Grand tour of Argentina March 2025

My buddy Christian and I (Patrick) are off for 28 days in Argentina in March. We’ve already shared several trips as a duo (Bolivia Peru, Namibia, Laos, Costa Rica). Since we’re starting from the idea that at our age (65) we won’t be coming back here—there are just too many other corners of the world to discover—we did the "grand tour" of Argentina, with 6 domestic flights to make the most of our 28 days. Here are our stops: 1) Departure from Brussels to Buenos Aires via Madrid 2) Arrival and first contact with Buenos Aires 3) Early morning flight to Ushuaia. Boat trip on the Beagle Channel 4) Ushuaia: hikes in Tierra del Fuego National Park 5) Ushuaia: last hike and flight to El Calafate 6) El Calafate to El Chaltén by bus. First hike 7) El Chaltén: hike 8) El Chaltén: hike 9) El Chaltén: hike and bus back to El Calafate 10) El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier 11) Flight to Bariloche. Car rental and surrounding areas 12) Seven Lakes Region 13) Nahuel Huapi National Park region 14) Flight to Salta. Car rental 15) To Tilcara 16) To Humahuaca 17) To Purmamarca 18) To Jujuy via the salt flats 19) To Cafayate 20) Around Cafayate 21) To Cachi 22) Back to Salta 23) Flight to Iguazu 24) Waterfalls on the Argentine side 25) Waterfalls on the Brazilian side and flight to Buenos Aires 26) Buenos Aires 27) Return flight 28) Morning arrival Happy reading!..

Day 1: Departure February 28, 2025 Departure at 7 PM from Brussels to Madrid with the Spanish airline Air Europa, 2.5-hour layover, then flight to Buenos Aires at midnight. Price: 930 € pp (booked 8 months in advance). Day 2: Buenos Aires Arrival at 8:20 AM. It was a long 11-hour, 15-minute flight. There were screens with movies, but they didn’t hand out headphones (unlike on the return flight). Quick immigration process. We exchanged just a little money—enough to pay for a metro card and a taxi (40,000 ARS). In one hour, we arrived in the Palermo Soho neighborhood where we’re staying (Play Hostel Soho, 46 euros). It’s only 10:45 AM. The weather is overcast but warm. We took the metro to the city center because it’s on Calle Florida where you’re supposed to go to exchange euros for ARS at the unofficial "blue" rate. First encounter (there were about fifty people shouting "cambio cambio"), but they tried to scam us. The rate looked good on the street, but once inside the tiny office, I noticed the cashier was setting aside a few 1,000-peso bills every time the machine showed 100 bills. Each time, he told me to look at the machine’s number, but I was watching his hands. Anyway, we left. Second encounter: we went to an official exchange bureau, but the rate was much less favorable. So, we didn’t exchange much. Besides, the euro blue rate is better than the dollar blue rate. Third encounter: a woman on the street directed us to a small basement office. No issues here. We carefully recounted our bulky stacks of bills. Back to Palermo by metro. We went to a supermarket to buy a very useful local SIM card (25 GB for 17,500 ARS). End of the day, we strolled through the lovely Palermo Soho neighborhood. Lots of painted walls, breweries, and restaurants. First Argentine steak tonight. Oh yeah... it’s delicious. Argentine beef is worth the trip.

Day 3: Heading to Ushuaia An Uber taxi (7000 ARS) picked us up at 4:30 AM to go to the nearby airport (Newbery). It’s only 15 minutes from Palermo, which is way better than the international airport (Ezeiza) that’s an hour away. We booked all our domestic flights six months ago, always with the most reliable airline (Aerolíneas Argentinas). And it’s true—this morning, on the departures board, all the low-cost flights with Flybondi or JetSmart had delays between 30 minutes and 4 hours. A note about domestic flights: all airlines only allow a maximum of 15 kg for checked baggage, which is *just* enough because hiking shoes and warm clothes add up. In Brussels, I weighed my suitcase at 14 kg, but on the scales at our various destinations, it varied between 15 and 16 kg. Every scale had its own measurement. Even at 16 kg, they didn’t charge me extra. We arrived in Ushuaia at 10:30 AM. It’s sunny here but only 9°C—quite a change from Buenos Aires’ 30°C.



