16 days in Argentina 2013, itinerary & transportation?
Replies: 9 - Last Post: Nov 27, 2012 8:20 PM Last Post By: Ystrauss
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16 days in Argentina 2013, itinerary & transportation?
Hello All, My husband and I are in the very early stages of planning a 16 day trip to Argentina for late January to February. We are in our early 30's and looking to enjoy a cool trip before starting a family. We both enjoy beautiful scenery and wildlife and will probably stay in B&B's or budget hotels. After doing some research, I'm thinking of flying into Buenos Aires and staying 2 days for rest and settling in, flying to Ushuaia for 3 days to visit the Beagle Channel and see Penguins and sea lions, fly to El Calafate for 2 days to see and hike Perito Moreno, fly to Bariloche for 3 days to relax, easy hiking and maybe do some horseback riding, flying to Mendoza for 2 days to visit vineyards, and then back to Buenos Aires.1- what do people think of the places I have chosen and the time for each? any other recommendations? 2- I've seen some possibilities of staying at a ranch and doing some easy horseback riding. Has anyone been to any in these locations that are affordable. 3- I was hoping to fly between most locations to save time and make the trip a little easier on my husband who is not used to hopping around so many places in a short time. It seemed like the distance between most of the places I listed above were over 15 hours by bus. However, when I priced these routes on the Aerolineas Flights, it totaled close to $1000 USD! Does anyone have a better recommendation to save money? Perhaps we can take the overnight bus back into Buenos Aires from Mendoza? Would changing our route make a difference? 4- We were hoping to spend no more than $2,000-3000 on this trip. Is that unrealistic? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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1. Too many places, not enough time in each place. I would recommend at least 4-5 days in BA. Ushuaia has a tonne of things you can see and plenty to keep you entertained. El Calafate isn't worth two days - but El Chalten is nearby and worth visiting. I would essentially drop a few places and concentrate on 3 places. I would perhaps stick to the north, as its a bit 'cheaper' and easier to connect. I think your missing out on not going to Iguazu Falls too.2. Estancias are fun. I have no recommendations for them though.
3. Flights in Argentina are expensive. This is why you should probably try to keep the amount of places to a minimum. There is also the airpass that you could get. Overnight buses are convenient, but they too are also expensive. A bus to Iguazu Falls from BA is about 600 or so pesos (150 USD). So buses might be practical, but they are far from cheap.
4. Thats a realistic budget. If its not including your flights there and back. You will most likely need to stay in posadas or private rooms in a hostel but. You can also try airbnb for that. Couchsurfing is also another way.
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Agree with #1 & #2, argentina is fantastic country to travel but with it being so big it going to be impossible to fit all the major sites/attractions in in your timeframe. yes you are missing out on the Iquazu waterfalls which are spectacular but if you have your trip centred around beautiful scenary, wildlife and hiking then you are probably right to stick to the south. I would cut Mendoza out and add extra days to BA and a day to two in el chalten is certainly worth it for some of the great day hikes in the area. January is high season for travel in Argentina so accomadation & transport would need to be booked in advance5
Agree with the above. Skip Bariloche and focus just on Ushuaia, El Calafate and El Chalten and if you feel to hurry, include Mendoza, but I wouldn´t do it6
Lots of good advice already. I would just add that hostels are the way to go. You can pay a little extra and have a double room with bath if you want. We used HI hostels for the whole trip, starting with a free ride from the airport. They were a big help with planning and reservations for our excursion down in Patagonia. The interaction with the staff and other travelers along the way was so much better than you get in hotels. We used over night buses to get down to Ushuaia stopping at the usual stops along the way and flew back to BA. Email if you have more questions.Denny
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"HI" hostels can be okay, HI is just the agent for many independents or chains. They do not actually own or operate the hostels they advertise and book for.HI as a tourist agency has been very problematic, with many complaints of transportation, tour or other operators just not not delivering on what HI has promised. Complaints here, other forums and word of mouth from dozens. HI is no longer the international non-profit association it once was.
