Iguazu or Bariloche as part of a 2-week trip

You have two weeks and are visiting a lot of places in that time. 2 days, 1 days, 0 days..... Iguazu is a long trip for just a day. It is beautiful but you are rushing about already. If you were to go to Bariloche instead (for just one day) that would be a waste of time too.

Do you have your international tickets already?

My two cents. Skip Montevideo; it's just like BsAs but not as much fun. Go to Iguazu for one day to see the falls, then fly to Bariloche for several days, bus to Mendoza, then go straight to Valparaiso, and end up in Santiago. That should save you a few days on your itinerary. But it's all a bit of a rush.

You will be taking a chance that the pass doesn't close if you are bussing from Mendoza. Take a bus directly to Valparaiso from Mendoza rather than going through Santiago.

I would also scrap Montevideo. If you take a day off BA you might squeeze in Bariloche. But, yes, it is rushed.

Thanks everyone - this is great!

Femby, yes, we have the international tickets which we got cheaply using miles, so no flexibility there. You mentioned the pass closing - I understand that happens more in winter, but shouldn't be an issue in January, right?

Sounds like two votes to scrap Montevideo. I'll discuss the rest with my travelling companions and see what we end up with. I suspect Iguazu is more reasonable than Bariloche given the short itinerary.

Well, Iguazu can be seen in 1-2 days (depends if you scoot across to Brazil or not). Bariloche is much more than the town - theres lots of hikes, tours, and towns nearby to check out. I'd say you'd need 4-7 days at the least there.

Montevideo - given your time frames, I wouldn't bother. Especially if Iguazu or Bariloche are higher up in what you want to see.

The pass can close at any time. In winter the closures are more common due to winter storms but usually shorter, a day or two. Summer closures are due to mudslides and can be much less frequent but longer. You need to monitor the situation when you arrive in Mendoza. The weather at altitude is totally different from the weather in Mendoza itself. The crossing will take longer in summer due to the number of people crossing.

If you dumped Montevideo and Mendoza you would make room for Bariloche. You could then cross the border there and cross to Osorno and get a night bus up to Santiago. The Cardenal Samoré pass would only close if there were an extraordinary situation like a volcanic eruption in the area.

In the time you have you can't squeeze in everything.

My visit to Iguazu with some tips too: http://www.tripsanthology.com/cataratas-del-iguazu/

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