This scenery of exuberant beauty spreads along the Iguazú National Park, Saltos del Moconá (Moconá Falls), Río Pilcomayo National Park, El Palmar National Park, Esteros del Iberá (Iberá Swamps) and the Chaco plains.

Adventure Tourism
Natural areas have several paths you can explore. After a long walk, you may take a refreshing dip in the several springs dotted about. You can also go rafting in most of the rivers, or quietly row along the Pilcomayo river and in the Iberá Marshlands. Lodging can be found in nearby estancias (ranches), from where you can make excursions on foot, by canoe or on horseback.

An extensive network of rivers and lakes is the salient feature of this region. Large rivers such as the Iguazú, Uruguay, Bermejo, and Paraná, provide a diverse habitat rich in food and shelter for a large variety of plant and animal species. Visitors can fish for dorados, which reach an unusual size, and species such as the skinny tiger characin, freshwater mullet, and hoplias, in a setting of great natural beauty that complements a high-quality and unforgettable fishing experience.

Sport Fishing
Fishing for a wide variety of species in the Upper Paraná river can be a most rewarding experience. The areas off the towns of Ituzaingó, Itá Ibaté, Itatí, Isla del Cerrito, Paso de la Patria, Corrientes, Empedrado, Bella Vista, Goya, Reconquista, Esquina and La Paz are internationally renowned fishing grounds for large dorados. All fishing methods are practiced, and fly-fishing has become increasingly popular.

The ideal fishing season is March to September. In July, the Dorado National Fishing Contest is held in Formosa, in August, the National Dorado Fair takes place in Paso de la Patria, and in September, the Dorado International Fishing Tournament is held in Isla del Cerrito.

Fiestas and Carnivals
Carnivals are very colorful in Corrientes, Esquina, Paso de los Libres, Victoria, Gualeguay and Gualeguaychú. The Immigrant's Festival in Oberá and the Orchid Festival in Montecarlo are equally attractive. Walking on a bed of coals is a typical custom on the eve of the Feast of San Juan, which is held in Formosa and some villages in Chaco, Corrientes and Misiones. A typical dance of this region is the chamamé, a dance derived from the polka, mixed with melodic and rhythmic elements from the Guaraní tribes.

Try some "mate"
Argentina is the leading country in the consumption of mate, an infusion made with the so-called yerba mate herb grown in Corrientes and Misiones in the Litoral region. Once dry and processed, the leaves are put into a gourd called mate – which may also be made of other materials - and hot water is poured over it. The infusion is sipped through a metal straw - bombilla - which generally has a silver mouthpiece. In Misiones and the north of Corrientes, mate is drunk cold with aromatic herbs and is known as tereré. You can try mate in any Argentine destinations. Don’t leave Argentina without tasting it!

The Iberá Marshlands
This humid zone of 700,000 hectares can be reached from Posadas, Concepción or Mercedes. In Guaraní Iberá means "Shining water". Its lagoons cover 31,500 hectares, its marshlands 52,000, and its inlands 260,000. This eco-system gives shelter to turtles, yacarés (caimans), monkeys, swamp deer, capybaras - the largest rodent in the world - and up to 400 bird species, besides an extraordinary flora.

The Central Region

The Pampas plains in the central region are amongst the richest areas in Argentina. They have the magic of wide-open spaces with an unlimited horizon, and they are the land of the gauchos, traditional Argentine country men.
The estancias (ranches) in the Argentine Pampas are remarkable because of their varied architecture. They were built in widely differing styles such as colonial Hispanic-American, English Tudor, and classic French. Many of them have been transformed into tourist accommodations.
Towards the Northwest of these plains are the Sierras of Córdoba. The highest peak, Mount Champaquí, towers some 2,790 meters above its surroundings. Its fertile valleys contrast with deserts and salt pans, a particularly appealing landscape. Towards the North, scattered chapels and “estancias” begin to appear. These constructions date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and many of them are a Jesuit legacy

Stay at the countryside and live with the locals
Enjoy a stay in one of the “estancias”, elegant residences in British or French colonial style, built by great landowners and converted into comfortable accommodations.
Typical Argentinean farming tasks continue to be carried out in these “estancias”: cattle herding and branding, horse breaking, etc. Visitors take part in the preparation of the typical asado (barbecue) and also have a wide choice of sports and recreation activities (horseback riding, polo, golf, hunting, fishing and nature observation).

