An Inland Bus Tour of Argentina

 

When we think about Argentina, we conjure up so many wonderful memories that it's hard to relate them all. It is a country of romance and passion, the tango and gauchos, the Andes Mountains, deserts, pampas, and diverse culture. The Spanish conquistadors first named Argentina in the early 16th century when they explored and named the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver). Most appropriately, we began our 30-day inland bus trip through north and central Argentina in strategically located Montevideo, Uruguay on the banks of the Rio de la Plata. Oh, man, what a trip! Here's a sampler.

1. Iguazu Falls

On the border of Argentina and Brazil, the Iguazu Falls are a UNESCO Heritage Site and have been cited as one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World. There are 275 individual cascades that comprise the falls area. The Iguazu National Park (Argentine side) offers catwalks, paths and excellent views from hundreds of different vantage points. The flora and fauna in this sub-tropical, littoral area are outstanding. We saw caiman, capybara, tapirs, mischievous coati and lots of birds.

2. San Ignacio de Mini

We went out of our way to visit this sleepy little town which offered little except the chance to see the some of the best preserved Jesuit mission ruins in Argentina. Originally built in 1632, this site, built by the Jesuits and the local Guarani people, was absolutely beautiful and provided an excellent insight into the influential role played by the missionaries. Well worth the side trip.

3. Salta

They call it “Salta la Linda” (Salta, the beautiful) and it is. A Spanish colonial city founded in 1582, the city's architecture alone is worth a visit. Visit the Cabildo, an 18th century governmental building and really good museum and take in the Plaza 9 de Julio. Check out Iglesia de San Francisco and the Cathedral. Take the teleferico or climb the stairway to the Visitor's Center at the top of San Bernardo Hill for great views of the city. Lots of tours begin here for the surrounding areas.

4. PN Los Cordones and Quebrada del Rio de las Conchas

We booked a tour in Salta for an overnight guided tour to Cafayate and Cachi which took us through this desert area of remarkable color and beauty. We saw wild goats, guanaco (same family as alpaca, only larger), “cardones” (petrified cacti) and lots of spectacular rock formations.

5. Cafayate

This charming town is in the midst of a wine-growing area, so there are lots of vineyards to visit and wine-tastings to do.

6. Cachi

A picturesque little colonial town with a lovely 16th century white-washed adobe church, Iglesia de Cachi, in its center. Local people go about their lives here in a relaxed manner and offer a different view of rural Argentinian life.

7. Cόrdoba, City of Bells

This is a gem of a city and our favorite in northern Argentina. With six major universities and several private schools, it is historically one of Argentina's major centers of learning. The National University of Cordoba, established in 1613, is the oldest in Argentina and 4th oldest in the Americas. There's lots to see and do here. High on the list of things to check out is the Manzana Jesuitica. It took us awhile to figure out that “manzana” in Spanish translates to block or square, as well as apple. The Jesuit influence is strong here and the Jesuit Block definitely merits a tour of the centuries' old buildings and museum pieces. Don't forget to visit the Jesuit Crypts. They're small and eerie, but worth a stop. The central Plaza is beautiful as is the ever-present Cathedral. Several day tours to Jesuit estancias (ranches and missions) in the surrounding area are available and provide not only a closer look at history, but local rural life as well.

8. Mendoza

Think wine, wine and more wine. Even the ice cream comes in wine flavors. Take the on/off Trollebus to acquaint you with the city and get your bearings. There are winery tours galore available. Also, the restaurants here are great and offer “flights” of wine, so you can sample several with your meal. General San Martin Park is quite interesting and an inexpensive van tour takes you past the major sights and to the top of Cerro de la Gloria. The City Gates and Marly Horses are the best!

9. Over the Andes

The bus trip over the Andes is a kick-ass, knock your socks off kind of ride. Get your bus tickets early and reserve a front seat with a panoramic view. The hairpin turns are so tight, the bus has to back up and make a couple of swings to get around them. It's hair-raising. You can sneak a peek of Aconcagua (22,837'/6960m), the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, on your way up to the pass. The wait at Customs between Argentina and Chile is tedious, but the descent into Chile is worth the aggravation. Not for the faint-hearted.

