Photo by: Diogo Hungria on Unsplash

Argentina 🇦🇷

other

Health food store with heaps of dried fruit and nuts. This is all surprisingly hard to find in El Chalten.

El Chalten food

The best steakhouse I’ve ever visited, with fantastic prices. It’s small so a reservation is likely needed.

Bariloche food

tiny hostel with a great knowledgeable owner. He loaned us a rope so we wouldn’t have to rent it for our trek. There’s wine and beer on the honor system so you don’t even have to run out for drinks.

El Chalten lodging

Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is a beautiful town on a lake in the Patagonian Lake district. It’s great for chocolate, craft beer, and excursions.

Whatsapp chatbot with lots of info: https://wa.me/5492944579837
Tourism info: https://www.barilocheturismo.gob.ar/
Maps: http://barilochemapas.com/

Bariloche other

rent a bike and cycle around the lakes to the west of town, stopping by the several breweries with beer gardens. Visit the famous Cerra Llao Llao hotel near the end of your circuit.

Bariloche activity

take a boat tour to several of the unique lake islands

Bariloche activity

Beautiful vineyard that’s just a few minutes walk from Cachi. There’s a short tour, and optional wine tasting, and gustacion platters.

food

Famous vineyard in Cachi. They have tours with wine tasting paired with meat and cheese, as well as a lunch paired with their wines. They recommend making reservations in advance.

activity

Former zoo turned ecological park with paths amid native plants & free-roaming & enclosed animals.

Buenos Aires activity

Delicious omakase sushi.

Buenos Aires food

Small town surrounded by vineyards. There’s good hiking and scenic drives nearby, and this is on the way to the famous town of Cafayate.

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Vineyards/wine-tasting, steak, canyons.

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Popular restaurant/bar with pool, billiards, ping pong, and foosbal.

Buenos Aires food

Canyon with a a beautiful river, hiking trails, and refugios.

You have to register to enter the park, either in-person on arrival, or online to save time.
There are refugios through the canyon to buy food or to make it an overnight trip.
There’s a brewery (The Mystic Fog Beer) about 30 minutes from the exit with good food and a beautiful garden. It’s pricey, but a nice break if you have time before your return bus.

Getting there

From Bolson, take the orange and white collectivo from the Feria (https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.9641228,-71.5351238,19.45z). First bus leaves at 8am. Get off in Wharton.

The last bus back to El Bolson leaves at 7:45pm. There’s a 5:30pm as well.

El Bolson activity

Rent a car and follow this route around seven lakes.

This was the best guide I found overviewing the route and different highlights: https://www.twofortheworld.com/route-of-the-seven-lakes-the-ultimate-one-day-patagonia-road-trip/

Bariloche activity

A boat tour of the Canal de Beagle is a must-do in Ushuaia.

Ushuaia activity

San Martin de los Andes food

El Bolson activity

Beautiful hike to a mountain peak over San Martin. Rent a car or get a cab ride to the trailhead. There’s spotty signal on the trail to call for a return cab.

San Martin de los Andes activity

Hike to the peak of a mountain outside of San Martin de Los Andes. It’s about a 30 minute bus ride from the city center.

San Martin de los Andes activity

Hike to a mountain peak with panoramic views. Drive or get a remi (local taxi) to the paragliding deck, then it’s 6 hours round trip.

El Bolson activity

Volcano in Chile, but with numerous hikes nearby in Argentina. There are day tours from Bariloche, as well as overnight trips to refugios, and multi-day circuits.

Bariloche activity

San Martin de los Andes activity

Delicious sausage sandwiches with chimichurri.

Food to try other

other

Method of cooking meat, potatoes, and vegetables in a pit dug in the ground from the Mapuche people.

food

Tranquil mountain lake for hiking, historic site of a territorial dispute between Argentina & Chile.

other

Famous steakhouse, currently the #13 rated restaurant in the world.

Buenos Aires food

The road there is absolutely beautiful: https://www.tiktok.com/@caminargentina/

activity

Small town south of Bariloche with amazing hiking nearby.

other

Tiny town in Patagonia near the most famous mountain in Argentina: Fitz Roy. There are good shops for buying equipment and food for hiking, but many close from 2pm-5pm for siestas.