Sport Fishing
Excellent trout fishing grounds abound in the streams around Villa General Belgrano, Pampa de Achala, Quebrada del Condorito and Panaholma river, all of them teeming with brook trout. Although the rainbow trout is the most common species in this area, brown trout as well as salmon – which prefer brooks and tributary streams rather than lakes – have been recently introduced. The fishing season runs from October to May.
On the shores of San Nicolás, Ramallo, San Pedro and Baradero districts, rivers and creeks forming the Delta are home to a rich variety of freshwater fishes. Season: year round, but best from December to March.

The Gaucho
For many people, gaucho means orphan since they come from two civilizations (the European and the Indian). Possibly the first gauchos were people who broke their ties with the past and chose the loneliness of the great Pampas plains, where there was water and grass for the cows introduced by the European colonists to graze.

Only an hour away from Buenos Aires, visitors will be able to learn about the typical tasks in the Argentinean countryside, the life of the gaucho and his incredible skill with the "boleadoras" (three stones tied together with a rope which, when thrown, tangle with the legs of the cows and prevent them from escaping), the knife, the lasso (rope), and the use of the correct techniques for salting the best meat in the world.

Dressed with baggy knee-length trousers, a sombrero or beret, a handkerchief round the neck, spurs, and a sharp knife hanging from his belt (which is changed for a silver-coin belt for festivities), the Gaucho skillfully rides through the endless prairies. In the evening, by the light of a campfire and with a delicious roast , the Gauchos like singing their songs.

Argentinean "asado" (barbecue)

This is the most common meal in the Pampa region because of the large number of cattle, the variety of grasses, and breed improvement. Formerly, cows were roasted as a whole in a ceremony which could last up to forty hours. The "asado con cuero" (roasted with the hide) is prepared by cutting up a calf and burying it in a trench in which a fire has been burning for several hours. The part covered with the hide is face down and is then covered with a layer of zinc on which the coals are placed and keep burning for several more hours. Other roasting methods are the spit roast (meat roasted on a cross), roasting on a grill- which is typical in the country -, or a barbecue-like manner, which is more common in the city. No matter the method used, the secret of a good roast or barbecue are the meat cuts and a well-kept fire.

Some of the Argentine most common cuts are the asado de tira (crosscut ribs) or whole ribs, vacío, cuadril, and matambre (cuts between the ribs and haunches), and the “achuras” - tripes, sweet-breads, criadilla, udder -. The “achuras” - blood sausages and chorizos (Argentine sausages) - are normally served as a starter. The meat is eaten alone or dressed with typical sauces, such as “chimichurri”.


Patagonia

The Andes mountain range shows its beauty in the Patagonian provinces. Millennial silent forests with native vegetable species are extended along the shores of glistening waters. On top of the mountains, nature overflows with granite peaks and ice fields spreading their glacier tongues into lakes of unsurpassable beauty.

Imposing mammals and sea birds, half-way between real life and fantasy, spend certain seasons on the rough coasts of Patagonia where they complete part of their life cycle. Seals colonies play on the islets and sandbanks. The world’s most important southern elephant seal continental colony is located in Peninsula Valdés. Every year, southern right whales come to Nuevo and San José gulfs to breed. Patagonian hares, “ñandúes” (South American ostrich) and “guanacos” run about the steppes, and the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world is located in Punta Tombo. This life cycle repeated since time immemorial, unfolds itself in front of the astonished visitors’ eyes.

