Argentina 2023

The seasons in South America are opposite ours here in the United States. That’s why we chose February to visit Chile and Argentina.

These two countries offer a great deal of variety, and we explored them from Cape Horn in the south to the Atacama desert in the north. Their diversity partly stems from their size, and geography. Were they in North America, they would stretch from Guatemala to Alaska. At the same time, the land rapidly rises from the Pacific coast in Chile, up to the peaks of the Andes, and then back down to the Atlantic coast in Argentina. The widest point across the two countries is roughly equal to the distance from Boston to Chicago.

Since we previously wrote about exploring Patagonia in the south, let’s talk about things to see and do in the central and north of Argentina.

I’ll cover Chile in a future post.

Buenos Aires

This city has been called the Paris of South America. There are several wide, tree lined avenues across the city, reminiscent of the broad boulevards of Paris. For example, Avenida 9 de Julio encompasses 16 lanes of traffic and landscaped medians. Getting around the city by taxi is easy and inexpensive. We never spent more that $10 USD on any taxi, and we travelled all over the city.

We were able to communicate with some basic Spanish, and found English spoken at most tourism sites, hotels and restaurants.

Evening Fun
Tango Orchestra

When visiting the city of Buenos Aires, our recommendations include the Rojo Tango dinner and the Argentine Experience. For example, our tango evening included a great meal, very good wines and of course the Tango. The live music, great dancers, and traditional Argentine cuisine made for a great evening. (Fortunately, the evening involved watching rather than dancing!)

Another evening, we learned about Argentine culture, and prepared our own empanadas. The Argentine Experience brings fellow travelers together for a fun evening to enjoy fantastic local dishes and wine. Our only regret was not having enjoyed this night earlier in our trip.

Food and Day Trips

Six of us spent several days exploring the city both on our own and with private guides. Our top choices for things to see and do include the following:

  • National Museum of Fine Arts – An excellent collection of art ranging from Rembrandt to Rene Rodin and Jackson Pollock.
  • La Recoleta Cemetery – It’s most famous resident is Eva Perón or “Evita”, listed under her maiden name “Maria Eva Duarte”.
  • El Cuartito – lunch at this famous pizza restaurant is a must! (Talcahuano 937, Buenos Aires)
  • Sunday La Recoleta Market – Food, local crafts and art is on sale in the park near La Recoleta
  • Biking Buenos Aires – Enjoy a day exploring the city by bicycle.
bikeba

Biking Buenos Aires

Iguazu National Park, Argentina
Iguazu

2.7 km of falls

Iguazu Falls are in Iguazu National Park, about 700 miles north of Buenos Aires, on the border shared with Brazil. From talking with the tour guides in the park, the summer is the best time to visit here. Reaching the park requires flying to Puerto Iguazu in the northeast corner of Argentina. We took the two hour flight from Jorge Newberry Airport along the River Plate in Buenos Aires Buenos to Puerto Iguazu. From there, we headed south to a hotel cut out of the jungle. The follow morning we headed out early to the nearby park.

Niagara FallsVictoria FallsIguazu Falls
Water drop in feet 167360 269
Length in feet3,9405,6048,858

As the largest waterfall system in the world, Iguazu Falls consists of multiple separate waterfalls and cataracts, with drops between 197-269 ft. Cataracts are spread along 2.7-kilometers (1.7 mi) with islands separating the individual falls. The park has a network of trails and engineered walkways across the expanses of water that offer a variety of amazing views. To get to the falls, we took the small park train to the end of the line(3 km), Gargenta Station. From there we headed out across the water on an elevated walkway.

Devil Throat

The Devil’s Throat

Cataracts

The walkway (Paseo Garganta del Diablo) is a 1 km (0.6 mi) segment that brought us right to the edge of Devil’s Throat, the highest and deepest of the falls. Amazing! Roaring water got louder and louder as we approached the rising clouds of mist. Suddenly, we were at the edge, looking down into the maelstrom of the Devil’s Throat.

We spent several hours exploring the many distinct falls. Each turn in a trail seemed to take us to a new and vivid view of another waterfall. Along the way we also encountered an amazing variety of birds and butterflies. After a leisurely lunch in the park, we were ready for our last adventure of the day. We headed down to the lower Iguazu River, buttoned up in life vests over swim suits, and headed up the river in a jet boat.