El Chalten other

Probably the most popular restaurant in Ushuaia. There are lines outside of here from 45 minutes before opening to closing. They have the best prices in Ushuaia for cenolla- Argentinian king crab.

Ushuaia food

Train through from Ushuaia through Tierra del Fuego National Park.

You also have to purchase entrance to the national park, but this can be done in Ushuaia or even at the train station. When you arrive at the station you’ll have to show your ticket and park ticket to receive a boarding pass for the train.

Ushuaia transportation

Maybe the most famous hike in all of Patagonia. Hiking to the base is 10km from town. You can also camp nearby for sunrise/sunset and absolutely amazing views of the stars.

El Chalten activity

Large waterfalls.

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Glacier and massive waterfall near Bariloche

Bariloche activity

Beautiful glacier that’s a short cab ride from the town. There’s a taxi stand at the bottom for getting back to town.

Ushuaia activity

Beautiful glacier in Ushuaia.

Ushuaia activity

Hike or ride a gondola to the top of one of the peaks for panoramic views

Bariloche activity

Great small hostel overlooking the lake. It’s a 15 minute walk from town or short bus ride. While I was here everyone self-organized a bike ride, mountain hike, drive around the lakes, and multiple group dinners. They have a small bar and food truck if you want to stay in one night.

Bariloche lodging

Hike to a bright red canyon. There is a longer hike available, but you have to pay for a guide to access that area.

activity

Beautiful hike starting from the beach in the city. It’s about 1.5 hours to the mirador, and another 10 minutes to La Islita and Playa Bonita. There’s a small fee paid to the local community when you arrive at the mirador (150 pesos when I went.)

San Martin de los Andes activity

Beautiful mountains with 14 colors. It’s about an hour drive from Humahuaca, but the drive is beautiful as well. There are a lot of tours from the city as well if you don’t have a car.

activity

Very technical trek that has to be approved by park rangers. You have to take a group of at least four people and have the proper gear. There are several treacherous spots due to wind and exposure, and the trail isn’t always easy to follow.

Do:

have multiple GPS’s (GPS + Maps.me)
a lot of research ahead of time
pack light
pack food for an extra day (due to bad weather you may not be able to cross the pass on day 2)
inform the rangers of your trip and submit to their inspection
arrange for transport back to the city. The final day is a grind if you have to walk all way back along the road.

Do Not:

use a pack rain cover- with the high wind you risk it pulling you off a cliff

El Chalten activity

other

Restaurant with incredible empanadas.

Buenos Aires food

Great seafood restaurant that also does blue dollar currency exchanges.

Ushuaia food

Bohemian-style hangout in a cavernous hall offering tango dance classes, cocktails & bar eats.

Buenos Aires activity

Mediocre steaks, but amazing milanesas

Buenos Aires food

Amazing little restaurant with homemade pastas. Great service and very generous portions of wine.

I didn’t try them, but they have homemade pasta to-go to cook later at home.

El Bolson food

San Martin de los Andes activity

National park with lake views and hiking trails near El Bolson. The bus through between here and El Bolson is every hour during the week, or every two hours on weekends, and ends at the entrance to the park.

El Bolson activity

Very popular hike to a mountain lake. Recommendation is four hours round trip, but if you’re used to hiking it should be much shorter. I took less than two hours hiking, including stops for photos.

If you have time after your hike, there’s a trail across the road to Laguna del Ausente with equally great views.

Ushuaia activity

Beautiful lake near the popular Laguna Esmeralda.

Ushuaia other

Great traditional Argentinian steakhouse with much better prices than the touristy places in Palermo

Buenos Aires food

Great 10km hike to a mountain peak with panoramic views of Laguna Torre, Fitz Roy, El Chalten, and Lago Viedma. The hike starts at the national park office, where you have to register.

El Chalten activity

City on the coast of the General Carrera lake, just across the border from Chilo Chico Chile.

other

Cute hostel in the delta, 90 minutes by water taxi. You can stay here, or just go for the day at the restaurant. On Sundays they have a traditional Argentinian parilla.

