In 2016, we decided to go on another big trip for our first anniversary so when my husband threw out Argentina, it stuck and before you knew it we were brushing up on our Spanish and packing our tango shoes. Not really on the tango shoes. Although that would’ve been really cool...
Our trip was ten days and consisted of four cities: Mendoza, El Calafate, El Chalten, and Buenos Aires.
Packing: I have to say, the time of year we went (early September) was just not the best for weather. Since Argentina’s seasons are opposite of the U.S., it was basically equivalent to early March for us in the northern hemisphere. I don’t know about you, but where I live in Kentucky, usually--and I say usually because KY weather is bipolar--that is still very much winter. I would say Argentina was the same way, still very much in winter. So I packed a lot of leggings, sweatshirts (Patagonia of course since I was going to be in Patagonia), hiking pants, etc. as well as some jeans and cute tops for Buenos Aires.
Other Important items: Since hiking is a very common thing people go to Patagonia to do, layers are a must: thin jackets, thin socks, as well as the heavier versions of those things. I also would suggest a hat, long underwear, etc. as well as comfortable hiking boots and hiking poles if you have them.
Mendoza
Ahh Mendoza. Mendoza is the Napa of South America. It is where much of the world’s Malbec wines are produced and since Malbec is my favorite wine, it’s only fair that we would incorporate this city into our travels.
Where We Stayed
Through AirBnb, we stayed in an amazing casa way out in the middle of nowhere. Now truly, it was such an amazing house built by the host--an absolute work of art. You had total privacy, views of the Andes, and a house cat named Azucar. There was one aspect though I’d be remiss not to mention. The house was made out of concrete, wood, and glass and although cool, these materials did not serve us well with the 20, 30 degree weather outside….they just weren’t insulating. And unfortunately, the heating devices available in the house just didn’t do the trick. I don’t think this is reflective of just this house, more of just what winter looks like within the country itself.
What We Did
Wine Bike Tour: When in wine country, it would be a crime not to participate in copious amounts of wine tasting. Before we had left on our trip, we had planned to carry out this wine tasting via a bike tour, riding from winery to winery. However, when it came time to actually do this, naturally Mendoza was having their first snow in about 10 years. The loyal winos we are though, we went through with it anyway and it turned out to be a blast. We booked through a tour company called Mendoza Wine Bike Tour and there were all-in-all about 8 of us, riding on the side of the narrow roads with the snow coming down, we probably seemed like a crazy bunch.
We went to two wineries: Salentein and Andeluna. At the second winery, they provided us with an amazing 6-course lunch with the best bread that I’ve ever had in my life.
They had baked olives in it and brought out the most delicious, freshly pressed olive oil to dip it into. My mouth is watering just thinking back on it. We even convinced the waiter to bring us a wine bottle full of olive oil to take with us.
Case in point, whether you bike, drive, or heck, walk, visit some wineries and visit Andeluna and get some bread.
Food: At the recommendation of our AirBnb host, we had wonderful dinners both nights we were in Mendoza. I’d highly recommend both La Mercadito and 1884.
El Calafate
This was the southern-most location we went within Argentina. To be so close to the bottom of the world was simply surreal. This is where the real Patagonia is and it’s every bit as pretty as you’d imagine.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at a dream of a hotel called Design Suites. A little more expensive than we normally would want to spend, but we felt well worth it in this case. The view from the lobby looked like the logo on a Patagonia sweatshirt: the Andes Mountains just over a fresh body of water and a breathtaking sunset. Did I mention they served Champagne upon arrival?
What We Did
Trekking a Glacier: With only one day in El Calafate, there was only one thing we knew we wanted to do: Climb a glacier (insert heart eyes here). I read a beaucoup amount of reviews before the trip to try and figure out which tour/company was best to go with and we settled on a company called Hielo y Aventura whose tour was to a famous glacier called Perito Moreno. The price was reasonable and we liked the fact that their half day tours allowed for us to have a bit of a day leftover for exploring El Calafate.
Hielo y Aventura provides the crampons (spiky shoes that allow you to walk on ice) and other than layers of clothing, (guarantee you’ll go from hot to cold and back a few times), so all we brought were packed lunches and a bottle of water for each of us (more on that in a minute).
The tour company actually picks you up from your hotel and then it was an hour and a half bus ride to the Glacier National Park. One thing that this company did really well was provide tons and tons of photo ops. We stopped when the glacier was in sight and they allowed us to get off of the bus and take photos. We then drove a bit further, took a ferry across some water, and split up into English and Spanish-speaking groups. Then, we trekked to the base of the glacier, put on our crampons, and practiced walking a bit before heading to the glacier.
After some last minute reminders from our guide, we began our hour hike up the glacier and boy, was it amazing. Once we were on the glacier, the best part, aside from maybe the beautiful blue hues, was the water. The water on the glacier is pure and 100% drinkable. We were encouraged by our guide to stop, kneel by a pool of water, and drink from our cupped hands. What an exhilarating experience! *This also would be a great time to take that water bottle you brought and fill it up with heavenly glacier water. We ended with clanked glasses full of glacier ice cubes and blended Scotch for a proper toast with our new friends from all over the world.
