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From marvelling at multi-coloured rock formations and the cascading waters of Iguazu Falls to taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of Buenos Aires, Dave Richardson explores Argentina with Latin Routes
Everyone has their “wow” moment when touring Argentina, and for me it comes courtesy of a couple of tourism students and at the highest altitude I have ever experienced – 4,350 metres.
My guidebook doesn’t even mention the Serranias del Hornocal, but the students who wave our hire car down in the Andes town of Humahuaca insist that this mountain lookout is spectacular. So we brave a steep, 15-mile gravel road along Humahuaca canyon, and that “wow” moment comes. It’s claimed that 33 colours can be made out in the rock formations, making Hornocal more splendid than better known Cerro de Los Siete Colores (Hill of the Seven Colours) in Purmamarca, about one hour south of here.
Dramatic scenery is what a trip to the north-west of Argentina is all about, and this remote region – close to the borders with Chile and Bolivia – is now easier to visit. Three direct flights a week to the regional capital of Salta operate from the tourism hot spot of Iguazu, where one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls lies on the borders of Argentina and Brazil.
Also spectacular is the road leading west from Purmamarca, zig-zagging up the Andes to one of the largest salt flats on the continent, Salinas Grandes, at an altitude of 3,450 metres. A guided tour takes us out onto the flats, which cover more than 77 square miles.
In colonial Salta we learn about the Inca empire at the Maam museum, where one of three mummies is always on display. The remains of three mummified children, offered as sacrifices, were found on a mountain top at a height of 6,700 metres – known as Lightning Girl, the Boy, and the Maiden. It’s not for the squeamish.
Argentina is a huge country, eighth largest in the world by area, ranging from the sub-tropical north to the icy wastes of Patagonia in the south. You’d need at least a month to see it all, but with only two weeks to spare we are making a triangular tour from Buenos Aires to Iguazu and Salta. Each domestic flight takes nearly two hours.
To experience Iguazu fully we view the waterfalls from both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides of the border. Crossing the border is easy on organised tours, though at busy times – especially Christmas and Easter – visitors might face long queues.
The most panoramic views are from the Brazilian side, including the Devil’s Throat, the largest of more than 200 cascades. On the Argentinian side we get up close to the devil, and it’s also possible to view the falls by speedboat or helicopter.
Two nights and one full day aren’t really enough, as there are plenty of trails through the sub-tropical jungle and a good choice of adventure sports. Hotels range from major chains to our choice, jungle lodge Las Canteras.
After the natural wonders of Iguazu and the Andes, we’re ready for some big city life. Buenos Aires (“Fair Winds” in Spanish) is home to around 14 million people, but it’s manageable if you discover the neighbourhoods one by one. And for carnivores and red wine lovers, it’s heaven. Wide avenues converge on Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada (Pink House), the presidential palace and symbolic heart of Argentina through many turbulent times. San Telmo is one of the most interesting suburbs, and very much the heart of the arts, nightlife and of course tango – the passionate dance born in this city.
I’m surprised to learn that tango started in the brothels of dockside suburb La Boca, where it’s danced in the street for tourists. We enjoy a dinner show at Art Deco Cafe de los Angelitos, but if you’re passionate about tango a club is more authentic.
In Recoleta we wander around the cemetery where lavish tombs were built by the wealthy and famous, including the family of “Evita” Peron, the reformist wife of a president. Our best steak is at Cabana las Lilas in the riverside district of Puerto Madero; then we take a 40-minute train ride to Tigre, where the Parana river delta reaches the Atlantic, to relax.
Around Buenos Aires, but especially in La Boca, we see humorous effigies of national heroes such as Carlos Gardel, one of the most renowned tango singers; the footballer Maradona, whose “hand of God” goal sank England at the 1986 World Cup; Evita; and Pope Francis. Football and tango are probably even more fervent religions than Catholicism in this cosmopolitan city, a great place to spend a few days and reflect on the diversity of Argentina.
Book it: A tailor-made tour of Buenos Aires, Iguazu and the north-west costs from £2,349pp for departures in autumn, including international and domestic flights, 12 nights’ accommodation with breakfast, private transfers and guided tours in Iguazu and Buenos Aires, and five days’ car hire from Salta.