Be sure to make a reservation and plan ahead of time- there aren’t very many water taxis on certain days.

Tigre lodging

Modern museum showcasing 20th century & newer Latin American artwork, cultural events & films.

Buenos Aires activity

other

Delicious bakery with great brunch platters.

Buenos Aires food

Amazing fresh pastas and salsas to take and home and cook yourself.

San Martin de los Andes food

19th-century prison building housing maritime, Antarctic, jail & marine museums. The museum has a lot of information about the creation of the prison and Ushuaia, exploration of Antarctica, shipwrecks, and prisons around the world. There is a small cafeteria and an art gallery as well.

Ushuaia activity

activity

A high-altitude national park along the road from Salta to Cachi. There are very short trails with miradors at various points along the route. Definitely worth stopping at each.

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Massive glacier with a nearby visitor center offering boat tours, boardwalks, viewpoints & a cafe.

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Buenos aires has some extremely popular pizzerias in the theater district. Pizzería Güerrin has over 64,000 reviews.

Buenos Aires food

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Pre-hispanic city and archaeology site.

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Ushuaia activity

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Beautiful cabins on the Lago Traful.

Bariloche lodging

Great coastal hike from Playa Larga to a waterfall.

Ushuaia activity

The airports don’t sell any SIM cards, you have to buy one from a kiosko or cell provider.

Personal

free SIM with 3GB of data
great coverage in cities
no coverage in El Chaltén
mobile app and short code do not work for pre-paid plan. Supposedly they’re working on this
add extra money to your plan at a kiosko and call *152 to select a package to add

Movistar

only carrier with coverage in El Chaltén

other

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Cute town north of Bariloche near great hiking and a small ski resort.

other

activity

Multi-day hike through tundra

Ushuaia activity

Coffeeshop with a delicious blue-cheese version of the popular Chipa bread.

Buenos Aires food

Coastal park with limited access to Patagonian forest encompassing lakes, bogs & rich wildlife.

Ushuaia activity

Small town north of Buenos Aires, famous for the delta of several rivers. There are various tours, from an hour to full-day to explore the rivers, old villas, and jungle.

Getting There

From Buenos Aires, take the train from the station in Retiro. The station is really easy to understand, and payment is with the same SUBE card as the metro and buses.

Los Pecanes is a nice hostel in the delta with a traditional Argentenian parilla on Sundays.

Tigre other

tortilla rellena - a flat bread cooked on the grill and stuffed with cheese and other things. Most common are cheese, tomato, and basil, or cheese and ham/pepperoni.
api - a hot tea made from corn
buñuelo - a sweet fried donut, drizzled with a sweet sauce

food

Great 9km hike to a laguna and glacier.

El Chalten activity

Multi-day hike along the ridgeline past four refugios. You can do it in two hard days- roughly 25km each day, staying in Refugio Jacob at night. Or break it down to more days with more refugios (or camping.)

Map route: https://www.barilochetrekking.com/en/travesia-03/

The hike starts at the parking lot for Cerro Catedral, the ski resort closest to Bariloche. You can get there on the #55 bus (schedule available here). Make sure you get a SUBE metro card ahead of time.

Bariloche activity

Beautiful overnight train to Patagonia.

transportation

Great cocktail bar.

Buenos Aires food

Restaurant with great charcuterie platters. It’s located beside a large park and has the option to take your food to go to the park.

Buenos Aires food

Great empanadas to-go for a hike or tour.

Ushuaia food

The southernmost city on earth. Most tourists go here to start cruises to antarctica, but there is also amazing trekking and nature to see nearby.

Ushuaia other

other

Imported Ushuaia activity

Area in Cordobo with a beautiful river and waterfalls.

other

Gear store that has maps, used equipment (including cheap mismatched walking sticks.)

El Chalten other

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Town with amazing views overlooking a lake.

Bariloche other

You can ride a teleferico to the top to enjoy the views.

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Visit the huge white salt flats, similar to those in Bolivia. To drive on the salt flats, you have to pay a guide who will lead a caravan of other vehicles. There are a few designed spots to stop to take pictures. The entrance has various vendors selling tortillas rellenas, drinks, and souvenirs.

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