10. Buenos Aires

Argentina's capital city and the “Paris of South America”, BsAs (as it's frequently written) has it all: outstanding cuisine and wines, the tango, world-class shopping, antiques, great museums, fine architecture, and a vibrant, sensual energy that you can't help getting caught up in. Even the cemeteries are over the top. Buenos Aires deserves a blog post of its own and minimum of a week to visit. We visited at least four times while we were in Argentina and saw something different each time. Suffice it to say, it's a world-class, not-to-miss city.

A whole month on the road and we still missed sights we would have liked to see … yet another reason to return.

If you go:

Lonely Planet Argentina was our guide and it was excellent. Coincidentally, we met Sandra Bao, the author of LP Argentina, on our trip to Antarctica and had long talks with her about how the LP books are written. Lots and lots of research, work and travel.

We took a sidetrip to Paraguay since it was so close (that's another blog post someday in the future). Paraguay required a visa in advance for US citizens which we obtained at the Paraguayan consulate in Montevideo.

When on a bus crossing the border from one country to another (e.g.Uruguay to Argentina), make sure you check that your passport is properly stamped before the bus takes off. David's passport was stamped correctly; Marcie's was not stamped at all. This caused problems when we tried to check into our hotel. The desk clerk inspected our passports and noted I was in-country illegally.

Some nationalities (e.g., USA) require a Brazilian passport to visit the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls. Local cab drivers “offer a gift” to the Immigration officials to take you across without a visa. We opted to give it a pass this time around.

Note that if you speak Spanish, the Argentine accent will throw you for a loop. The traditional “ya” sound for a double ll is pronounced as “ja”. So pollo is poy-jo instead of poy-yo and million is mil-jon instead of mil-yon. Very confusing to the ear at first.

Souvenirs to look for:

Carpincho leather (from the rodent capybara)

Leather goods (cow hide) galore. Great if you need whips, braided leather, etc.

Woven rugs, blankets, ponchos are excellent quality especially in rural areas

Penguino pitchers traditionally used to serve house wine

Gaucho gear

Antiques

Maté cups and gourds and straws (bombillas)

Food and drink:

Beef … if you like beef, Argentina offers up some of the best in the world. Choose pretty much any “parrilla” (pronounced pah-ree-ja) for prime grilled steaks and veggies.

Try a “tenedor libre”, literally “free fork” in English, it's an all you can eat restaurant which can be a great value.

Maté – a bitter, herb drink, served hot or cold, that Argentines drink the way Brits drink tea and Americans drink coffee.

Wine … especially Malbec, though the selectionis overwhelming.

Media lunas – croissants

Dulce de leche – caramel-tasting delight and used on everything from toast to ice cream topping.

Alfajores – layered cookies with dulce de leche in the middle

We kept great notes on buses we used, restaurants we tried and hotels we stayed at while we traveled and we'd be happy to share them with you. Send us a note and we'll send you a copy.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

 

Did you know that the “I Scream” line is from an old, very un-PC song written in 1927 about college boys in the way far North? Even way back then, ice cream was a hit. Actually, it appears that the ancient Chinese enjoyed “iced cream” fruity concoctions and when the Greeks and Romans and Persians found out about it, they thought it was a grand idea. On the boat, we never have ice cream … the freezer would never keep it frozen. So, when we're on land … you guessed it …an ice cream frenzy ensues. Actually, we feel it's more our duty to try different ice cream flavors and report our conclusions. Someone's gotta do it.

It seems most every country we've visited has ice cream. Depending on the manufacturer, the vendor and his freezer, the ice cream can be very, very good or icy and crystalline with that melted, refrozen kind of taste. Sometimes there's soft-serve. It's okay in a pinch, but definitely not our favorite. There's sugar-free and fat-free, but why bother? We opt for rich, thick, velvety ice cream in flavors to die for.

Many places tout their own regional specialties in the ice cream flavors they manufacture. There's calfate berry in Ushuaia, Argentina and wine-flavored ice creams like Malbec and Syrah in Mendoza, Argentina. Throughout South America, dulce de leche (kind of like caramel) is a major favorite. New Zealand has Hokey-Pokey (vanilla with toffee bits) and Tasmania has pepperberry. Here in New England, maple walnut is a favorite. This is the home of Ben & Jerry's, don't forget. We've tried them all. David's favorite is New York Super Fudge Chunk, followed closely by chocolate almond. My favorite is maple walnut, followed closely by … maple walnut.

