The country of passion par excellence, Argentina introduced tango, one of the most sensual dances, to the world. Breathtaking natural landscapes, a fascinating culture, and mouthwatering dishes are only a few of the reasons to visit Argentina, one of the favorite destinations in a South American holiday. Read on and get inspired for your next trip.
Top 10 reasons to visit Argentina
The Argentinians are an extremely passionate hot-blooded bunch with their own unique style of Spanish, spoken with a strong Italian-like charisma. They will instantly embrace you into their lives and in return, you will no doubt quickly fall in love with them. We sure did and after spending two months with them, here are our top 10 reasons to visit Argentina.
1. Discovering tango at a milonga in Buenos Aires
Nothing evokes the passionate spirit of the capital city, Buenos Aires, more than this famous sensual dance. Tango is probably the first thing that comes to everybody’s mind when you think of Argentina. But did you know that at its inception in the 1880s, it was danced between two men?
The concept of same-sex tango was however quickly lost, until over the last decade when queer tango schools began to pop up across the country. We took a queer tango class at a milonga (tango dance hall) in Buenos Aires which was one of our favorite memories from our travels in Argentina. It is not only a romantic way to express the passion and fire with your (same sex) partner, but a true representation of the Argentinian spirit, which is why we love them!
***For more, check out Stefan and Sebastien’s gay guide to Buenos Aires.***
2. Madonna Peron: Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires
Start a conversation about politics with the Argentinians and things will quickly get heated. Their political figures are either extremely loved, or hated, with immense passion! The most famous of course is the one famously depicted by Madonna – Evita Perón.
She remains a prominent part of Argentinian culture. The scene where Madonna/Evita sings the famous Don’t Cry For Me Argentina? That was at the Casa Rosada (pink palace), a famous landmark in central Buenos Aires, which all Madonna fans are sure to want to visit when in the Argentinian capital.
3. Watch a football match at La Boca in Buenos Aires
Argentinians get just as fired up about their football as they do about their politicians. They are so into their football, they even have a religion for their most famous player, Diego Maradona. Forget the Pope – over here, Maradona IS God. There’s even a Church and a religion set up in his honor.
In Buenos Aires, La Boca is where you’ll find the stadium of the most famous team in the country, the Boca Juniors. Watching a football match here is an experience in itself. The crowds are fired with passion and the atmosphere alone is a reason to come. For football fans, there’s an excellent hotel called Hotel Boca in San Telmo devoted to Boca Juniors.
4. Trying world class delicious steaks at a parilla
Argentinian meat is world famous. This is largely due to the abundance of cows. According to the Cattle Network, Argentina is one of the five countries in the world (along with Uruguay, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia), which has more cows than people.
The place to enjoy a beautifully prepared steak is at one of the many steakhouses, called parillas. The parilla is the name of the large iron grill in which the meat is barbecued. There are many excellent parillas across the entire country, but the best can be found in Central Buenos Aires.
5. Marvel at the Foz de Iguazu waterfalls
The Iguazu Falls are a bucket list destination for most travellers visiting Latin America, so definitely one of the top reasons to visit Argentina. You can stand for hours marvelling at this sheer force of nature, getting completely soaked from the powerful sprays, but without a care in the world. It’s truly a mesmerising experience.
Foz de Iguazu is located at the North of Argentina on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. You can reach it by flight or bus from Buenos Aires, or do a road trip. For more information, you can read about our own road trip in Northeast Argentina.
6. Have a conversation with a penguin
Punta Tombo on the coast of the Chubut province in Patagonia Argentina is home to the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in Latin America. They are around half a meter tall and absolutely adorable!
Around 1 million Magellanic penguins gather in Punta Tombo between mid-September and mid-April where they come to nest, mate, breed, and molt (shed their feathers). Between April-September they migrate to the warmer climates in South Brazil.
Click here to see the latest prices and availabilities for Punta Tombo and Union Beach day trips
7. Hiking on the Perito Moreno Glacier
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most popular highlights of Patagonia. It is one of 300 glaciers that form part of the Southern Patagonia ice field, covering Chile and Argentina.
Perito Moreno is huge. It is 35km (22 miles) in length, which is roughly the size of Buenos Aires city, and has a depth of up to 180m (590ft) of ice.
You can hike across Perito Moreno as part of a tour, which was one of the most unique things we’ve done during our travels.
8. Swimming with sea lion pups at Peninsula Valdes
At Punta Lomo near Puerto Madryn in the Chubut region of Argentina, you can visit a colony of sea lions and play with them.
The sea lion pups are like puppies. They are curious and very playful. They come up close to you to check you out, sometimes even climbing on top of you.
This can be done throughout the year, but the ideal time is October to March when the pups are playing in the water and most likely to come and interact with you.
Click here for Valdes Peninsula day tours latest prices and availability
9. Whale and Orca watching in Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn in Chubut Patagonia is famous for whale watching. Between June and December, the whales come here to breed before migrating to Antarctica.
The waters around Peninsula Valdes near Puerto Madryn are also prime spots for orcas (killer whales), where they come to feed on their favorite prey: elephant seals pups. To learn more about these extraordinary and highly intelligent mammals, we recommend watching the documentary Black Fish.
Click here for latest Puerto Madryn tours info, prices, and availabilities.
10. Trekking to Mount Fitz Roy in El Chalten
Trekking in El Chalten is one of the best things we’ve done. The scenery around the Fitz Roy mountain is breath-taking and absolutely one of the places to visit in Argentina.
There are many well-maintained trails in the surrounding mountains of El Chalten, which you can do independently. Our favorite was the 8 hrs circuit to Laguna de Los Tres, just in front of Fitz Roy mountain.
Another exciting hike in Argentina is Mount Aconcagua, perfect if you spend three days in Mendoza.
Author Bio: Nomadic Boys are gay couple Stefan and Sebastien who quit their jobs and life in London in 2014 to travel the world together. They are currently on a big trip around Latin America.
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Bel article, qui me rappelle mes vacances en Argentine.