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Argentina
Argentina is home to enchanting landscapes and some of the most famous national parks in the world, Torres Del Paine, Iguazú National Park and Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. There is so much to see and do it can be hard to know where to start.
Almost 97% of the country are of European and mixed descent, so a lot of the architecture and food are influenced by this. If you already speak Spanish, be prepared to hear a complete different side of it as they speak the language with a twist and completely different accent. You’ll come across friendly people and good vibes accompanied by grilled meat and cheap wine!
Quick Tips
Local language: Spanish
Hello: Hola
Goodbye: Adios
Please: Por favor
Thank you: Gracias
Local Currency: Argentine Pesos (ARS $)
Visa Requirements
Visitors holding a UK passport do not need a visa to travel to Norway. Although it is not part of the European Union, it is part of the Schengen area. Please check your government website for requirements from your country.
🌿 Eco Friendliness
EPI ranking (based on the Environmental Performance Index) : 74/180
Although Argentina ranks nearly halfway down the EPI ranking, there are great efforts being made in the country to improve their eco-friendliness and create more awareness. There are a wide variety NGOs pushing for this and making a change. These include:
Organic food markets – There are many eco-conscious food markets and shops around the country, especially in Buenos Aires. Services such as El Click and El Galpón offer orders and exchange of organic food which in turn minimises food waste and you also get to try foods you may have never heard of before!
Anda tourist agency – They promote responsible tourism and offer tours around Argentina to contribute towards communitarian projects to allow visitors to learn more about the local culture.
#VidaSinSorbete – An NGO movement pushing to ban single-use plastic straws in bars and restaurants. They have been very successful in doing this, with many restaurants in the bigger cities using this hashtag and creating social awareness
Safety Rating – 7/10
Argentina is such a varied country, the safety ranks can differ majorly between the north of Argentina and the south in Patagonia. Overall, travelling in Argentina felt completely safe for us, although like any other major cities, in Buenos Aires there are some areas which you need to be aware of. If you’re unsure of an area or happen to find yourself in one, research it first or ask a local or staff at your accommodation and make sure that’s it’s completely safe to walk around. Buenos Aires is known for petty theft so keep a close eyes on your belongings, but overall it is safe for female and solo travellers. Patagonia on the other hand is ranked as one of the safest places in the world, attracting like minded travellers who love exploring nature. The locals are all extremely kind and friendly too! The health care in Argentina is excellent if you do happen to experience an injury or illness whilst travelling.
Female Friendliness
This has become one of our top countries for female or solo travellers. As long as you exercise normal precautions, it’s highly unlikely you’ll come across any trouble here. The only encounter we has was being stopped on the motorway by police and asking us to pay a fine for a fire extinguisher that was out of date. We explained that this was a rental car and gave them the name of the company but they still tried to fine us, We ended up giving them the money we had in our purse (luckily we had the rest of the money in our bags in the boot so we told them this was the only cash we had on us) which only came to around £30 and they let us go.
Best time to go
As it’s such a vast country with so much to do, the recommended times to visit Argentina also vary massively.
Best for Patagonia and hiking: December to March when rainfall is at it’s lowest. During the winter months (June to August) the attractions tend to close and the temperature can get below freezing.
Best for the North: Warm all year round, however March and April are recommended times for a comfortable temperate during their Autumn. As we love the heat of the sun, we visited the North in December (summer) and it reached a lovely 37°c!
Best for Central: December – February
Best for ski season: June – October
Best for Mendoza wine tasting: March – May
Things to See and Do in Argentina
Drive along one of the best routes in the world along the desert and multi coloured mountain landscapes of the North
Hike and explore the outdoors in Patagonia
Indulge in grilled meat
Visit Iguazú Falls
Explore the city of Bueno Aires
Taste the local wine in the regions of Mendoza
Walk with penguins in Puerto Madryn
Discover the different styles of tango dancing
Observe giant guinea pigs at Ibera Wetlands
Visit the abandoned town of Epecuén
Roam the world’s southernmost tip at Ushuaia
“The Professional Hobo”
“Never Ending Footsteps”
Typical Costs When Travelling
Accommodation
Budget – A hostel/ basic double room can cost around £25-£40 a night
Mid range – A 3 star hotel can range from £55-£90 a night
Food (per meal)
Budget – £2-£6
Mid range – £6 to £18
Local Transportation
£1.50 – £6
Suggested daily budget
Budget- £12-£25
Mid range- £33-£40
Money Saving Tips
Argentina is know to be one of the most expensive countries in South America, however, there are always ways to save money if you want to. Here are some tips to help you spend less pesos! The Argentine Peso has been very unstable over the recent years so prices always seem to fluctuate.
