Argentina Mountains & Falls

11 Nights

This tour of Northern Argentina begins in the Tango City of Buenos Aires with the famous Pink Palace, Tango Shows and nightlife. In Mendoza and Salta, under the shadow of the highest mountains of South America, you can enjoy wine-tasting, Andean scenery and outdoor excursions. Your tour finishes with the natural wonders of Iguazu Falls, making this a fabulous 12 day tour of Northern Argentina.

This tour is one idea for spending time in Argentina, with plenty more options for both traditional and more adventurous tours. All these destinations can be combined with those in Patagonia, and also in neighbouring countries such as Brazil, Chile and Bolivia. Antarctic cruises also depart from Argentina. The best idea may be to consider each separate destination as a module, and pick those that you prefer, then we can put the whole tour together for you. Climate and seasonal variations are very important for Argentina, with the southern hemisphere winter to consider.

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from $ USD

11 Nights

Destinations Visited

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina

Trip Style

Traditional

Activities Included

Ecotourism

Tailor Made Tours

All our Brazil and South America Tours, are completely flexible with regards to dates, duration or the tours, activities and accommodation that we can include. All the tours featured on our website are our recommendations based on our experience of how to make the very best of your time in South America. We can adjust these details in any way that you wish. We are here to organise a tour that suits you after all!

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Argentina

Destination:

On arrival in Buenos Aires, you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred across the city to your hotel in the Recoleta district, close to the city centre. The rest of the day is then free to recover from your journey and explore the area around your hotel. Recoleta is one of the most impressive districts of Buenos Aires, with the famous cemetery and boulevards full of boutiques and cafes. The Barrio Norte and Microcentro areas are just a short journey away too. Recoleta is just one of the districts with a wide array of restaurants that we can recommend, with Palermo, Las Canitas and Belgrano amongst many others.

Day 2

Buenos Aires By Day & Night

Destination:

In the morning your Buenos Aires tour takes in the major city sights including Plaza de Mayo with the Pink Palace (Casa Rosada), the cathedral, colonial Cabildo and the old Town Hall. You also visit the coloured houses of La Boca and the old tango district of San Telmo, as well as the Congresso Parliament building and the Recoleta cemetery before returning to your hotel. After the afternoon to yourselves, you will be picked up and taken to one of Buenos Aires traditional Tango Shows. After dinner, the dancers entertain you with some of the classic tango numbers that have made the dance famous worldwide. Transfers are included.

Day 3

Free Time in the Tango City

Destination:

The day is free to enjoy Buenos Aires. Many tours are available in and around the city or you can choose to explore on your own. One option is a trip outside of the city to visit an estancia, where Argentinean Gaucho cowboys maintain their traditional lifestyle. Boat trips around the Tigre Delta an hour outside the city are also popular, as is the trip across the Rio de la Plata to the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. Tango lessons can also be arranged if you want to learn the basic steps before visiting a milonga, the tango clubs, to practice them with the local dancers.

Day 4

To the Wine Country

Destination:

The morning flight takes you to Mendoza, nestling on the lower slopes of the highest peaks in The Americas. Also covering those slopes are the vineyards that produce the wine for which the area is renowned, especially the malbec. There are two options for Mendoza, either staying in the city itself, with its relaxed atmosphere and excellent nightlife, or staying half an hour outside at one of the vineyard hotels. Whichever you choose, your afternoon can be spent browsing the locality and sampling some of the wares of Mendoza. Evening is free to dine in a city whose cuisine is comparable in quality to the wines that accompany it.

Day 5

Wine-Tasting in Mendoza

Destination:

Your day will be spent touring some of the finest vineyards in the heartland of Argentina's wine country. The area around Mendoza accounts for two-thirds of all the wine produced in the country, with malbec, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and the regional Lujan de Cuyo varietals, as well as criolla grande and cereza grapes. The vineyards are some of the highest in the world to produce wine, usually between 600m and 1,200m, and you can learn the history of wine production in this arid region as you tour the vineyards. After a day of sampling, including lunch, you return to your hotel late afternoon with the evening free once more.