In the south, Tierra del Fuego and the World’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, are the gateway towards the vast and mysterious Antarctica.

Adventure Tourism
This is an ideal area for camping, hiking, and trekking because of its several national parks, mountains, and forests. Mounts Tronador and Lanín and the upright walls of mounts Torre and Fitz Roy are classical sites which represent a challenge even for expert mountain climbers.

There are many winter sport resorts and mountain retreats around this area, and golf courses in the city of Bariloche and its surroundings. Windsurfing may be practiced in Bahía Serena; and if you are properly dressed, you can trek on glaciers and mountains.

The fast flowing rivers of the Patagonia are ideal for rafting and canoeing.

Scuba diving can be practiced in Puerto Madryn and Puerto Pirámides and you may also take part in "scuba diving baptisms" organized by diving centers for beginners. Sailing, water skiing, and windsurfing, as well as sunbathing and swimming in hidden and virgin beaches are other appealing activities.

In Tierra del Fuego, trips on sledges pulled by Siberian Huskies are organized. Sailing boats and ships navigate through the Beagle Channel and other straits surrounding Tierra del Fuego to the Island of the Estados, Cape Horn, and the Antarctica.

Sport Fishing
Patagonia, one of the most extensive unspoiled areas on the planet, has large glacier lakes and rivers with rapids of cold, clear waters. Fed by the heavy snowfalls in the Andes, these waters provide rich fishing grounds for rainbow, brown, and brook trout, amid a scenery of spectacular beauty. Most of these fishing spots are located within national parks, and their headwaters are in the heights of the imposing Patagonian Andes with their volcanoes, deep valleys and glaciers. The cold, clear waters of rivers, creeks, rapids, and lakes are suitable for fly-fishing, spinning, and trolling. Only fly-fishing is permitted in most streams and rivers of the Patagonia.
Patagonia offers fishing enthusiasts the privacy of a preserved environment, while Argentine hospitality makes visits to this beautiful region of the country an unforgettable experience.
Specialized companies supply equipment and advice.

Nahuel Huapi National Park
Its glacial lake covers 560 square kilometers and its creeks reach into the forests of the National Park named after it. On its shore is San Carlos de Bariloche, a first-class tourist center, where the well-known Cerro Catedral winter resort is, and which offers an active cultural life.

Glaciers National Park
Breathtaking landscape of impressive glaciers descending from the continental ice field. Thirteen glaciers on the Atlantic side break into huge ice towers which plunge into the waters of lakes Viedma and Argentino. Glaciers Perito Moreno, Mayo, Spegazzini, and Upsala’s fronts fall into the latter, at a short distance from glaciers Agassiz, Onelli, Ameghino, and Frías. Tertiary granite elevations covered with thick Andean forests are also part of this spectacle. You can go sailing on the lakes to better appreciate the glaciers’ front, or you may go trekking and climbing on ancient blocks of ice.
El Calafate is the closest service center, which can be reached by air from Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, or by bus from Río Gallegos.

Perito Moreno Glacier
Something you cannot miss during your visit in Argentina is the Perito Moreno glacier, which, together with other twelve glaciers, makes up the biggest sliding masses of ice and snow of Los Glaciares National Park. This 5-Km (3 miles)-wide glacier, which is 60 meters (180 feet) above Lake Argentino, continues in advance. Throughout the year, ice towers detach from the glacier and plunge into the water as small icebergs. The Perito Moreno glacier can be reached from El Calafate. When sailing across Lake Argentino, among white and blue icebergs, you can see 50-Km-long (31 miles) Upsala glacier. Onelli and Agassiz glaciers can be admired after walking 1,5 Km (1 mile) from Onelli bay.