Jet Boats

Racing up the river over the rapids we could see the approaching falls. Our boat pilot repeatedly edged us close to the deafening roar of the falls, including Devil`s Throat. After our third trip under pounding torrents of water from the falls, we were all completely soaked. We loved it!

jetboat

From the Jet Boat

What an amazing place Iguazu Falls is. Like Patagonia, this is a visit you have to make if you travel to Argentina!

There is so much more to say about Argentina. We are so glad that we made the trip. If you haven’t been there yet, you should strongly consider adding it to you future travel plans.

Iceland Excursions

Recently, a friend of ours mentioned that they were looking at Iceland excursions for a cruise with several stops in Iceland. They asked for some suggestions as to where they should take excursions to. So, here is some of the advice we gave them.

From Akureyri, Iceland

Iceland excursionsAkureyri is a port at the end of a deep fjord on the north central coast of Iceland. I’m not sure, but I imagine that visits there would involve tendering in. On our visit to Akureyri, we spent an afternoon whale watching. While there was a fog bank involved, we had several very close encounters with whales.

Heading east, out of Akureyri, we took Hwy 1 to visit Godafoss, Myvatn Lake, and Dettifoss. I would imagine that all three of these are available on an excursion out of Akureyri.

Godafoss

A wonderful experience, and an easy hike, the waterfall is located near Fossholl, about 30 minutes east of Akureyri. From the parking area, the falls are easily reached by an improved trail. We traveled on the east side of the water. There were some more challenging trails down to the water’s edge that provided a nice perspective as well.

The name Goðafoss goes back to an 11th century legend. An Iceland leader, Porgeir decided that his people should adopt Christianity. To prove that the old gods have no power, he threw their images into this waterfall, and was thus the waterfall of the gods.

Myvatn Lake


Myvatn Lake is about 40 minutes down the road from Godafoss. The area features beautiful views of volcanic landscapes, and thermal springs. We saw plenty of birds on the many trails. As you explore some of trails, opportunities abound for some beautiful pictures of the lake and distant mountains. If you look carefully, you can see the steam rising from geothermal features in the distance.

Dettifoss

Dettifoss is another impressive waterfall in Vatnajokull National Park. About 45 minutes past Myvatn Lake, it is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe

While the falls are a bit of a hike from the parking area, the effort is well worth it. You cross a vast expanse of volcanic detritus, completely void of any trees. Suddenly, the source of the pounding noise is before you.

The water is loader with glacial sediments and cascades over the falls with a roar. The drop is about the same as Niagara Falls, but the water falls nearly uninterrupted to the bottom, while Niagara has a significant buildup of collapsed rock remains. The local trails offer a variety of up close and panoramic views. Bring your camera for this sight!

From Reykjavik

From Reykjavik the best option for a daytrip is the golden circle. We thought the best sights on the drive were the falls at Gullfoss, the hot springs at Geysir, and the national park at Þingvellir.

Gullfoss

Gullfoss is an impressive waterfall that offers easy access. We hiked right to the edge for an incredible experience and to the hills overlooking the area where we had an amazing view. The cascade, comprised of multiple tiers, can be seen up close and from the surrounding hills.

Geysir


Geysir is a very miniature version of Yellowstone National Park located in Haukadalur Valley. The valley boasts hot springs, mud springs and geysers, including the powerful Strokkur, Smiður and Litli-Strokkur.
Strokkur is, arguably, the country’s most famous hot spring, shooting vast jets of boiling water from 20-40 meters (65-130 feet). Don’t worry about missing this incredible spectacle of nature, as Strokkur erupts every five to ten minutes; just make sure to have your camera ready.

Þingvellir

One of the last stops on the golden circle route is Þingvellir. This is where the North America and Europe tectonic plates drift apart, the crevasses being visible in Almannagjá canyon as well as in Silfra. We walked along a trail below the cliff of the North American plate and up to the top. From there we had an expansive view of the gap leading to the European plate. Beautiful area.

Iceland is a beautiful country. Regardless of where you visit, you’re going to find awesome sights and interesting advenures.