What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word Argentina? Well, unless you are a seasoned traveler you may be struggling to think about something unless you go with something like Evita or Diego Maradona.
I can honestly admit that I felt exactly this way before doing a little research on this beautiful country. Sure, I knew that Buenos Aires is the capital but I wanted to find out much more about what this South American gem has to offer.
Here are my top 5 recommended things that I would love to see when exploring Argentina.
Iguazu Falls
Just look at the sight of the Iguazu Falls! Visible from both Argentina and Brazil, this is one attraction that I would to visit to take some awesome pictures. I know that Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls are probably covered more in the media but looking at pictures alone of Iguazu surely has to put this into the same category as those two. I will save my final judgement until I am able to visit these spectacular falls for myself.
Glaciar Perito Moreno
Located at the southern tip of South America in the Los Glaciares National Park, the Glaciar Perito Moreno is one of only three Patagonian glaciers still growing. An impressive tourist attraction that attracts visitors from around the world, hiking around this glacier is certainly an appealing attraction when visiting Argentina.
Quebrada de Humahuaca
The Quebrada de Humahuaca is a valley situated in the spectacular valley of the Rio Grande. A beautiful, yet rugged landscape, this valley provides a great opportunity for backpackers to explore the apparent unknown as they wander through local villages, meeting new folks along the way and learning about a hidden culture in the Camino Inca.
Plaza de Mayo – Buenos Aires
Plaza de Mayo is the main square in central Buenos Aires. Hosting a series of historic landmarks and architectural genius, this square plays host to locals and tourists alike as a relaxing central point to explore the rest of the Argentinian capital.
La Boca – Buenos Aires
La Boca is another neighborhood in Buenos Aires that has a particularly unique feel to it with the very colorful building fronts highlighting this part of Argentina. A very European flavor is present here with many Italians finding this as a perfect locale to settle. A hot spot for tourists because of the colorful housing and streets but also because this is a stereotypical hub for Argentinian tango dancers to practice their moves.
***This post is part of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge (#DreamDestinations #AtoZChallenge)***
I haven’t been to Argentina either…in fact the whole of South America is waiting for me! it certainly looks a great country…I love that you have chosen different things to do. I wonder where you’ll take us next…good luck with the A to Z Challenge!
Thanks Jenny, we are in the same boat in terms of never visiting any of South America. But that’s the great thing about a challenge like this and in particular the #DreamDestinations theme that we adopted because it allows us to research a bunch of new spots that are on our bucket list and give us an urge to visit them as soon as possible!
My friend just got back from Argentina and had a great time! I really want to get to Patagonia soon! The glaciers look so cool!
Patagonia just looks so awesome doesn’t it! If I am never able to set foot on the continent of Antarctica, I would at least like to be able to go to Patagonia and stand on those glaciers to experience at least a glimpse of what the South Pole is like.
I spent 8 months in Argentina and on this list only got Perito Moreno and Buenos Aires. Just so you know, these destinations are all VERY FAR APART. So plan to be there for awhile 😉
Thanks Syd! I think I intentionally gave a broad spectrum of Argentina but that just gives you an extra incentive to make multiple trips there or stay there for an extended period of time right 🙂
Great first article on the A to Z challenge Chris! Look forward to more :)!
Cheers Manouk, we are excited that the challenge is underway! It’s going to be a long haul and a proverbial marathon rather than a sprint but we are ready for it! Bring on the rest of the challenge.
I think of steak and salsa dancing….I have weird priorities haha. Great post for the 1st day y’all! Looking forward to the rest of the month!
Thanks Ashley, nothing at all wrong with those priorities! I have to admit though that salsa dancing is also what I think of (beyond the fact that Argentina always produce footballing geniuses) when relating to Argentina hence the reason I included the hot spot of La Boca in the heart of Buenos Aires which is renowned for salsa experts!
Wonderful to see the country I love here! We are on a 5 month sabbatical, living in my hubby’s hometown of Santa Fe, Argentina! It truly is a dream!
Writing this post just made me envious of folks that are able to see such beautiful landscapes and attractions on a frequent basis. Of course, I realize that Argentina’s size is huge and many of these locations are spread wide apart from each other but that just gives you an extra incentive to get out and explore more.
I absolutely love the colors you can see in La Boca! Argentina looks like a very fun place to practice your photography with all the different landscapes and colors.
Happy 1st day of the A to Z Challenge!
