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9
days

Argentina

Buenos Aires > El Chalten> El Calafate> Iguazu

Itinerary 

Day
1

Buenos Aires

Arrive:  Arrive at the EZE airport and take the bus to downtown Buenos Aires.  You can buy your ticket in the arrivals hall for 180 pesos/person.

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1 pm: Check into Hotel Anselmo Buenos Aires, a boutique hotel associated with Hilton.  The hotel was clean and the staff was nice, but it's a bit far from Palermo and Palermo Soho neighborhoods where we spent most of our time.

 

1:30 pm:  Put on your sneakers, and walk to the various attractions.  We left from our hotel, and made stops at:

  • La Casa Rosada ("the pink house") - where the Argentinean president lives

  • Recoleta Cemetery - where Eva Peron is buried

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3 pm:  Lunch at Josephina Guido, where we ordered a typical lunch plate of Chicken Milanesa (breaded chicken) and french fries.

 

5 pm:  Continue exploring Recoleta and stop at Goût cafe, a gay-owned cafe, serving alfajores, a traditional Argentinean soft cookie.

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8 pm:  Dinner at Chila, one of the most expensive restaurants we ate at during the trip.  We'd recommend trying the steak here, one of Argentina's specialties.  

  • While good, Chila isn't a 'must do'. We'd recommend skipping it if you want to save the money for other activities.

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10 pm:  Head to Bar Isabel, a chic lounge/bar with impeccable interior and outdoor area. It offers great people watching and house/lounge dance music via a live DJ. Be sure to make reservations in advance to get in.  

  • Entry was 300 ARS/person but included 2 drinks.

  • It was a cool "scene" with great menu of cocktails, so dress up a bit for this one. 

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12 am:  Next stop is dancing at the Club 69 party at Niceto Club. There's a stage with occasional shows and lots of music.​ Arrive early to avoid the line and get a good spot up and close to the stage packed with beautiful male and female dancers.

  • Entry was ~300 ARS/person

  • A good mix crowd of gay and straight. Fun for a "let your hair down" night of dancing. 

  • The plaza where it's located has free, one-time-use wifi for 15 minutes so you can stay late and order your Uber after the party (and avoid the taxi queue).

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  1. Get out of Buenos Aires. Patagonia, Iguazu, Mendoza, Saltas Grandes, there's a lot to explore! 

  2. Intra-Argentina flights are expensive. Try using your American miles on LATAM (only 6k miles one-way) or Delta miles on Aerolineas Argentinas.

  3. November & December are great times to travel due to the weather

  4. Argentinians start later and end later. Don't be surprised if you have dinner at 10 pm and don't head out to go dancing until midnight.

  5. Get an ATM card that has $0 ATM fees. You'll need a lot of cash in Argentina as many tours and clubs don't take credit cards.

  6. Make reservations in advance for:

    1. Bar Isabel, Buenos Aires​

    2. All activities

6 Tips

The Map

Click on the Map above to see a full-size version with the legend.

  • Colors: each day is in different color

  • Knife/Fork: places to eat

  • Stars: main attractions

 

We'd recommend downloading the map to your phone using Google Maps so you may use it offline if you don't have cell phone service in Greece.

Day
2

Buenos Aires

11 am:  Brunch at Fifi Almacén.  We were more impressed with the aesthetic than the food. It's a cute market/cafe, but better known for their weekend brunches than their weekday breakfasts. If you're in the area and hungry, may be a good spot for a sandwich and an alfajor. 

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12:30 pm:  Explore Palermo.  Check out Paul's French Store, a great interior design store, and LAB Cafe, an industrial chic coffee spot, where they have a great coffee bar and iced coffee drink called the 'Ice Ice Baby'.

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3 pm:  Keep walking north to visit Casa Cavia, which features a nice outdoor patio for a drink if the weather is nice.  

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4 pm:  Visit MALBA, the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires.  Opened in 2001, the museum has interesting temporary exhibitions and some permanent pieces from well-known artists like Antonio Berni, Diego Rivera, Juan Gris, and Frida Khalo. 

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6 pm:  Head back to your hotel and take a siest before dinner.

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10 pm:  For some great Argentinian empanadas, go to Pizza Güerrin for dinner.  They don't take reservations, but it's a large restaurant so you shouldn't have to wait long.

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12:30 am:  For some drinks and dancing, go to the gay Bar Sitges.  Even though it said it opened at '12 am' the door didn't actually open until 12:30 am, and even then there wasn't many people there until 1:30 am. 

Day
3

BA -> Chalten 

11 am:  Walk around San Telmo market where artisans have purses, belts and other gifts

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1 pm:  Depart Buenos Aires Aeroparque Airport (the domestic airport) to travel to Calafate.

  • These flights were quite expensive so we ended up using Delta Airlines miles (12,500 one/way) and booked the flight on Aerolinas Argentinas

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4 pm:  Take Transporte Las Lengas from Calafate Airport to El Chalen (~2 hours).  