The 7 lakes Route
Departing from San Martín de los Andes and going along Route 234 amidst waterfalls and forests, we arrive at Villa La Angostura, located on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Not far away is Cerro Bayo winter resort. Leaving Villa La Angostura behind, we reach Los Arrayanes National Park, a forest with tree species over three hundred years old and more than 20 meter (60 feet) high. It is said that this is the place that inspired Disney to create "Bambi".

Cueva de las Manos (hands cave), at the Upper Pinturas River
To the south of the town of Perito Moreno there is one of the most significant displays of cave painting in Patagonia. Over 9,300-year-old prehistoric handprints and hunting scenes fill the caves and rocky walls at the Pinturas River canyon.
Cueva de las Manos (Hands Cave) receives its name from the human hand stencils appearing in the cave; however, there are not only human hand but also many animal depictions such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe), rheas, and pumas, which are still common species in the region. The hunter-gatherer communities responsible for the paintings inhabited this remote area of the Patagonia until the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century.
Cueva de las Manos was declared World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 1999.

Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park
Located on the shores of the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Take a visit to its World's End and Maritime museums – an old prison – and enjoy its natural surroundings.

A small train takes you to the gates of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, inhabited by diverse flora and fauna species. The park is home to red foxes, guanacos, beavers, and condors. And if you take a tour along the Beagle Channel you will see seals, Magellanic penguins, and cormorants.

Valdes Peninsula
There are several natural reserves with various species of marine fauna along the Patagonian coast but none of them offers such a spectacular concentration of wildlife as the Valdes Peninsula. This peninsula located 1,400 Km (875 miles) to the south of Buenos Aires, projects into the sea forming two gulfs of sheltered waters. This is a meeting point for the southern right whales which arrive here to complete their breeding cycle between May and December. Trips to watch the southern right whales depart from Puerto Pirámides.

There are also many sea lion colonies with a rich variety of birds, while the rest of the peninsula is teeming with other animals such as “ñandúes” (rheas), “maras” (Patagonian hares) and “guanacos”. The Isla de los Pájaros (Bird's Island) Reserve has thousands of sea birds (cormorants, gulls, terns, herons). Punta Pirámide has a colony of seals breeding there. Punta Delgada provides a shelter to seals and sea elephants. Caleta Valdés, a narrow promontory separating the open sea from a marine lagoon, is inhabited by seals, sea elephants, and Magellanic penguins, as well as “guanacos”, “maras” and “ñandúes” which arrive at the islands at low tide.

In the Peninsula’s Punta Norte you can find the world’s most important southern sea elephant continental breeding colony. The name of these animals comes from their trunk which resembles that of an elephant, and which is dilated by males during the rut. Elephant seals can reach 7 meters in length and have an average weight of three tons. They feed on fish, squid, and octopus, and they can dive up to 200 meters (600 feet) in search of a prey.

We recommend that you go to the Interpretation Center at the Ameghino Isthmus where you will be provided with all the information and advice you may need.

Punta Tombo Natural Reserve
120 Km (75 miles) to the south of Trelew is one of the most varied sea bird colonies in the world, which has the largest number of Magellanic penguins. Over 250,000 penguin couples gather here from mid September to the beginning of April. Other protected species include a local type of seagulls (cook seagulls), oyster catchers, imperial cormorants and rock cormorants. Rheas, guanacos, maras (Patagonian hares), ñandúes (South American ostrich) and foxes can also be seen in this area.

Bosques Petrificados (petrified tree trunks) Natural Monument
Located 225 Km (140 miles) to the west of Puerto Deseado. 130 million years ago, this place was an orchard destroyed by volcanic action. Vast forests of araucaria (local pine) and other species perished and were covered by volcanic ashes. Once the exogenous elements disappeared with the effect of wind and water; the area remained a ghostly landscape of petrified tree trunks, some of them 35 meters (115 feet) high and with a diameter of 3 meters (9 feet).

Further north, close to Sarmiento (Chubut), is José Ormaechea Petrified Forest.

  Argentina's Six Regions and the Wine Route (Part 2)