Daidri, that’s exactly what I was thinking whenever I included that image!! What better way to practice your photography skills than wandering up and down those Argentinian streets capturing the locals going about their daily routines, tourists stopping by the local coffee bistros and maybe capturing some folks practicing their salsa demonstrations.
Yes! Argentina…high, high on my list of still-to-dos! Great first post for A in the A-Z challenge!
Thanks Corinne! I think we will find as we move along this A to Z Challenge that there are a whole bunch of places that are added to many of our bucket lists. “The world is our oyster” as the old phrase goes and if we all take a step back and realize just how much there is to see out there, we can start plotting our way around the beautiful world.
Nice, although you forgot Ushuaia, Bariloche, Mendoza 😉 Plaza de Mayo is quite boring though, I would recommend people to visit the Recoleta Graveyard instead =) But that might be because I´m a fan of graveyards haha… Oh btw. if people go to Plaza de Mayo they should do it at Thursdays around 15.00/16.00h the mothers of the plaza still walk their round for their lost sons and daugthers.
Love the first post of your A-Z project! I hope N stands for Netherlands 😛 haha… Keep up the good work!
I decided to only include 5 reasons 🙂 And of course this triggers great discussions such as yourself to include recommended locations. It’s great to hear from folks that have already visited countries their expert opinions. You can do as much research as you want online and in travel guides, but nothing substitutes for the actual, physical experience within the confines of these places.
I can’t say that I would be particularly enamored by the thought of exploring a graveyard but we are all different and I can agree that many cemeteries and graveyards really do have some cool architecture going on in them. I can’t share too many secrets about the rest of the A to Z Challenge – you will just have to wait and see!! Hint, hint to get folks to return to our site 🙂
Love Argentina! I would also recommend the wine country. 80% of Argentine wine comes from Mendoza, and it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from Chile. 🙂
Ah wine country, always love visiting those regions when I visit new countries! Thanks for sharing this recommendation of exploring the Mendoza region – the fact that it is so close to Chile also makes this appealing because you may be able to knock off two countries at the same time if you visit this part of Argentina.
I have never been to Argentina either. Not only that, I had never heard of Iguazu Falls till a friend went a couple of years ago. After that, it went onto my list – but still not made it!
Before I started researching ‘travel’ in general I had never heard of Iguazu Falls either. You always hear of Niagara and Victoria but when I saw pictures of Iguazu I immediately fell in love with them and realized that this is somewhere I have to see! I love the relaxing feeling of watching the falls flow down and am amazed by the power that they have. Hopefully will make it down to Argentina to explore them in person sometime soon. I hear its a cool experience to see from both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides, much like Niagara from USA and Canada!
I’ve been playing with the idea of visiting Argentina later this year and your post is only encouraging these ideas – it looks amazing! Can’t wait to see what you have planned for the rest of the month.
Cheers Calli, we are excited about what the rest of the month is going to bring also and yet we are the ones that are writing the posts – not sure that makes any sense but just writing such posts gives you more inspiration and desire to explore further!
The great thing about this post on Argentina also is that it only captures a small amount of beautiful spots worth visiting. As others have commented already, there is so much more to see – it’s just a case of personal preferences and how much time you have to experience various attractions.
I used to plan study abroad programs and was lucky to plan one to Argentina. Unfortunately, the professor in charge wasn’t taking the students to a few of the places you mentioned so I never really heard about them until just now. When I was researching, I was really focused on the steaks. Love your finds and I hope you make it there sooner than later. In fact, I hope I make it ther, too!
The crazy thing is that there are so many other spots in Argentina worth visiting, way beyond what I wrote about or what others have commented on! That’s the beauty of travel though because we can see something new and from a different angle each time we visit a region.
Not sure if I’d make it to Argentina, but geez, it has so much more than I knew!
Sarah-Jane, never say never right!! I doubt we get there anytime soon but I certainly have this on my list of ‘must-see’ locations. I guess it’s just all about planning and having a determination to get to a particular location – much the same as what is required to achieve the A to Z Challenge right 🙂
Argentina is definitely a must see. I didn’t spend too much time in the cities, but I really enjoyed the Glaciar Perito Moreno, along with El Chalten!
That’s one thing that I found interesting about Argentina in my research is the contrast between urban and rural areas. I know that many countries have aspects of both that attract visitors but Argentina seems to have a good variety of everything, possibly because of its size and how it runs pretty much to the South Pole. I am envious of everyone that gets to visit the Glaciar Perito Moreno as I can only imagine just how spectacular this must be!