Taxi ($9) to the hotel Posada del Fin del Mundo. A cute little hotel slightly uphill from the center (72 € per night with a huge breakfast). This will be one of our pricier stays. Ushuaia is expensive overall (accommodation, restaurants, excursions). After a first stroll through the center, we took a boat for a 3-hour excursion on the Beagle Channel (78 € per person). We saw some islands full of birds and sea lions, plus the famous "Lighthouse at the End of the World," all surrounded by mountains.













All that activity made us hungry, and the fish casserole (27000 ARS) at the restaurant "Volver" hit the spot.

Day 4: Ushuaia – Tierra del Fuego Park Up at 6:30 AM (generally, this’ll be our wake-up time—early birds catch the worm, and we avoid the crowds who get up later and explore the country later in the morning). A minibus takes us to Tierra del Fuego Park (20,000 ARS per person round trip). Full sun—a stroke of luck since the weather here is often overcast/windy/rainy.

A quick aside about national park entry fees: each time, they range between 20,000 and 45,000 ARS per entry. We opted for the annual pass (225,000 ARS) since we’ll be visiting 8 different spots, and by our calculations, it saved us 55,000 ARS. We ease into the day with a morning hike on the "Sendero Costada" trail—3.5 hours before a picnic at the visitor center.











This afternoon, we’ve got a 2.5-hour walk to Bahía Lapataia.







Back at the hotel by 6 PM. Another great meal at "Isabel by Disco": a seafood platter with a Patagonia IPA (37,000 ARS per person).

Hi Patrick,

A new travel journal I’ll be following! 🙂 Insane landscapes, wildlife—this is gonna be amazing. Thanks for all the details, always super helpful for future travelers.

Day 5: Ushuaia to El Calafate An Uber takes us early to the start of the "Laguna Esmeralda" hike (22,000 ARS round trip). A really pretty hike, starting in the muddy woods and then climbing a bit toward the lagoon. 4 hours of hiking total.













The same Uber takes us to the airport. PS: Ubers are generally 1/3 cheaper than local taxis. A funny moment at customs. While checking my Belgian passport, the customs officer, a soccer fan, was watching a Champions League match with Club Brugge live and kept me updated on the 1-1 score. Haha. We take a minibus from El Calafate airport to our accommodation (Folk Hostel 46 €). We splurge (it was expensive—55,000 ARS per person) at the town’s famous restaurant (La Tablita) with a delicious big parrilla.



Note that in every restaurant, if you order meat, you only get the meat. You always have to order a side of fries and a side of vegetables separately.

Day 6: Heading to El Chaltén Bus departure at 8 AM (38000 one way) with Chalten Travel. FYI, there was also another bus from the company "Caltur" leaving at the same time. 3-hour ride through a desert plain. We gradually approach the mountains separating Argentina from Chile.





El Chaltén is a small village entirely dedicated to hikers. Lots of hostels and homestays. The cafés and restaurants are also really nice. Still full sun but feels like 5 degrees. We check the weather for the next few days at the tourist office. Today: full sun. Tomorrow: clouds and rain, then two days of nice weather again. Luckily, we planned to stay 3 nights here to properly plan our hikes. In the early afternoon, we warm up with an easy 2-hour round-trip walk to the "Chorillo del Salto" waterfall.









We take advantage of happy hour to down a couple of good IPAs before tackling the second 2-hour round-trip hike in the late afternoon to the "El Cóndor" and "Las Águilas" viewpoints. Of the two, "El Cóndor" is definitely the prettier one if you can only choose one.

Dinner at the « Bourbon Bar »—an excellent lamb dish, as usual with a great beer (30,000 ARS per person), all while listening to an amateur band covering Beatles songs. A really nice vibe, amplified by the cheerful cheers of a group of American bikers.

Another side note: as a Belgian beer lover, I’ve always found the beers here to be excellent.

