| Argentina is a country of contradictions and contrasts, | | | | awe-inspiring that even the most jaded world traveler |
| home to both Patagonian glaciers and tropical | | | | could scarcely fail to be impressed. Mount Fitzroy in |
| rainforests. A country of vineyards and waterfalls as | | | | the north of the Park is only a short drive away, too. |
| well as deserts. | | | | With its sheer rock cliff face, it is one of the |
| To help you define your priorities when you’re | | | | Andes’ most emblematic peaks. |
| planning your trip, here’s a quick list of my five | | | | 3. The Iguazú Waterfalls. This enormous waterfall in |
| favorite Argentina tourist attractions: | | | | Argentina’s tropical north, by many accounts the |
| 1. Buenos Aires. Number one because it can’t be | | | | world’s largest, is formed by a confluence of |
| missed. Which is convenient for most visitors since, as | | | | swollen rainforest rivers dropping hundreds of feet off |
| the center for transportation in the country, the city | | | | volcanic rock cliffs. Since the falls form part of the |
| would be hard to miss if you tried. Even if you only | | | | Argentina-Brazil border, try to see the falls from the |
| have a short time, plan on staying here for at least a | | | | National Parks in both countries. On the Argentine side, |
| few days: flexible travelers with lots of time on their | | | | walkways take you to the very edge, letting you peer |
| hands often find that after several months they still | | | | down into the misty void. On the Brazilian side, |
| haven’t moved on! Things to see and do: Go to a | | | | you’re able to take in the whole panorama of the |
| “milonga” (a tango dance hall), the city is, after all, | | | | falls from below. |
| the place where tango began. Have a steak, the best | | | | 4. Salta and Jujuy. Argentina’s Andean northwest, |
| beef in the world. Spend an evening or two in the | | | | with its high planes, green valleys, llamas herds, spicy |
| neighborhood of Palermo with its restaurants, bars and | | | | food and indigenous people sporting ponchos. The |
| clubs. And if your language skills are rusty, B.A. is one | | | | region is home to some of Argentina’s most varied |
| of the best places in Latin America to learn Spanish. | | | | and rugged landscapes. |
| 2. The Glaciers National Park. You may have seen | | | | 5. Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdéz. No visit to |
| photos in National Geographic of these glaciers calving | | | | Argentina should be considered complete without a |
| off icebergs and thought that this was one of those | | | | visit to coastal Patagonia, one of the richest marine |
| exotic places in the world you’d never be able to | | | | ecosystems in the world. In the winter and spring |
| see. Well, think again: Argentina’s glaciers, though in | | | | months the Southern Right Whale mates, gives birth |
| the far south of the country, are these days easily | | | | and raises its young in the sheltered harbor of the |
| accessible by air and land transportation and the Perito | | | | Peninsula. At other times of the year, there are sea |
| Moreno glacier, the park’s star performer, is so | | | | lions, seals, penguins, dolphins and even orcas on view. |