My husband and I have been planning a trip to South America for quite some time now. Other than Argentina and Peru we haven’t been able to decide on any other country! Great start to the A to Z challenge. Best of Luck for the rest of it.
Cheers Amrita, I’ll that South America is not necessarily at the top of our bucket list in terms of our ‘next’ trips but it is certainly on there. It’s just trying to find the time and resources to actually plan the trips! I think it would be an amazing experience to head to Brazil for the World Cup this Summer but realistically I think I will be satisfied watching on the TV.
I just went to Argentina for the first time 4 weeks ago and honestly, completely fell in love with it and it exceeded all my expectations – didn’t see Quebrada but managed to see the rest and the glacier was my highlight and so spectacular! I’d love to go back and see more of the country one day 🙂
Very envious of you Shikha for being able to get to Patagonia and experience the glaciers, I can only imagine how awesome that must have been. It’s so great when you visit a country and catch a glimpse of some of the key attractions but know in your heart that you need to go back and explore further. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to head back there sometime soon.
Love your theme! Argentina would be fascinating place to visit. Looking forward to your next destination. 🙂
Thanks Debbie! Aside from Iguazu, I had never really researched much about Argentina but after finding out all these other cool spots it just shows how much is out there in terms of places and attractions to see around the world.
I love the idea of the Dream Destination theme for this month, and cannot wait to see where else you come up with! 🙂 I’ve never been to Argentina, but you certainly make it sound enticing. Travel tips if (when!) I visit!
Cheers Amy, we have never been to Argentina either so if you get to visit there first, we will be asking you for some hints and tips! I think this collection is a great starting point but as I have indicated to others on here, there are so many more things dependent on your preferences and what you like to do on vacation.
Beautiful I must say. I gotta add Argentina to my wishlist now 🙂 Look forward to the next post. Cheers
http://jiljilramamani.blogspot.com
Great post and love your theme! If you haven’t been yet, you might consider “E” for Ecuador. We love it here, especially up in the Andes (we are in Cuenca). Seriously gorgeous place.
Geri
http://www.gerijeter.com
Cheers Geri, we appreciate your kind comments! We are trying to plan ahead and already finding that there are so many #DreamDestinations for many letters of the alphabet. I don’t want to give anything away about our future chosen destinations but South America clearly has a whole bunch of gorgeous locations that are worth exploring further.
so beautiful! And now its on MY #dreamDestinations list.
Don’t blame you at all Lani, Argentina looks gorgeous and will probably be on a whole bunch of folks #DreamDestinations list! Then again, so will a lot of our other featured destinations 🙂 Stay tuned for many, many more.
Looking forward to go to Argentina even more now
When are you guys planning on heading there? I always love hearing first hand experiences of people visiting places. Hope you have an absolute blast whenever you venture there, I am sure you will.
You definitely missed out on el chalten! Perito Moreno and Ice trekking I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been yet! I found Buenos Airies uninspiring. I loved cities like quito, Rio de Janeiro or even Bogota more interesting, but that’s just my personal taste. Great Post!
Cheers Marta, El Chalten has been brought up by a few folks on these comments so I think this is one place that would be added to the bucket list for Argentina. I think certain cities around the world sometimes lack a certain cutting edge to make them stand out. Of course, I haven’t visited Buenos Aires so can’t comment on that specifically, but I hear what you are saying.
I’m enjoying this challenge and seeing where everyone else came up with. When I think of Argentina I think of the Falklands !! Haha. Tho’ in recent years there have been things that have made me want to visit there, too.
Thanks for popping over to check out our posts, we really are enjoying following you in this challenge also! The last thing I recall about the Falklands was the recent dispute over who should have control over this and tensions were a little heated but it seems that may have blown over – now we can concentrate solely on the beautiful attractions that Argentina offers visitors such as the Patagonia region and Iguazu Falls!
I can happily say that we have been to all these five places that you recommended in this post, and they are really among the top beauties of this country, great selection! When we traveled around South America, Argentina was our favorite country, mostly because of the people we met there. Argentinean people are so friendly and I love their Spanish pronunciation!
Great article and Argentina is definitely on the Must Do list. Being a photographer, mount Fitz Roy and Torres de Paine National Park are at the forefront of my wanderlust. Brushing up on my Castellano Español right now.
So many great natural attractions waiting to be explored Rick in Argentina! If you head down there before we do, you will definitely have to share some of your favorite shots with us! Merry Christmas to you and Fay and hope you both have a very Happy New Year!