Day 7: El Chalten The weather forecast was spot on. It's raining and the crappy weather will stick around all day. So no hiking. We wandered around the village a bit. We did a full loop in 30 minutes. We took advantage of this day off to sort through our photos, hit the laundromat, read, play ping-pong at the hostel, and relax since we’ve got two 7-8 hour hikes coming up over the next two days. We tried a local dish called « locro » this time with a nice white Malbec wine (32000 pp) at « La Tapera ». Here’s a tip: get there when they open at 6:30 AM. It fills up fast. In fact, after 7 PM, there aren’t any tables left.





We went to bed early (8:30 PM) at our hostel « Las Nires » (58 € per night) to be fresh for tomorrow

Day 8: El Chalten: hike to Laguna Torre Great day of hiking to Laguna Torre. 19 km done in 7 hours. At the end of this round-trip hike, a stunning glacial lake below Cerro Torre mountain. What a wonder all those icebergs on the lagoon. Once facing the lake, we continued along the lagoon on the right to get closer to the glacier.





















Dinner at the restaurant "Fugia" (40000 pp, yes, more expensive, but with a big gin aperitif too)

Day 9: El Chalten: hike to Laguna Los Tres, then return to El Calafate This was THE lucky day for THE legendary hike to get close to the famous Fitz Roy mountain: full sun all day but still chilly (between 5 and 10 degrees).



The only downside was that we didn’t have much time because our return bus to El Calafate left at 6 PM. So, we decided to start from Río Eléctrico (reached by a minibus for 10,000 ARS per person that left El Chalten at 8 AM) to cut down the distance a bit. In total, it took us 7.5 hours for 20 km (instead of 8.5 hours for those starting from El Chalten). Gorgeous scenery all along the hike, especially the Piedras Blancas viewpoint and Laguna Capri.











The last kilometer before reaching Laguna Los Tres is pretty tough: a steep, gravelly uphill trail.

We’re back in El Calafate at 5 PM, tired but happy we could do this hike in such great conditions.













3-hour bus ride and we arrive at 9 PM at the El Calafate bus terminal. Another 10-minute walk in the dark to reach our place (an Airbnb at 59 € per night) and head straight to eat a good steak at "Don Pichon" nearby (33,000 ARS per person).

Day 10: El Calafate – Perito Moreno Glacier Bus departure (50,000 ARS round trip) at 8:30 AM to the Perito Moreno Glacier.





We start with a boat tour to see the glacier up close (60,000 ARS) followed by a walk on the boardwalks facing the glacier. We’ll spend 4.5 hours here admiring this incredible glacier.













We didn’t go for the glacier walk because 1) it’s not allowed for those over 65, and 2) it’s way overpriced (320,000 ARS per person). To mix things up, tonight it’s pizza!

Hi Patrick,

I’m jumping into this travel journal at full speed! The landscapes around El Chaltén look amazing. You were lucky with the weather!

Day 11: Heading to Bariloche Early wake-up at 5:30 AM because we had a minibus supposed to drop us off at the airport at 6 AM. Well, no. It never came. We waited for an hour in the dark and cold before finally calling a taxi. Once at the airport, the minibus company admitted they’d forgotten us ("sorry, señor"). A 1.5-hour flight to Bariloche with Aerolíneas. Quick stop at the car rental place "Flexways" before grabbing supplies for our midday picnic, and then we set off to do the Circuito Chico peninsula tour. First stop: taking the cable car up to Cerro Campanario. Stunning views of the lake region. Second stop at the 5-star hotel Lao Lao just to check out the gorgeous interior of this palace.

Third stop: a short walk in the forest of "arrayanes" trees.

Fourth stop: we wanted to hike Brazo Tristeza, but the wind was so strong the trail was closed. Fifth stop at the brewery "La Cruz." A great moment to relax with a good beer and a beautiful view.

Final stop at a supermarket to buy supplies for our picnic for the next two days. We arrived at our hotel outside Bariloche ("La Malinka" -53 / the room with a huge breakfast) in the early evening. We had a plate of assorted tapas at the Cervecería Patagonia near the hotel. Great find, and on top of that, it wasn’t expensive (18,000 pp). Prices are different from southern Patagonia!