When not scaling a glacier, the town of El Calafate itself was very charming to just walk around and explore the little shops and take in the fresh mountain air. Think Vail--but the Argentinian version.
El Chalten
From El Calafate, we were easily able to take a bus to El Chalten. It was about a three hour bus ride. We watched the sun rise from the bus much to our amusement. El Chalten is about as outdoorsy of a town as you can get and if you’re not going there strictly to hike, then there’s probably not much more to do than that.
Where We Stayed
Given what I just shared about the size of the town, you can imagine that there weren’t many options for lodging from what we saw. We stayed at a hostel where we struggled to get wifi. *Apparently the whole town struggles to get wifi. I’m really selling this, aren’t I?
What We Did
Hiking: After a hearty breakfast, we set out on the trails. Can’t forget to also bring a packed lunch and plenty of water (Although again, you can fill up your water bottle in the bodies of water along the trail because they’re fed from the glacier. It’s glorious.) Disclaimer here on the hiking, my husband and I are in decent shape, but aren’t huge hikers so we weren’t sure how we would do. The trail splits in to two main trails: Laguna Torre and Lago de Los Tres.
At the end of Lago de Los Tres is a breathtaking lake and apparently very worth the trek. We went most of the way on Lago de Los Tres but because we didn’t want to be hiking in the dark, we turned around and came back. A note here on these trails though: the weather can change in an instant. One minute you’ll be hot in short sleeves and then next you’ll be freezing and putting on all your layers. It’s all part of the experience though and keeps you on your well-padded toes.
Food: After our hike we were on the hunt for dinner and walked through the dirt roads of the small town until we got to a little shop selling every flavor of empanada you could ever want. An empanada btw is one of the staple foods of Argentina. It’s like a little calzone: meat, cheeses, and other stuffings baked into fresh dough pressed together to hold your lovely stuffings in. We got our empanadas to-go and headed to the local bar where we got fresh beers to go along with our delicacies. We spent a few hours talking about fascinating politics with a couple Polish women that we’d met on the glacier trek. #thisiswhyIlovetraveling
Our time in Chalten was shorter than we would’ve wanted. So we had to head back to El Calafate the next day via bus in order to catch a flight to Buenos Aires for our last stop on the trip.
Buenos Aires
A fun city known for tango and carne. We had fun being tourists and exploring this artsy city.
Where We Stayed
By now, you know we’re all about the AirBnb. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the city streets of Palermo--a cool hipster part of B.A. that was full of good eats and good vibes.
What We Did
Drink: We spent a lot of our time exploring the city-so subways and walking. Along the way, we established a mantra: stop often for cortados and wine. Cortados are how Argentina does coffee and we fell in love. A cortado is about two ounces worth of coffee filled with steamed milk and often served with a medialuna or croissant that’s been drizzled in honey. Ahhmazing. The wine comment speaks for itself. Don’t forget you’re still in the country that makes the Malbecs.
Also equally alluring is the country's flagship drink: Yerba Mate. You'll find this sweet green tea being sold all around the city. tip: best when drunk the traditional way out of a "gourd" cup with a metal curved straw.
La Boca: Prior to going to Argentina, I had seen picture after picture of colorful buildings in an area of BA called La Boca so naturally I had to see this place. We took the bus to the nearest stop then a cab the rest of the way there. They were beautiful but kind of touristy with little souvenir shops and restaurants but there was some tangoing going on in the streets so that right there was worth it. Warning though, our cab driver told us this is not a safe part of town and advised to not stray too far.
Street Market: All around the city were neat street markets set up with local artisans’ goods, with merchandise ranging from more indigenous-type goods to more modern things. One of my best finds was a nice sheepskin rug that I gave to my brother for Christmas that year. After some negotiating, I paid the USD equivalent of around $50. We also walked away with some hand-carved leather coasters as well as some other neat souvenirs.
La Recoleta: Another somewhat odd but equally interesting activity was going to a famous cemetary called La Recoleta. An oddly beautiful and old maze of mausoleums, interesting people such as Eva Perón are buried here.
Plaza del Mayo: Another place worth visiting is the Plaza del Mayo. It feels as though all roads lead to this central location where you can find the Casa Rosada or Pink House--Argentina's version of the White House where their president lives. There's some crazy history here including a story about the Argentinian President resigning in 2001 in the midst of public riots that resulted in him fleeing the country and the Casa Rosada suddenly via helicopter.
Food/Drink: Some other noteworthy things we did include the restaurant Las Cabras which had amazing Argentinian steaks (also being sure to point out that across the street was a great aperitif bar that specializes in Negronis).
Other: Other places we wanted to visit but didn’t get a chance included a historical coffee shop called Café Tortoni, and an amazing bookshop in an old theater called El Ateneo (and I was especially sad about missing out on this one).
Buenos Aires had an excellent public transportation system that allowed us to get pretty much anywhere we wanted to go. Although walking the streets wasn't too bad either.
We were so fond of Argentina! It's a massive country that would take months to fully see but even in our short stint there, one thing we discovered with certainty is that the people were incredibly welcoming and kind and proud to show off their beautiful country.
Best,
Shay
Have you been to Argentina?
What was your favorite part?
Comments