Argentina
Buenos Aires
Our time in Buenos Aires was cut short by 1 day due to a flight delay as we were trying to leave Denver. BUT…we still managed to do a great Free Walking Tour through downtown, rent a sailboat for a private sunset + wine & snack sail with a local captain/guide, and go to Esquina Homero Manzi for a traditional Tango show!
Free walking tours are our favorites - and this was no exception. The guides are always motivated to make it a great tour, so you tip them well at the end! It was a great introduction to some of the past and more recent history of Argentina.
During our private sailboat ride, we got to chat with 2 locals about the current state of affairs, in addition to enjoying watching the Buenos Aires skyline fade into night.
And finally, the Tango show was exceptional. We opted out of the round-trip bus transportation, though it looked like it would have been very easy and convenient to use it. We also opted out of Dinner, as it was served at about 10pm! Instead, we ate on our own, and took a taxi to/from the show. The neighborhood around the show didn’t appear to be super safe, and we were warned by staff members to keep our phones and wallets out of sight.
Our overall impression of Buenos Aires (from the short time we were there), is that it felt like a large industrial city, with the same good/bad areas you can find in any big city around the world.
El Calafate
El Calafate was our first stop in Patagonia, on our way South from Buenos Aires to Torres Del Paine National Park. It is about a 3hr 15 min flight from Buenos Aires. Rental cars are available on site and are easy to book!
This bustling little town had a plethora of gift shops, ice cream & coffee shops, bars and restaurants lining the main street. We found some excellent food including Pura Vida, Mako Fuegos & Vinos, Patagonia Brewing Company, and Olivia coffee shop (with tasty breakfast). There were a number of other great-looking food options in town, which was good since there were numerous tourists there at the same time as us!
The highlight of El Calafate was visiting the Perito Moreno glacier inside the Los Glaciares National Park. We went with Mil Outdoor as the trip guide, although there were numerous companies offering this excursion. Since we had our own rental car, we didn’t need to pay for the full transfer from El Calafate so we opted to drive ourselves the 1.5 hrs. The Mil Outdoor guides met in their base shop just a stone’s throw away from the lake where we’d be kayaking. They provided an overview of the excursion, and got us all geared up before walking us down to the shoreline. A great little lesson followed, and off we went, as a group, kayaking as close to the glacier as was permitted (for our own safety). The water was calm and the views of the glacier (including some calving) were incredible. By the time we were getting back toward shore, the wind had picked up, as had the waves, so the timing was perfect to get off the water and enjoy some hot beverages provided back at the base shop.
Conveniently, we found a great laundromat who would wash, dry, and fold our clothes within the same-day, which was perfect for this point in the trip. It was called: Lavandería y Tintorería De la Mancha.
There were also 2 sporting goods stores - and one of them had reasonably priced hiking poles, which we purchased for our next stop - Torres Del Paine. We had planned on doing this so that we wouldn’t use up luggage space…and then we made some fellow hikers very happy when we gave them the poles for free when we were done with the hiking portion of our trip!
Our lodging was SUPER cheap, but clean and conveniently located - we stayed at the Hotel ACA. Be aware that between about the 12th and 20th of February every year, El Calafate hosts The National Festival of the Argentine Lake. It includes live music every night and can be heard clearly through the walls of the ACA hotel - and likely other nearby hotels as well! We recommend bringing ear plugs or booking a hotel on the opposite side of town if you’re there during these dates (but go check it out - it’s a family friendly event!).
El Chalten
In-between El Calafate and El Chalten, we drove across the border into Chile to do the W Trek in Torres Del Paine National Park. Hop on over to the Chile page to read more on that piece of the trip!
El Chalten was a much smaller town than El Calafate. It almost had the feel of a small, casual Colorado mountain town. We loved our room at the Hosteria Senderos (convenient location, lovely breakfast, clean rooms with hot showers!), and the town had more than its share of great bars and restaurants.
In reality, El Chalten is a backpackers and rock-climbing paradise. The famous Fitz Roy mountain is accessible from here, along with numerous other day hikes that would allow for you to return home to your comfy bed and a nice bottle of wine in the evening. We had planned on doing the 15 mile Fitz Roy hike all the way to Laguna De Los Tres, but after the trekking in Torres Del Paine the days prior, we shortened our hike, and did a 6 mile loop instead - still with fantastic views.
We enjoyed great meals throughout town, including La Vineria for a delicious Argentinian dinner, and Patagonia Rebelde for some live music and drinks.
We would highly recommend a stop in El Chalten - it seems like there are endless hiking trails to explore, with a good ratio of bars and restaurants so as not to get bored!
Summary
When we make it back to Argentina one day, we won’t hesitate to spend more time in these 3 areas again. That said, we’ve heard great things about the Mendoza Valley (wine region) AND, it’s easy to do a day trip or quick overnight trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, Uruguay - so we’d likely add that to our itinerary as well.
Overall we loved Argentina, though we preferred the smaller cities we visited over Buenos Aires. That said, the people everywhere were friendly, the food was fantastic, and there’s so much to see and do here. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to family and friends!
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
– Jack Kerouac