Day 12: Bariloche - Route of the Seven Lakes After an excellent breakfast buffet, we leave Bariloche heading north toward the Route of the Seven Lakes (we didn’t count them). Another full-sun day, and 20 degrees expected. We’re lucky. We stop at every viewpoint, almost every 10 km.







To mix things up a bit, I’d spotted a walk to a waterfall ("Nivinco"). Nice. At the start, you have to cross a small river to get there.











We didn’t go all the way to the end of the Route of the Seven Lakes (i.e., to San Martín) so we could take a walk on the way back in the pretty village of "Villa La Angostura."

Dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel. Our "milanesa" escalope is bigger than the plate. Yep, every meal here in Argentina is made for big eaters.

Day 13: Bariloche - Nahuel Huapi Park We leave Bariloche at 9 AM to arrive at the entrance of Nahuel Huapi National Park by 10 AM, 38 km further south. The thing is, it’s only from 10 AM that the trail toward the center of the park is one-way uphill. But what a trail—very rocky. So it’s tiring driving only at 20 to 30 km/h. It took us 2 hours for the 45 km, and in the end, we realized we’d gotten a flat tire near the finish.



We stroll toward the Las Nalcas waterfall, the Ventisquero Negro lagoon, and the Garganta del Diablo (not great, that one).













By 4 PM, we can start heading back.



All in all, a tiring day. We saw some beautiful lakes along the way, but we’d already seen some gorgeous ones the previous two days, as well as more stunning lagoons in El Chaltén.

Day 14: Heading to Salta This morning, we strolled around the center of the small town of Bariloche. It feels a bit like a ski resort.



Took off at 2 PM for Salta with a layover in Córdoba. Arrived at 6 PM. We picked up our car from Fit Car and then headed to downtown Salta. Watch out—every street is toll-based. There’s an attendant assigned to each street handing out tickets. We settled into our cute little place (La Cara Oculta de Salta—34 € with breakfast) before heading out to eat at "Doña Salta" for the best "bife de chorizo" of the trip (22000 pp). Prices have dropped even more compared to southern Argentina.

The accommodation

Inside the restaurant

Day 15: Heading to Tilcara It’s raining a bit this morning as we leave Salta heading north toward Tilcara. Stop in Tumbaya for a pretty view of the valley. The sun comes back out.



Second stop in Maimara, with its painted mountain. We grab our first empanadas at the little market.



We arrive in Tilcara but have a bit of trouble finding our little place to stay (glamping el obrador 52 €) up the hill from the village center.



Since it’s rained a lot these past few days, we have to change our plans for the next two days because we were counting on heading to the little village of Iruya. The access road is impassable, so I adjust our itinerary. In the end, we won’t regret it. We wander around the village before visiting the "pucara," an archaeological site full of cacti.













We try llama goulash tonight at the really nice restaurant "Khuska" (26000 pp)

Day 16: Heading to Humahuaca This morning, we met up at 9 AM with a local guide—Carolina—to join her on the hike through the "Quebrada de las Señoritas." She’s a charming guide who also gave us some break moments where she sang hymns in praise of Pachamama. A beautiful 4-hour walk among red, yellow, and white rocks, sometimes through a very narrow canyon that reminded me of those in the American West.













After a quick lunch of empanadas at a small local restaurant in Uquía, we set off for Humahuaca. This afternoon, we booked a 4x4 tour that took us up to 4,350 meters to see the panorama from the Mirador del Hornocal (the 14-color mountain). The climb up the rough track was pretty steep. As a precaution, we had some coca candies to help with altitude sickness.









Staying at a small hostel (Azul Hostel, 35,000 for the room).

Day 17: Heading to Purmamarca This is the first time we’ve slept in until 8:30 a.m. Feels good too... Took a little stroll around the village of Humahuaca before hitting the road.









We stopped again in Tilcara for lunch before continuing to Purmamarca to wander around its (touristy) market. We ran into a couple from Buenos Aires we’d hiked with yesterday morning.