1
Travel off season
This is always a number one tip. March-June and September to November are low seasons in the country, which means you’ll be able to find cheaper flights, accommodation and tours. If you’re flexible on your dates and the weather won’t affect any of your plans (ie. hiking or skiing) then consider booking around these months.
2
Use discount cards
Argentina has many tourists attractions that offer discounts for students or teachers. Don't forget to bring your student card with you if you're eligible for one.
3
Explore nature
There are many national parks and different landscapes in the country, you can make the most of this and spend a few days out hiking without spending a penny (apart from buying food and camping gear in advance of course).
4
Camp
As mentioned in the previous point, yes, you can camp and save yourself on a few nights accommodation! Check the national park’s website before going though, because some require you to reserve a spot at the campsite beforehand.
5
Rent a bike or electric scooter
Many hostels or hotels provide bicycle rentals, which can help you get around a lot quicker and explore the city at a different pace. Buenos Aires also has many electric scooters scattered around. Just download the app, scan the scooter and you get charged a few pesos by the minute. This is handy if you want to visit an area without walking (especially in the heat!) and don’t want the hassle of locking up the bike.
6
Stick to wine
We certainly didn’t get any professional advice on this, but we would recommend sticking to wine as your chosen alcoholic beverage while you’re here! Beer and any other liquor is more expensive here, and this also gives you an excuse to try all the wines from the local regions.
7
Bring snacks with you
One of our favourite parts of travelling is trying locals foods and luckily Argentina has plenty of small pastries, such as empanadas, you can stock up on and carry with you which are just as filling as buying a meal at lunch.
8
Independent sightseeing
Before we went to Argentina, we thought that there was so much to see it was better if we got a guide and joined a tour so we wouldn’t miss out on anything. In the end we decided to do most of our activities independently because you just get much more freedom, and the tours were ending up to be quite expensive! There are certain places that do require you to have a guide, such as the glacier trekking or the Petrified Forest trek because these are protected areas. However if you intend on going to a national park, consider either using public transport or hiring a car and exploring the place on your own. This way you’ll get much more freedom to stay in a place for however long or little as you like, without having to follow or wait around for anyone.
9
Join a free walking tour
Ok these aren’t completely free because you do have to leave a little tip at the end, but you can make the most of a local’s knowledge of the city without the hefty price of a tour guide. You aren't required to tip, but it's a nice way of showing your gratitude for the person's time.
10
Hitchhike
Argentina is one of the safest countries to hitchhike and we saw many while driving around and also picked up a few. If someone is going in the same direction as you, usually they wouldn’t mind dropping you off as it’s no trouble to them. The only issue is them having to trust you (the stranger getting in their car), and you trusting them (the stranger you’re about to sit next to for the next few minutes). It’s hard to judge people on first impression but here you’ll have to use your instinct and trust them. Read our safety guide to hitchhiking.
Helpful Tips
- Because of the vastness of Argentina, it’s very convenient to hire a car and drive from one region to another. As mentioned previously, sometimes you will get stopped in certain areas because:
a) They’re either just doing random checks
b) They see you’re a tourist in a rental car and see the opportunity to scam you The rental cars in Argentina all come with an extinguisher in the front seat. When you hire your car, check the expiry date on it because if you get pulled over and they see that it has expired they could give you a hard time and try to fine you. They tried to fine us 20,000 pesos which is the equivalent of £243! (value correct at the time of writing).
- If you do intend on hiring a car, check on your government website whether you need an International Drivers Permit. They didn’t check this when we hired any of our cars, but it did mention it on the website so it’s definitely worth bringing just incase.
- If you plan on camping in any of the national parks, check whether they allow fires to have a BBQ. If not then you’ll have to plan your food accordingly.
- If you are driving to Torres Del Paine from Argentina into Chile, you are not permitted to bring meats, fruit, flowers or dairy products past the border. These can be bought from a local shop once you’re in Chile.
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EVENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2020
January 11th-February 29th – Gualeguaychu Carnival (Gualeguaychu)
April 13th-24th – Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film (Buenos Aires)
April 16th-19th- ArteBA – Buenos Aires Contemporary Art Fair (Buenos Aires)
August TBC – Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial (Buenos Aires)
September TBC – Festival Ciudad Emergente (Buenos Aires)
September 19th – Oktoberfest (Cordoba)
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Paper Pelicans
Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words and i’m glad to it inspired you to start your own blog! Let me know if you need any tips because I started on my own from stratch and made a lot of mistakes along the way that could have been avoided if I had someone guiding me! 🙈