We recently read that there's garlic, sweet corn and green pea ice cream flavors and even horsemeat and parakeet. Oh, I think we'd probably pass on those. As much as we like ice cream, horse glacée and parakeet sorbet just lack appeal for some reason. Burger King just introduced their Bacon Sundae. I wonder how it's doing?

We usually opt for cones so we can multi-task … walk and eat ice cream at the same time. I found out that the world’s largest ice cream cone was “built” in Gloucester, U.K. A forklift carried the ice cream, which weighed 2,204 pounds (~1000kg), and placed it on top of the cone. The cone stood about 13' (2.7m) tall. Pretty impressive. I doubt we could have eaten it all in one go, but maybe in a few tries.

So … the best ice cream in the world in our humble opinions? Without a doubt … Argentina. Helado artesenal … ice cream in Argentina is an artform. It's rich, creamy and and absolutely luscious. The flavorful tastes are outstanding. Beyond all that, the folks who serve the ice cream are artisans. They have little paddles, not scoops, and they shape the cones with care and flair. They serve the cones with little spoons, so you can daintily eat your cone. (as if!) It's a pleasure to watch them … especially knowing it's YOUR cone they're working on.

Did you know the first ice cream in a walkaway cone was served at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904? I'm just full of trivia today, huh? It keeps my mind off eating ice cream.

Ushuaia, Argentina - A Visit to the Bottom of the World

 

Ushuaia (Oo-SHWAYE-ah), the southern most city on the planet, is Argentina's only port on the famous Beagle Channel and the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province. Just the city's name and the Tierra del Fuego “land of fire” locale conjure up images of exotic travel and remote destinations at the bottom of the world.

Originally built by the Argentines as a penal colony for their worst prisoners (political and otherwise) at the “uttermost part of the earth”, this lovely little city with a backdrop of the scenic Martial mountain range, is a welcome respite for cruisers sailing down the Patagonian canals and an exciting destination place for land travelers.

Ushuaia is a great jumping off spot for trips to Antarctica, sails around infamous Cape Horn and treks for mountaineers and hikers. The city itself and nearby areas, however, also offer lots to see and do. The well-developed tourist infrastructure provides lots of hotels, backpackers' lodges, restaurants and tour opportunities. You can get there by boat like we did or via plane (like we also did) or bus.

The old prison now houses a great museum highlighting the native Yamana people, early Argentine and British settlers and the prison colony itself. We particularly enjoyed the inexpensive “tenedor libre” restaurants, literally translated as “free fork”, but actually all-you-can-eat restaurants, offering fine Argentine beef and lamb as part of the sumptuous fare. We watched tango shows, drank Argentine wine (try the Malbecs) and tried calafate berry ice cream. Get your passport stamped at the tourist bureau proving you've visited the “southernmost city in the world”.

Close by is Tierra del Fuego National Park which can be reached by highway, train (Tren del Fin del Mundo) or by boat into Lapataia Bay. Birdlife and marine life are abundant with penguins, orcas and seals easily identified in the Beagle Channel. There are tours galore.

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse sits proudly in the Beagle Channel and is supposedly the most photographed lighthouse in South America.

We also anchored in beautiful Bahia Relegada just off the Beagle Channel in order to visit Estancia Harberton, an historic “ranch” dating from 1886 which included Museo Acatushun, famous for its interesting collection of skeletons, primarily marine mammals and birds of the area. Originally built by the Bridges' family, the ranch is still owned and operated by Tommy Goodall, great-grandson of Thomas Bridges. You don't have to sail there; there are tours available or you can drive yourself from Ushuaia.

If you want to read a first-hand account of life in Tierra del Fuego back in the 1940's, read The Uttermost Part of the Earth by Lucas Bridges. It's hard to find, but still available. We also found Lonely Planet Argentina a terrific guide.

A word about calafate berries. They're native to the area and legend has it if you eat them, you'll return one day. We thought this improbable, but I'll be darned if we didn't return to Ushuaia to help a friend move his boat to Uruguay the following year. So be careful what you eat!