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7 pm:  Check into Destino Sur

  • $189/night (including hotels)

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8 pm:  Dinner at La Cerveceria

  • Order the empanadas

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8 am:  Depart on 2-day Fitz Roy hike with Patagonia Hikes

  • $735 for two people (includes meals & overnight sleeping arrangements)

  • See this PDF for a list of things to bring.  We didn't bring poles and rented the sleeping bags.

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Hike:

  • Leave from El Chalten

  • Hike by Laguna Capri

  • Stop at Camp Poincenot to drop off our gear

  • Hike up to Laguna de los Tres and back to the camp

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8 pm:  Dinner at the camp

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Day
4

Chalten

Day
5

Chalten

6:30 am: Wake up and breakfast

 

7:15 am: Depart on hike:

  • Madre and Hija Lakes

  • Torre Valley

  • Cerro Torre

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5 pm: Return back to Chalten and check into El Chalten Suites

  • El Chalten Suites was more expensive than El Destino. While nicer, we would have saved the money and just stayed at Destino Sur again.

  • Pro-tip:  Book a massage before you head out on your hike so you can get one when you return.

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6 pm: Drinks at Don Guerra

  • Double-check their hours for their happy hour

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7 pm: Dinner at La Senyara

  • Order the chicken stew

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Day
6

Calafate

11 am:  Leave via bus from El Chalten to Calafate (~2 hours)

  • Price: 450 ARS/person

 

2 pm:  Check into Los Ponchos Boutique Hotel

  • Price: $240/night (including taxes)

  • Includes a delicious breakfast each morning

  • We liked the hotel but it is a bit far from downtown Calafate, so you may wish to get a hotel closer to the center

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3 pm:  Lunch at La Lechuza

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5 pm:  Horseback riding at Cabalgata En Patagonia

  • 700 ARS/person; reservation made through hotel

  • The tour includes good views of Lago Argentino

  • Includes transportation to/from hotel

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8 pm: Dinner at Don Pichon, which has good parrilla (steak dinner) and a view of Lago Argentino

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Day
7

Calafate

7 am:  Pickup by Hielo y Aventura for the Big Ice Adventure

  • Bus drives you from Calafate to the National Park (Perito Moreno Glacier) where you stop at the Glacier Balconies, and if you're lucky, you'll catch some of the ice breaking off the wall.

  • Next, you take a boat over the lake to get your crampons and hike for ~3.5 hours on the glacier.

  • You must bring your own lunch and snacks.  They don't sell any food there.  We learned the hard way.

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6 pm:  Return back to the hotel

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7 pm:  Dinner at Buenos Cruces

  • ​Small restaurant with excellent service

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Day
8

Calafate -> Iguazu

8:40 am:  Depart Calafate airport to Iguazu (with a stop in Buenos Aires)​

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3:10 pm:  Land in Iguazu

  • You can pre-pay for your taxi via credit card in the arrivals 

  • Taxi (~350 ARS) from the airport to Sheraton Hotel

 

4:00 pm:  Check in at Sheraton Iguazu Resort​

  • The Sheraton is the only hotel located inside the Iguazú National Park so you can get up and start hiking on the trail before everyone gets there

  • We found using Starwood Points (15k points/night) was a better deal than spending ~$300/night for a room

  • You will need to pay a park entrance fee when you arrive 

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7:00 pm: Dinner at the Sheraton

  • Typically we avoid hotel restaurants, but because all the restaurants are in downtown Iguazu (which is a ~350 ARS cab ride easy way), we decided it would make more sense just to eat at the hotel.

Day
9

Iguazu

7:30 am:  Breakfast buffet at the hotel (included in the rate)

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8 am:  Wake up early to start exploring the various paths in the park.  Check out this article for more info about the trails. From the hotel, we went in this order:

  • Lower Circle  (Circuito Garganta del Diablo)

  • Upper Circle  (Circuito Superior)

  • Devil's Throat Circle  (Circuito Inferior)

 

12 pm:  Lunch in the park at the Food Court.

  • 3 empanadas were 60 ARS

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2 pm:  Jetboat excrusion under the waterfalls.  It's only ~20 minutes but you'll get entirely drenched.

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7:00 pm: Dinner at the Sheraton​

Day
9

Buenos Aires

9:50 am:  Depart Iguazu

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11:45 am:  Arrive Buenos Aires

 

12:30 pm  Take a taxi from the airport to Alaire Terrace Bar in Palermo for a relaxing lunch outside

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2 pm:  Explore the last neighborhoods of Buenos Aires before your flight that evening:

  • Shopping in Palermo

  • Walk around Puerto Madero

  • Visit La Boca for the colorful building

  • Take a Tango Lesson

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11 pm:  Depart Buenos Aires 

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