Argentina Guide
Introduction to Argentina
Argentina is a vast land: even without the titanic wedge of Antarctica that the authorities like to include in the national territory, it ranks as one of the world's largest countries. The mainland points down from the Tropic of Capricorn like a massive stalactite, tapering towards the planet's most southerly extremities. Consequently, the country encompasses a staggering diversity of landscapes, ranging from the hot and humid jungles of the Northeast and the bone-dry highland steppes of the Northwest, via the fertile Pampas and windswept Patagonia, to the end-of-the-world archipelago of Tierra del Fuego.
You're bound to be wowed by Argentines' zeal for so many aspects of their culture. On this score there is a lot of truth in the clichés – their passions are dominated by football, politics and living life in the fast lane (literally, when it comes to driving) – but not everyone dances the tango, or is obsessed with Evita or gallops around on a horse.
There are loads of other reasons to visit Argentina. Perhaps the most obvious is Buenos Aires, one of the most fascinating of all Latin American capitals. It's an immensely enjoyable place just to wander about, people-watching, shopping or simply soaking up the unique atmosphere. Its many barrios, or neighbourhoods, are startlingly different – some are decadently old-fashioned, others thrustingly modern – but all of them ooze character. Elsewhere in the country, cities aren't exactly the main draw, with the exception of beautiful Salta in the Northwest, beguiling Rosario – the birthplace of Che Guevara – and Ushuaia, which, in addition to being the world's most southerly city, enjoys a fabulous setting on Tierra del Fuego.
The vastness of the land and the varied wildlife inhabiting it are the country's real attractions outside the capital. In theory, by hopping on a plane or two you could spot howler monkeys and toucans in northern jungles in the morning, then watch the antics of penguins tobogganing into the icy South Atlantic in the afternoon. Lush tea plantations and parched salt-flats, palm groves and icebergs, plus the world's mightiest waterfalls, are just some of the sights that will catch you unawares if you were expecting Argentina to be one big cattle ranch.