I found an amazing place to stay here—almost like a whole house just for the two of us. Two separate bedrooms, a living room, and a sunny terrace (La Vilti Casa de Purmamarca). Such a great spot, and the price? 35,500 € per room—the same as yesterday, even though Humahuaca was pretty basic. We’ll just relax here this afternoon. Feels good to unwind before dinner—spaghetti bolognese tonight!

Hi there,

Why did you choose to do the hike with a guide? Isn’t it possible to do it independently?

Hello

Why did you choose to do the hike with a guide? Isn't it possible to do it independently?

No, it's impossible without a local guide. They all wait at the entrance to the site, but we met Carolina and booked with her. A tad more expensive, but so much more interesting

Day 18: Heading to Jujuy We eat our pastries at the house before hitting the winding road up to a pass at 4,150m—and then more switchbacks down to the Salinas Grandes. We’re relaxed and soaking in the beautiful scenery.







We pay 1500 € per person to walk on the salt desert with a guide who’ll also act as our photographer for some “special” shots.













Lunch on-site, then we take the same road back.

Back in Purmamarca, we do the hike to the pretty colors "Paseo de los Colorados" (paid, 1500 per person) before buying a few souvenirs.







Our day ends in Jujuy. When we arrive at the hotel: no one. It makes sense since we’re the only ones at the hotel (a bit run-down Calchaquies Hostel).



There’s plenty to keep us busy while waiting for the owner. The car trunk won’t open anymore. Christian manages to climb through the back seats and open it from the inside. Phew. The quirk here in Jujuy is that restaurants don’t open until 8:30 PM. We stroll around the city center, which didn’t really impress us. Just a stopover town, that’s all.

Day 19: Heading to Cafayate After a basic breakfast, we head to Salta airport to switch cars, then leave at 12 PM toward the southern loop of Salta. Stop in El Carril for lunch. Excellent lamb chops with natural orange juice. They probably don’t go together, but it’s hot (30 degrees), and it’s a nice change from water during the day. We take our time all afternoon to explore the "Quebrada de las Conchas." Beautiful "Western" scenery before arriving in Cafayate.















Basic accommodation (Portal de las Viñas) before heading out to eat another good steak on the plaza.

Day 20: Cafayate

A little stroll around the village near the plaza before a 1-hour drive south toward the Quilmes ruins.



We wandered around this archaeological site for about an hour (12,000 ARS per person). Not so much for the state of the ruins, but for the pretty site full of cacti.









Back near Cafayate, at Finca Las Nubes. There was an option for a guided tour, but we preferred to stay and eat here while enjoying their good wine.





In the afternoon, we did a nice 3-hour guided hike in a canyon along a stream, very close to the finca (Cascadas del Río Colorado).







We had to change accommodations because "Portal de las Viñas" was fully booked. We found "L’Auletta" (69,000 ARS) located on the plaza. A charming old place run by an elderly couple. Excellent tapas platter at the restaurant "La Despensa" in a lovely setting (21,000 ARS per person). We’ll go back to exchange more dollars at yesterday’s restaurant, which offered a better blue rate than in Buenos Aires. Generally, we were able to exchange our euros/dollars outside of Buenos Aires. I forgot to mention that in El Chaltén, it was possible at our hostel and at a nearby bakery. And always at the blue rate.

Day 21: Heading to Cachi Quite a bit of dirt road today to reach Cachi, but through beautiful landscapes, especially around the Quebrada de las Flechas.









Lunch break at Finca El Carmen. Nice setting, but the tapas platter was definitely not as good as yesterday. Near Molinos, we took the "new" road under construction instead of making the detour as advised. Big mistake—while the first few kilometers were on a great road, after that it was still gravel, forcing us to go 20 km/h. Turns out it would’ve been better to take the detour instead of following the 4x4s ahead of us.



We didn’t arrive in Cachi until 5 PM in the end. A cute little all-white village—very peaceful. A lovely quiet stop.









And what about our amazing accommodation (Hospedaje Huaka Huasy 64000)? A whole house in the countryside, just 2 km from the center. It could even sleep 5 people in 2 bedrooms. Total love at first sight.

