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Argentina Experiences, Stories & Photos from a Backpacker

Political Map of Argentina
Argentina

Experiences & Stories:
The first thing about Argentina that you may notice are the European influences all around you! The Argentinian people love to eat dinner after 10pm and enjoy partying until dawn. It is a great place for enjoying food, wine and nightlife!

I have been in Argentina now 4 times, Iguazu Falls twice because it so beautiful there and many other cities. Here are my experiences and story.

Buenos Aires:
I arrived in Buenos Aires on my first trip not knowing what to expect apart from tango dancing and cheap steak. After getting a taxi to the San Telmo district knowing there was some hostels there, I found a good one and booked in for 2 nights initially and extended it 2 more nights after a couple of days, it's a good base to explore Buenos Aires. More

Posadas:
I came to Posadas from the border town with Brazil called Paso de los Libres and spent a few nights here. It was during easter weekend and things were a bit quiet around town. There are lots of shops and nice restaurants, bakeries, ice-cream parlours, a lot of families out and about, jugglers, clowns, buskers and jewelry salesmen in and about the plaza, it's a pleasant place to walk around in. More

Puerto Iguazu and Parque Nacional Iguazu Waterfalls:
I have stayed in Puerto Iguazu on 2 occasions and been to the waterfalls both times, it's a very beautiful park. The town center is a nice place with lots of accommodation, restaurants, shops and the bus terminal. There are a couple of ATM machines in town, be careful that the bank called Macro's ATM doesn't eat your card, like it did mine. More

Corrientes:
From the bus terminal it is a 10 minute ride to the central plaza and should cost less than 10 pesos. Cheap accommodation is not obvious to see but it is available off the plaza area. It is not the most spectacular plaza I have seen, there is a statue, a cathedral with bells and Jesus statue on top and a school believe it or not. More

Salta:
Salta is a special place for me because I have been here on all 3 of my trips, sometimes by default, but I always have fun here, it is the main city in the north of Argentina and is an easy place to get to from the south and east and also the prime place to head north to Bolivia from. More

Salta to Paso de Jama (Chile Border):
The journey from Salta to the border of Chile takes at least 5hrs and passes through some amazing terrain in the north-west of the Jujuy province, make sure you do this journey in the day. The bus leaves Salta and heads north through San Salvador de Jujuy and up to Purmamarca on highway 9. More

Photos:
All Argentina Photos
The painted houses in La Boca in Buenos Aires, picture 2. Nice relaxing views at Iguazu during the walk to the Devils Throat grand waterfall. Mountain of Seven Colors, picture 6. Fruit and vegetable shop in Posadas.
The waters of Iguazu's River Superior begin their decent, the thunderous roar is magnetic. Iguazu National Park, upstream. Jewelry stall in Posadas. Argentina's north has some rugged desert scenery.
River in southern Argentina. Hostel Inn Iguazu swimming pool. Enormous amounts of water fall onto rocks, Iguazu. View of Salta from Cumbre Cerro San Bernardo, picture 2.
The painted houses in La Boca in Buenos Aires, picture 2.
The painted houses in La Boca in Buenos Aires.
Public thoroughfare with great shops and food in Salta.
Mountain of Seven Colors.
The Precordillera has a great sense of wilderness.
View more photos from Argentina

Recommended Things To Do:
  • Eat a 2 inch thick steak for lunch in Cordoba or Buenos Aires.
  • Visit the mighty Iguazu Falls and beautiful national park, it is hot here and you will love to be sprayed by the water at one point.
  • Climb 1070 steps to the Cumbre Cerro San Bernardo and catch the gondola down for amazing views of the city of Salta in northern Argentina.
  • Enjoy great shopping, food and wine at great prices.
  • The southern Patagonia with its stunning snow-capped mountains, lakes and scenery.
  • Eat helados (ice cream), the range of interesting flavours available is awesome.
  • Take Tango lessons or learn to speak Spanish in Buenos Aires.
  • The pastel colored houses and life sized characters in La Boca in Buenos Aires may interest you, but is very touristy.
  • Take a boat across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia in Uruguay from Buenos Aires for a day trip.
  • Rosario is known as the pretty girl capital of Argentina.
  • Visit the beautiful wine making region of Mendoza.

