Destination:
Argentina

You hear plenty of talk about the tango and gauchos when you mention Argentina, but for many travellers it's the country's natural wonders that are the primary attraction.
With tropical jungles and skyhigh glacier icewalls, 100-mile beaches and the highest mountains outside the himalayas,
it's got all the climates there are, plus a wedge of the South Pole.

The geography ranges from the northern deserts to the southern Andean Cordillera, and from the heart-stopping Iguazú Falls to the magnificent desolation of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego - No other country is blessed with such outrageously beautiful and diverse geography !

On top of this there's the capital Buenos Aires - a fabulous city renowned for its sophistication or derided for its derivative neo-European culture, depending on which way you choose to look at such things. In fact, the overwhelming feature of Argentina's largely immigrant population is the degree to which the cultural traits of Europe have remained intact during their transposition to the so-called New World.

For such reasons, Argentina is one Latin American country in which Europeans, North Americans and Anglophones can feel at ease and travel through relatively inconspicuously. An interest in soccer and some nimble foot skills may be all you need to feel like a local.

Environment

Argentina forms the eastern half of South America's long, tapering tail. It's a big country - the eighth-largest in the world (with 0,6% of the world's population). It is the second-largest on the South American continent.

It borders Chile to the west (separated by the Andean Cordilleras range) and Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia to the north and east (separated by rivers).
It also shares the offshore island territory of Tierra del Fuego with Chile, and continues to dispute the ownership of the Islas Malvinas (the Falklands to the Brits), which Great Britain invaded in the last century.

Argentina's topography is affected by both latitude and altitude, and is accordingly varied.
The country can be divided into four major physiographic provinces:

the fertile Lowland North: subtropical rainforests, the most visited natural wonder of South America: the Iguazú Falls, hiking, horseback riding, biking, fishing, birdwatching; swamps and lagoons, alligators, monkeys, boas, toucans, butterflies, Jesuit ruins

the central Pampas and Sierras: luxurious estancias (ranches) of the cattle barons, Polo country, solitary atlantic beaches, mountain villages in the Cordoba mountains, a flat mix of humid and dry expanses the size of Poland, the corn belt of South America; further south, Argentinians go to their vacation fortresses: Mar del Plata, Pinamar and Villa Gesell during the 3 month summer vacation (december to march)

Climate

Argentina's climate ranges from subtropical in the north to humid and steamy in the centre, and cold in the temperate south. The Andes region has erratic rainfall, flash floods in summer, searing heat, snow at higher elevations, and the Zonda - a hot, dry wind. The lowlands receive sufficient rainfall to support swampy forests and upland savanna, but rainfall decreases from east to west; shallow summer flooding is common in the east.
The winter dry season is pronounced, and the summer heat can be brutal. The flat pampas areas are also vulnerable to flooding; Patagonia is mild year-round in the east and glacial in the south.

Twenty-two national parks preserve large areas of these varied environments and protect wildlife (much of it unique) such as the caiman (or yacaré), puma, guanaco (a lowland relative of the upper-Andean llama), rhea (similar to an ostrich), Andean condor, flamingo, various marine mammals and unusual seabirds such as Magellanic penguins. Thorn forests, virgin rainforests, flowering cacti, extensive forests of monkey-puzzle trees and southern beech are also protected.

Activities, Sports and Adventure

Just one example of the prevailing Italian influence is the importance placed on soccer, by far the country's most popular spectator and participatory sport.
Argentina also has oodles of activity outdoor sports such as trekking, skiing and watersports. Elite sports such as rugby and polo reflect the influence of the country's immigrant societies, and skiing, despite its expense, is gaining in popularity.
Argentina actually has some of the best skiing in the world, and many of the resorts have ski schools. There are several major skiing areas: the southern Cuyo region, the lakes district, La Hoya and near Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. Wilderness walks are also very popular, with vast and beautiful treks through the Andes, Sierras de Cordoba and the Sierra de la Ventana in Buenos Aires province.
Climbers should head for Aconcagua, west of Mendoza, the Fitzroy Range in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Santa Cruz province, and the Sierra de la Ventana (for advanced climbing).
White-water rafting is becoming increasingly popular on the rivers that descend from the Andean divide: the main possibilities include Rio Mendoza and Rio Diamante in the Cuyo region, Rio Hua Hum and Rio Meliquina near San Martin de los Andes and the Rio Limay and Rio Manso near Bariloche.

                       

Culture

European influences permeate Argentina's art, architecture, literature and lifestyle. However, in the field of literature in particular, this has been a cross-cultural transaction, with Argentina producing writers of international stature such as Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Ernesto Sabasto, Manuel Puig and Osvaldo Soriano.

With the education of many Argentines taking place in Europe, Buenos Aires in particular has self-consciously emulated European cultural trends in art, music and architecture. As a result, there are many important art museums and galleries in the city, and it has a vigorous theatre community. Argentine cinema has also achieved international stature, and has been used as a vehicle to exorcise the horrors of the Dirty War.

Probably the best known manifestation of Argentine popular culture is the tango - a dance and music which has captured the imagination of romantics worldwide. Folk music is also thriving. Sport is extremely important to the Argentines and soccer is more of a national obsession than a game. Argentina won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, and the exploits of Diego Maradona, (the most famous Argentinian since Che Guevara) have kept soccer fans, paparazzi and columnists busy for the past ten years.

Argentine cuisine

Meat dominates Argentina's menus, and 'meat' means beef. Mixed grills (parillada) are apparently the way to go, serving up a cut of just about every part of the animal: tripe, intestines, udders - the lot. In this vegetarian's nightmare, Italian favourites, such as gnocchi (noquis), are a welcome alternative. Exquisite Argentine ice cream (helado) deserves a special mention - again reflecting Italian influences. The sharing of mate, Paraguayan tea, is a ritual more than a beverage, and if offered is a special expression of acceptance. The leaves, a relation to holly, are elaborately prepared and the mixture is drunk from a shared gourd.

When to go

For residents of the northern hemisphere, Argentina offers the inviting possibility of enjoying two summers in the same year, but the country's great variety and elongated geography can make a visit in any season worthwhile. Buenos Aires' urban attractions, for example, transcend the seasons, but Patagonian destinations, such as the Moreno Glacier in Santa Cruz, are best to visit in the summer months (December to February).
The Iguazú Falls in subtropical Misiones province are best in the southern hemisphere's winter or spring when heat and humidity are less oppressive. The winter months also offer the opportunity to go skiing.