The stunning view from the accommodation

Tonight, we’re trying goat at the restaurant "El Aujero" (18000 pp).

Day 22: Return to Salta Another beautiful sunny and hot day. Phew, because in early March it was rainy here. Lovely cactus landscape as we passed through Los Cardones National Park, before tackling the "Cuesta del Obispo" and its 50 hairpin turns on the mountain descent.

















Back in Salta by 3:30 PM at the same place we stayed on Day 14. We’ll actually be dining at the same spot as the first time too— the "bife de chorizo" was just that good.

Day 23: Heading to Iguazu Took it easy this morning strolling around Salta since our flight to Puerto Iguazu wasn’t until 3 PM. The perk of booking our domestic flights well in advance was that we could snag a direct flight and skip Buenos Aires altogether.















A 30-minute bus ride to the Puerto Iguazu bus terminal. Our place is just a block away—super convenient. Hotel Ox (40 € per night). We also booked our round-trip bus tickets to the falls on both the Argentine side (14000 pp) and the Brazilian side (12000 pp) with Rio Uruguay.





Had a big, delicious pizza at "Holy Cervecería" (12000 pp)

Hi there,

In your opinion, if we only do one loop starting from Salta, which is the most spectacular in terms of landscapes? North or South?

Hi there,

In your opinion, if we only do one loop from Salta, which is the most spectacular in terms of landscapes? North or South?

Here’s my take: You need 4 days for each loop (or 3 if you're in a hurry). Things they have in common: - Cactus region, with a bit more in the south - Nice villages—more rustic in the north - Winding roads, like dirt tracks, in both north and south (more dirt tracks in the south though) - "Quebradas": 1 in the north, 2 in the south. The colors are different—more red in the north. The north has two special features: the salt flats and the mountain with 14 colors. To wrap up, I’d say you have to do both. It’s impossible to come to this region and settle for just one.

Thanks for the reply. I was also considering a guided excursion for a few days around the Puna region (high plateaus, salt flats, etc.). So, in two weeks (combined with Iguazu), it’s not possible to do both loops. Either I have to give up on something, or extend the trip (not easy)....

Thanks for the reply. I was also considering a guided excursion for a few days around the Puna (high plateaus, salt flats, etc.). So, in 2 weeks (combined with Iguazu), it’s not possible to do both loops. Either I’ll have to skip something or stay longer (not easy)...

If you’re planning to visit the Antofagasta/Tolar Grande area, it’s better to combine this excursion with the southern loop, which is nearby.

Day 24: Iguazu Falls on the Argentine side Early start because we're taking the first bus at 7:30 AM. Big advantage is arriving at 8 AM when the park opens, so we get to enjoy it with hardly anyone around. That definitely won’t be the case later in the morning. We started with the lower circuit, which was crowd-free. We thought it was more beautiful than the upper circuit.

















You have to wait for a little train that takes people to "El Garganta del Diablo," a gorge accessible from a packed platform, and you come out soaked from the spray.





Back to Puerto Iguazú in the late afternoon. It was really hot (felt like 34 °C). It felt great to relax at the hotel pool before having an early dinner at 6:30 PM. By 8 PM, we were already falling asleep. We’re starting to feel the travel fatigue piling up—on top of the heat.

Hi Muriel,

a guided excursion for a few days around the Puna

Yes, this excursion offers fantastic landscapes. One of our best travel experiences!

See here

Hi Michel

I’d already read this travel journal—thought it was on VF, but guess not! It’s pretty old... but the agency still exists (I find it’s not easy to get recent reviews on agencies that organize this kind of expedition, where you need to ensure at least a minimum of safety). Thanks for reminding me about this journal—the photos are really inspiring 🙂

I’d already read this travel journal—thought it was on VF!

That’s right, but it’s gone now…

Hi Muriel,

a guided excursion of a few days around the Puna

Yes, this excursion offers fantastic landscapes. One of our best travel experiences!

