bus to El Chalten. Argentina is a very large country and I highly recommend not trying the 18+ hour bus ride from Ushuaia to El Calafate. | |
| Day 5-7 | Patagonia Hikes | El Chalten is the base for day hikes to Fitz Roy and to Cerro Torre. While you can technically stay in El Calafate and come in just for a day, I recommend going slower and staying in the town. Account for an extra day in case of bad weather, as the mountains get completely covered with clouds. | |
| Day 8-9 | Perito Moreno Glacier | Transfer back to El Calafate and take a day trip to Perito Moreno Glacier. Note - doing this after Antarctica doesn’t feel remotely as impressive (you’ve seen so much ice and glaciers at that point). If you've never been on a glacier, consider doing a glacier walk or a glacier climb. Definitely skip the boat cruise - the boat isn't allowed to get close to the ice. | |
| Day 10-12 | Buenos Aires | Fly back to Buenos Aires and stay in the Palermo district, which is walkable for everything your heart could desire. At this point I had to get back to work, but if you have more time then do the below. | |
| Alternative/Addition | Bariloche | Fly or drive from El Calafate to Bariloche for more hiking and nature in Lanín and Nahuel Huapi National Parks. | |
| Alternative/Addition | Puerto Madryn | From Buenos Aires fly to Puerto Madryn to visit the Reserva Faunistica Peninsula Vales | |
| Alternative/Addition | But what about the wine? | If you so insist, then fly to Mendoza and winery hop. OR for less than $2 a bottle, just get a new bottle to sample every day. It's cheaper than water. |
Tips
- Before you go, check that the Blue Dollar rate is going strong. Withdraw crisp $100 bills in USD or Euros to get more value when you exchange into pesos (when I was there, the exchange rate for $100 in cash was double what it would be taking money out of the ATM).
- Don’t leave withdrawing cash until the last minute, because evidently US banks don’t carry cash anymore (especially crisp new bills. Where did it all go when the money printer went "brrrrrrr" in 2020?)
- Look for places called “Cambio” to exchange your dollars - shop around, because they all have different rates. The difference between the best and a tourist rip off could be 30%
- If you rent a car, double and triple check that it is automatic (not semi-auto, full auto). This part of the world thinks automatic transmission is for sissies. It is, but this isn't the country to unlearn sissiness.
- If you are going across the whole country, pack for 4 seasons. Argentina is as tall as the USA is wide, which means the temperature up north is vastly different than that in the south. Ushuaia is cold, even in the summer. Patagonia is windy. Buenos Aires is hot.
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