Day 6

Mendoza and the Mountains

Destination:

Another day around Mendoza, and more wine to be tasted! There are alternative options for those who prefer to sample more than just wines. Mendoza has great options for white-water rafting in the rivers that run down from the High Andes, and hiking, mountain-bike, horse or mule-riding around the mountain slopes is also fun. The town of San Rafael is a short drive away, surrounded by beautiful Andean scenery of mountains and lakes and activities galore. A visit to the Mt Aconcagua National Park gives you a glimpse of the highest mountain in The Americas - you can also summit Aconcagua although this takes far longer!

Day 7

The Beautiful City of Salta

Destination:

An early transfer takes you to the airport for your flight to Salta in Argentina's North-West corner. After transferring to your hotel, the afternoon brings chance to explore this beautiful Andean city. Salta has a Hispanic feel to it, with a skyline distinguished by the colonial architecture of its original buildings and churches. An afternoon tour visits the Basilica Cathedral, the church of San Francisco, the Catholic University and the Convent of San Bernardo with its amazing carved entrance dating back to 1762. You continue to San Martin Park where the cable car takes you up to Cerro San Bernardo for fantastic views of Salta.

Day 8

Canyons of Cafayate

Destination:

In the morning you head out of Salta through the tobacco plantations to the south. Cafayate lies on Ruta 40, the spectacular mountain highway that traverses Andean Argentina from top to bottom. The first stop is at at Dique Cabra Corral, a huge water mirror, before driving along the Quebrada de Cafayate (also known as the Quebrada del Rio Las Conchas). The valley is a natural amphitheatre with stunning desert rock formations. In Cafayate itself, you tour the wine-producing town to sample the regional Torrontes varietal. This fruity white wine is the best known of Cafayate and you can enjoy some with lunch. You return to Salta late afternoon.

Day 9

Humahuaca Desert Colours

Destination:

After breakfast you head out of Salta through dramatic mountainous landscapes, stopping along the way at various places of historical and cultural interest. These include Purmamarca (The Mountain of Seven Colors), Maimar, (The Painter's Palette), Tilcara, Huacalera and finally the charming village of Humahuaca, famous for its exuberant carnival. The remote, dry landscapes of the North-West feel more Andean than Argentinean, perhaps more in common with Bolivia and Peru than Buenos Aires. On the way back to Salta, you visit Jujuy with its beautiful main square and cathedral. The trip can also be extended to take the Train to the Clouds.

Day 10

First Glimpse of Iguazu Falls

Destination:

You have time to yourselves in the morning to wander around the city of Salta. The afternoon flight from Salta takes you to Puerto Iguazu, with your first chance to catch a glimpse of the 275 separate falls coming as your plane lands. After being met at the airport, you transfer to your hotel with the evening free to eat at one of the restaurants on the Argentinean side of Iguazu perhaps, such as Aqva. There is also a Latin American Dance Show with Dinner at Rafain Palace which might be fun, or in the period around Full Moon, you can visit the falls to view Iguazu By Moonlight.

Day 11

Mesmeric Iguazu

Destination:

After breakfast you cross to the Argentinean national park, where walkways built over the river, and around and alongside the falls allow you to experience the majesty of Iguazu from very close quarters. You can see, hear and feel the water falling 80m down from the plateau to the gorge. The undoubted highlight is the mesmeric experience of looking down into The Devil's Throat as the falling water pounds the bottom, creating the roar and mist that mean Iguazu Falls can be seen and heard for miles around. You will also walk some of the other trails along the 3km width of the Rio Iguazu. In the afternoon you return to your hotel with the evening free.

Day 12

Away from Argentina

Destination:

The final part of your tour takes you across to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls, to visit the national park there for majestic panoramic views of Iguazu. Options here include helicopter flights over the falls and over the whole area including Itaipu Dam. In the afternoon you cross back to Argentina and head to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires. Your final glimpse of Iguazu will be the spectacular view of the falls from the air. On arrival back in the capital, you transfer to the international airport for your flight home from Argentina.

Prices

* Domestic Flights Estimated Price
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** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
Simple B&B
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3 Stars
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4 Stars
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5 Stars
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* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed. ** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.

* Domestic Flights Estimated Price ** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation

N/A

Simple

3 Stars

4 Stars

Luxury

On Request

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On Request

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On Request

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On Request

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* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.