See here

This place had definitely caught our eye, but we had to make choices. And the price of the excursion was too expensive for us (850 € per person). Tolar Grande, private excursion in the Puna of Salta

Day 25: Heading to Buenos Aires Same timing as yesterday, meaning we left with the first bus at 7:30 AM. Quick border crossing with our bus, which isn’t the case if you cross by car. There was a huge line at the border. We arrived at opening time, 9 AM. We spent about 2 hours walking around in front of the falls on the Brazilian side. It’s much smaller than the Argentine side, but another equally beautiful way to appreciate the falls.

















It’s still really hot, and we’re happy to get back to Puerto Iguazú to eat at a Mexican restaurant with air conditioning. Relaxing afternoon by the pool before our evening flight at 7 PM, which arrives in Buenos Aires at 9 PM. Too bad the arrival is at the airport far from downtown (Ezeiza) instead of the closer one (Newbery): it’s a 1-hour trip instead of 15 minutes to reach the center. Taxi (40000 ARS) to the Palermo Hollywood neighborhood. Our Airbnb host is waiting for us, notified of the late arrival (10:30 PM) via WhatsApp (Nica Suites - 50 € per night)

Day 26: Buenos Aires Less stifling heat than in Iguazu but still 25°C (77°F). We start by stepping into the grand bookstore El Ateneo, formerly a theater. A really lovely transformation.



We decide to skip wandering through the Recoleta Cemetery and head to the Puerto Madero district instead.







From there, a bus takes us to the La Boca neighborhood. It’s colorful, sure, but a bit too touristy. By comparison, Palermo Soho was nicer and more authentic.







We end our day in the San Telmo district.







Last Argentine steak dinner tonight before watching soccer on TV (Argentina vs. Brazil—Argentina won, and you could tell by the cheers at the end of the evening).

Day 27: Return Taxi transfer to Ezeiza Airport (28,000—odd, since we paid 40,000 on the way there with the same company) Long line at check-in before the 1:15 PM flight to Madrid Day 28: Arrival Arrival in Brussels at 9:50 AM

Hope you enjoyed this travel journal! Patrick

Hi Patrick,

Yes, I loved this travel journal, especially the part about Patagonia—we’ve never been there. We were worried about the weather conditions. I think you were really lucky in that regard! 😉

Thanks Patrick for this really interesting travel journal. It also has the advantage of providing up-to-date info on the destination.

Hi there, I’ve been following this travel journal from the start incognito, since I don’t know this destination at all. Great photos, really enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Patrick,

We got back from Peru last weekend and I just discovered your travel journal. Thanks for sharing!

You were lucky with the weather. My daughter was there at the same time in 2022. In northern Argentina, the weather was terrible, the roads were impassable, and some places were closed.

Wake-up at 6:30 AM (generally, that’ll be our wake-up time every day—early birds catch the worm—and we avoid the crowds of tourists who get up later and explore the country later in the morning).

We did the same in Peru. It lets you visit some very touristy sites before the tour groups arrive. To give you an idea, there were only 7 of us on the famous Vinicunca mountain: two guides, three young French women, and us.

We might visit southern Argentina and Chile next year and add two days to see Iguazu Falls. We’re also tempted by the north, but we’d like to explore that region with a rental 4x4 and check out the most remote spots, like we did in the Sud Lípez in Bolivia. But that takes a lot more preparation, and finding a reliable rental company with dependable 4x4s seems tough.

Anyway, you had a really great trip. 🙂

... we did the "grand tour" of Argentina, with 6 domestic flights to make the most of our 28 days. Below are our stops: ..................... Happy reading.....

Hello and thanks for this feedback. Best regards, JLMA

Hello, I’m planning our trip to Argentina for November 2026 and I’m just getting started. Your travel journal is a fantastic source of information. Could you tell me which airline you took for the Bariloche/Salta flight via Córdoba? Thanks so much. Nicole

Hello, I’m planning our trip to Argentina for November 2026 and I’m just getting started. Your travel journal is a fantastic source of information. Could you tell me which airline you used for the Bariloche/Salta flight via Córdoba? Thanks so much. Nicole

All our domestic flights were booked on the Aerolíneas Argentinas website. No issues with delays compared to other low-cost airlines like Flybondi.