Argentina

• 6.South America

Argentina is a fantastic country with lots of interesting places to see and things to do. The capital of Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with nice buildings, lots of monuments, wide boulevards and colorful people (with lots of tattoos!). The city's main sights include Avenida de 9 Julio, the widest avenue in the world, Teatro Colon, El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore, the Obelisco, Casa Rosada and the cool Puente de la Mujer bridge; also, lots of parks and gardens including the Jardin Japones, Eco Parque and the cool looking Floralis Generica mechanical sculpture. The Puerto Madero area is one of the trendiest in town - a former port area currently filled with cafes and restaurants.

There are plenty of shopping opportunities including large shopping centers, the cool San Telmo Sunday market or Calle Florida. Palermo and Recoleta are some of the city's nicest areas for visiting and walking around. Palermo Soho and Palermo Viejo are full of nice cafes, bars and restaurants.

Food is excellent, starting with the parilla (traditional South American barbecue which is amazing) and continuing with chorizo, choripan and empanadas. Beer and coffee are also very good, as are the desserts on offer - excellent ice cream, flan, alfajore cookies and countless types of candy, chocolate and other types of sweets. The local variety of caramel, dulce de leche, is widely used and absolutely delicious.

Buneos Aires has a vibrant cultural scene. I went to the Fuerza Bruta show and loved it. You cannot leave BA without going to a tango show - we chose a dinner show at Tango Porteno and were not disappointed.

In the Southern part of the country you'll find Patagonia, a land of indescribable beauty, strong colors, lots of wildlife and vast landscapes. I visited the charming little towns of El Calafate and El Chalten, and did a hiking tour on the Perito Moreno glacier, which was another very cool experience. The Laguna Nimez bird reserve in El Calafate is very nice as well.

In the Northern part of the country you'll find Iguazu Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in the world. The natural park surrounding the falls is very well organized, also full of wildlife and another incredible experience in Argentina. The nearby town of Puerto Iguazu features Hito Tres Fronteras, a spot that includes three countries - Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, as well as the Jardin de los Picaflores, a beautiful little garden full of hummingbirds.

I also visited Ushuaia on a different trip, as a final stop in Argentina before boarding a ship to Antarctica. Ushuaia is a nice, clean and lively town which I enjoyed. Highlights included San Martin - the main commercial avenue , Plaza Malvinas with its many monuments and memorials dedicated to the Falklands War and Puerto Turistico and its ships waiting to leave for the white continent. I also liked Museo Maritimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia which features a wide range of Ushuaia and Antarctic-related exhibits and is hosted in a former prison building with a fascinating history.

Additional info:
- country entry on Wikipedia
- country profile on Wikivoyage

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