I'll be going to Argentina for about 3 months and am not planning my trip ahead of time.
I leave for Argentina on January 12th and am trying to plan what I want to do, though its tough. I will be there for a little less than 3 months and will be traveling alone. I am really looking forward to it, meeting other travelers and locals. My spanish is very poor, near non existent, but I am working on it. I am not worried about the language barrier.
What i am concerned about is heading south to patagonia with out a plan. I do not know when during my time I will head south, but I want to do a bit of trekking and kayaking down there. Because I am not sure of my time I am worried that I will have had to organize these activities ahead of time. Is that the case? Or do places expect some people the day of, or calling a day or two before?
Either way, I am really excited for my trip. I will definitely be hitting El Calafate, Rio Gallegos, Ushuaia, and Puerto Natales.
Any help or advice would be great!
Reply to this Hi Nate,
Coincidentally I'm heading to Argentina on Jan,. 13th and I'll be there for 3 months! I fly into Buenos Aires and I'll be there for 3 or 4 days. Then I plan to take the bus or fly to Bariloche where I'm going to study Spanish for a couple of weeks at a place called "Spanish in the Mountains" while also doing some outdoorsy stuff.
After that I'd like to work my way all the way down to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. That should take me until around mid-February. At that point I'll need to fly back to Buenos Aires and take a bus to Sao Paolo, Brazil to visit some relatives for a week (during Carnaval.) Then I'm going to take a bus back to Argentina passing through Iguazu to see the falls.
During the rest of my time, I'd like to explore the northwest - especially Salta and Humahuaca and then maybe go down to Mendoza before going back to B.A. to catch my flight.
At one point I was thinking of also including Peru in my trip, but I'm not sure if I'll have time - maybe I'll change my mind when I get there!
Will you be in Buenos Aires around Jan. 14, 15 or 16? I'll be staying at the San Telmo youth hostel so if you're interested in comparing notes we could meet up.
Have fun with your planning...
Reply to this Emma,
This "Spanish in the Mountains" program looks like a real good time! What reviews have you heard about it? How intensive are the programs?
Reply to this Hi Nate,
Someone on this forum recommended it to me, and then I looked up the website and thought the testimonials looked really good. Plus, I like the idea of being out in the fresh air for awhile. I've emailed them and the woman who runs the place (Maria) has booked me from Jan. 18 - 31 . I asked her to put me in a family "homestay", but I might do that for the first week and then switch to a hostel for the second week.
Reply to this Hi Nate,
I was in Argentina for round 4 months this year. It is never a problem to book any activity when you arrive somewhere. Most of the hostels offer trips themselves or they can recommend an agency. In Patagonia, you can also do things on your own, especially in Bariloche there are tons of hiking, trekking and other sports activities you can do every day. I never planned anything beforehand. Generally, there are other guests at a hostel you can join, too. In Ushuaia you HAVE to go on a boat trip through the Beagle Channel, also something you can book on the very same day (in the harbour). There's a gorgeous National Park where you can go hiking without a guide as well.
Before I left I also had the feeling that you need to organize things beforehand. During my travel I learnt that it is totally unnecessary. Your plans can change anytime, depending on the weather, the people and yourself. That's what traveling is for, right?
Enjoy!
Saskia
Reply to this You've mentioned visiting El Calafate, I'd also recommend the (relatively) nearby EL Chalten, where there is fantastic trekking. It's very easy to organise, you can bring your own equipmment and set off from El Chalten, or stay in the town and do one day treks.
I'd also recommened El Bolson, and Alerces National PArk, both south of Bariloche. El Bolson is much less touristy than Bariloche, and you can do some great hiking from the town.
I did the Spanish in the Mountains programme last year, and I would highly recommend it. Maria, who runs it, is just so helpful and friendly, if you see her tell her Ruth and Barry say hi!
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