  • Visa Requirements:
    Links:
    Argentina - Wikipedia
    Argentina Contact
    Lonely Planet
    Weather for Argentinian Cities
    Art Prints and Posters
    Buenos Aires - Art Prints and Posters
    Infoplease
    Travel Blogs
    Living In Buenos Aires Blog
    Newspapers
    Backpacking South America
    Blog: Inside South America
    Find Accommodation:

    Videos:
    Iguazu Falls Giganta del Diablo aka The Devil's Throat Video
    Iguazu Falls Giganta del Diablo aka The Devil's Throat
    Drummers at the Farmer's Strike in Salta 2008 Video
    Drummers at the Farmer's Strike in Salta 2008
    Puppets on the Balconies in La Boca Video
    Puppets on the Balconies in La Boca

    See more videos from Argentina & South America

    My Hostel & Hotel Reviews:
    Backpacker's Tucuman, Tucuman, Argentina (Aug 2008 - 2 nights) - Nice spacious place to stay at with cool friendly staff, great location! booking
    Tango Hostel, Cordoba, Argentina (Jul 2008 - 2 nights) - I stayed at Tango Hostel instead which was really cool and relaxed, nice home cooked dinners, tv room, bean bags and great friendly staff! booking
    Che Pampas Hostel, Rosario, Argentina (Jul 2008 - 2 nights) - A nice hostel with TV room, WIFI and kitchen and very nice staff. A very relaxing place to chill and have fun. There is a supermarket just a few doors away to get supplies. The staff took all the guests out to the nightclubs in the weekend. The room next to the foyer is a little noisy and not so easy to sleep in. booking
    Sandanzas Cultural Hostel, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Jul 2008 - 2 nights) - I enjoyed my stay here for 2 nights, an easy going place to be with nice rooms, heaters and lots of bathrooms/toilets. booking
    Terra Oculta Hostel, Salta, Argentina (Mar 2008 - 10 nights) - An enjoyable stay here. A great rooftop bar and terrace where you can enjoy the sun, read, dry cloths and hang out, a free to use kitchen, table tennis, it's in a great part of town near the park, it's off St Martin. A good place to meet people and have fun. There was only 1 computer when I was there which was shared with the staff so that is the only hassle but there are internet cafes around the area.
    The Hostel-Inn Iguazu Falls, Iguazu, Argentina (Mar 2008 - 5 nights) - An awesome hostel, very flash, computers, table tennis, meeting area, dj, food and drink, huge pool, palm trees, lots of people and great social fun, food and dancing shows at night time! photo booking
    Ostinatto Hostel, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Mar 2008 - 4 nights, Oct 2008 - 6 nights) - This hostel is always nice, clean and with friendly and helpful staff and it is in a great location in the San Telmo district. They have bicycles that you can rent to ride around and explore the big city, a great kitchen and dining area with balconies overlooking the street which is a good social area as well, there is a TV and video area with beanbags and a couch downstairs. The hostel is kept clean by several ladies each day. photo booking
    Hostel Anahi, Iguazu, Argentina (May 2009 - 2 nights) - Good room with its own kitchen built in at a good price, but the bed had bugs and the people next door decided to have a party in the middle of the night, so did not get a great sleep. photo booking
    Hotel Victoria, Corrientes, Argentina (May 2009 - 1 night) - Pretty nice room, good price for being just a street or 2 away from the really expensive hotels by the plaza. After having a look in the area at other hotels that were way too expensive, this was the best option. photo
    Hostal De Las Nubes, Salta, Argentina (May 2009 - 3 nights) - I had my own small room with bathroom for 50 pesos per night which is really good considering a dorm in a hostel will cost between 35 and 40 pesos. Friendly owners and complimentary basic breakfast. photo
    Residencial Misiones, Posadas, Argentina (Mar 2008 - 3 nights) - Run by helpful older and younger people, 3 minutes walk to the center, has a sunny courtyard, a lounge and tv area with couches, a big kitchen at the back, a wind up clothes line, the rooms are fairly average but adequate and have bathrooms, I found a small snake about 1 foot long crawling in the shower one night and had to ask the doorman to remove it, por favor.
    Hostel Inn Tango City, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Oct 2008 - 1 night) - This is a great hostel for young people with its bar and party atmosphere, go there with your friends or to meet lots of new people. I didn't really enjoy the noise in my 10 at least bed dorm and all the computers and WIFI were down when I was there so I left and stayed somewhere else. booking
    Hostal Prisamata, Salta, Argentina (Aug 2008 - 3 nights) - This hostel is located not too far from Balcarce where all the nightlife happens in Salta. It's a very chilled out and laid-back place, there are hammocks, a kitchen to cook in and make tea and an outside area and courtyard. The price is good, they have internet, the rooms aren't too bad and the showers work. booking

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    Festivals and Holidays in Argentina during September:
    Month Date When Festival / Holiday Where / Location
    SeptemberRuns for over 1 week, mid-monthFestival Latinoamericano de Video Rosario (Latin American Video Festival)Rosario
    SeptemberFirst 2 weeks of SeptemberFiesta del immigrante (Immigrant's Festival)Obera
    SeptemberFiesta Nacional del Esqui (National Ski Festival)Esquel (Patagonia)
    September/OctoberEncuentro Internacional de Escultura en Madera-Piedra-Cerro de Rosario (International Meeting of Wood-Stone-Iron Sculpture)Rosario

    Yearlong Festivals and Holidays of Argentina

    Recommended Reading:



    Weather:
    Weather Stations: Bariloche  Buenos Aires  Cordoba  Resistencia  Iguazu  Mendoza  Salta 
    Current conditions in Iguazu
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