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  • South America
    • Introduction
    • Argentina
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  • Argentina
    Overview
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    Explore
    • Buenos Aires
    • Buenos Aires Province
    • Córdoba and the Central Sierras
    • The Litoral and the Gran Chaco
    • The Northwest
    • Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja
    • Bariloche and the Lake District
      • Patagonia
      • Tierra del Fuego
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  • Things not to miss
Despite frigid temperatures and extreme altitude – 6959m – the highest peak outside the Himalayas can be climbed with the right preparation and a knowledgeable guide, making for a world-class mountaineering experience. Like their neighbours across the river in Uruguay and Brazil, the people of the Northeast do know how to party, not least in Gualeguaychú in the lead-up to Lent. Hundreds of varieties to excite ornithologists, delight photographers and entertain every visitor – the shimmering lagoons of these vital wetlands mirror myriad birds, from tiny hummingbirds to majestic herons. Polychrome mountains and whiter-than-white salt-flats, bottle-green valleys and spiky cactus forests, expanses of windswept steppe and deep gorges – some of the planet’s most incredible scenery. Standing before, or even trekking on, one of the world’s last advancing glaciers is a treat for the eyes, and for the ears; compare impossible shades of blue as you listen to a chorus of cracks, thuds and whines. The undisputed highlight of La Rioja Province is a World Heritage Site dominated by giant cliffs of deep pink sandstone – once home to dinosaurs, now the protected habitat of condors, guanacos and foxes. What better to accompany a juicy grilled bife de chorizo than one of the province’s award-winning malbecs or syrahs? The prestigious resting place of Argentina’s great and good – even Evita sneaked in – this cemetery is one of the world’s most exclusive patches of real estate. Known simply as the Cataratas, the world’s biggest, most awe-inspiring set of waterfalls is set among dense jungle, home to brightly coloured birds and butterflies. Las Leñas for the jet-set après-ski, Cerro Catedral for traditional pistes and Tierra del Fuego for the world’s most southerly resorts – winter sports in Argentina combine great snow with a lot of showing off. The world’s biggest dinosaurs once roamed Neuquén Province – nothing will convey their immensity more than standing underneath their skeletons or seeing their giant footprints in the rock. Despite the unappealing meaning of its native name - “he who choked himself to death” - this perfect symmetrical cone of a volcano is both a beauty to behold and a treat to climb. The local answer to the barbecue, and inseparable from Argentinidad (the national identity), these meat-roasting rituals are prepared with the utmost pride and devoured in a carnivorous bliss. South America’s great mountain range offers plenty of opportunities for some world-class trekking, not least in the northern FitzRoy sector of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Península Valdés is a natural wonder and home to a staggering array of wildlife – but for many the giant blubbery elephant seals steal the show. Once Argentina’s most feared penal colony, now vaunted as the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia sits proudly on the Beagle Channel, backed by serrated peaks and a bijou glacier. Seven Patagonian lakes – their sparkling waters emerald, ultramarine, cobalt, turquoise, cerulean, sapphire and indigo – linked by a rugged mountain road: a magical route best explored in a 4WD. Take a stroll down the cobbled streets of this bohemian neighbourhood full of tango bars and antique shops, talented street performers and decaying grandeur. Shaggy llamas and silky-fleeced alpacas, imposing guanacos and delicate vicuñas – all four of these distant relatives of the camel can be spotted the whole length of Argentina’s cordillera. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that nothing else quite holds a grip on Argentine society like football – for some no trip to the country is complete without attending a match. Try your hand at cattle-herding or sheep-shearing at a working estancia – one of the great Argentine institutions – and get an authentic taste of the gaucho way of life. Take a boat or paddle a kayak around the swampy islets and muddy creeks of Tigre – a subtropical Venice right on the capital’s doorstep. Rugged gauchos, nodding pampas grass and herds of contented cattle are the famous inhabitants of Argentina’s most archetypal landscape – fertile plains stretching for as far as the eye can see. A prehistoric mural, an early finger-printing exercise or ancient graffiti? Whatever it is, this delicate tableau of many hands is one of the continent’s most enchanting archeological sites.