The Ultimate Argentina Itinerary

Deserts, red rock formations, the largest broken water fall in the world, a bustling romantic city, gorgeous lakes, and let’s not forget the star of Argentina, Patagonia. This Argentina Itinerary will cover it all!

We will provide the exact same 5 week Argentina Itinerary we followed on our journey through this marvelous country.

As well as a 2 week Argentina Itinerary with the best stops we think are a must for a first time visitor at the end.

I promise after exploring Argentina, you won’t want to leave. Even for us the feeling of not wanting to leave was new for us, it was the first time in our travels that we felt so sad to leave a country.

This post is all about The Ultimate Argentina Itinerary.

Table Of Contents

Best Time to Visit Argentina

Each season brings its own benefits and disadvantages. Summer is optimal when visiting Patagonia because it offers longer days and more wildlife activity but it’s also peak season so crowds will be larger.

Winter brings less wind and most areas are quieter but temperatures drop and treks become more challenging.

Buenos Aires and the north are year-round destinations.

Summer: from December 21st to March 20th
Fall: from March 21st to June 20th
Winter: from June 21st to September 20th
Spring: from September 21st to December 20th

Argentina Travel Tips

Don’t rely on ATM withdrawals. Due to the lower official rate banks use in Argentina, you will lose money taking cash out of an ATM. The best way to get the highest exchange rate for your USD is to wire money through Western Union. We did this several times while in Argentina and it gave our dollar value an almost 50% increase value. You will hear the Argentinians refer to this as the blue dollar rate.

Pay with cash as much as you can.

Ubers are extremely affordable, costing just a couple dollars a ride.

Flying is the best way to get from city to city as Argentina is massive, you will save a lot of time this way.

Spanish is the official language.

Currency: Argentine Peso

Argentina Itinerary & Guide

Argentina is located on the southern half of South America and is the second largest country in South America and eighth largest country in the world.

It offers some of the most surreal landscapes you’ll ever see.

5 Days in Buenos Aires

Day 1-5

Buenos Aires, there is nowhere better to experience Argentine food, music, art, sports, and European cultural. They call Buenos Aires the Paris of South America, in all honestly Buenos Aires is so much better.

There is so much to see and do in Buenos Aires that with 5 days you will barely get a taste of what this amazing city has to offer.

Depending on your flight you will be either landing into Ezeiza International Airport or Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery.

Things To Do in Buenos Aires:

City Highlights Guided Tour
Join a Foodie Tour
9-Course Argentine Meat Tasting at Fogón Asado (This experience is a MUST)
Take a Tango Class
Enjoy a Tango Show at Rojo Tango
Become a Mate Expert and take a Mate Class
Go Shopping at Feria San Telmo on Sunday
Enjoy The Free Museums
Take a tour of Teatro Colón
Walk Plaza de Mayo and La Casa Rosada
Spend an afternoon at Botanical Garden Carlos Thays
Check out the colorful La Boca Neighborhood
Explore the city on a Buenos Aires Bike Tour
Visit El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookshop
Become a Gaucho for a Day
Watch a fútbol match at La Bombonera
Go on a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Places To Stay In Buenos Aires

Budget| Malevo Murana Hostel

Mid Range| Bulnes Eco Suites

Luxury| Loi Suites Recoleta Hotel

3 Days in Iguazu Falls

Day 6-8

Take a flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu, it’s time to visit one of the 7 Natural Wonders of The World.

Iguazu is home to more than 250 waterfalls among them, Devils Throat falling more than 269 feet (82M) high. Iguazu Falls is part of Argentina and Brazil, Argentina occupies 2/3 of the falls.

Things To Do In Iguazu Falls

Adventure Boat Tour of the Falls
Explore Upper & Lower Circuits & Devils Throat
Visit Falls on the Brazilian Side

Tip: If you plan on a 2 day visit to the falls make sure you return on the next consecutive day to get 50% off your second day entrance ticket.

Places To Stay In Iguazu Falls

Budget| Hostel Iguazu Falls

Mid Range| Secret Garden Iguazu

Luxury| Selvaje Lodge Iguazu

2 Days in Salta

Day 9-10

Time to head up North, take a flight from Puerto Iguazu and head to the small city of Salta. Make sure to rent a car for the morning of day 11 when you will begin your journey towards Tilcara.

Things To Do In Salta

Explore Plaza 9 de Julio
Museo Arqueologia de Alta Montana
Iglesia San Francisco
Take the Teleferico Cerro San Bernardo
Visit A Peña Folklorica

Go to Balcarce Street, between Alsina and Ameghino and you’ll find yourself in the heart of the peña nightlife. La Casona de Molino is known as the best peña in town.

Places To Stay In Salta

Budget| Donna Alda DFC

Mid Range| Solar De La Plaza

Luxury| Legado Mitico Salta Hotel Boutique

3 Days in Tilcara

Day 11-13

Time to grab some snacks, fill up your tank and hit the road. Explore desert landscapes, rainbow mountains and cultural villages.

Approx travel time will be around 4 hours.

I recommend bringing coca leaves to chew on or a thermos of coca tea. There are some high altitude stops you’ll be visiting. El Hornocal stands at 14,272ft (4,350M) above sea level.

Things To Do In Tilcara

El Hornocal: The 14 Colored Mountain Of Humahuaca
Visit the town of Humahuaca
Visit the tiny town Uquia
Cerro Las Señoritas Hike
Garganta Del Diablo Hike
Pucará De Tilcara
Painter’s Palette
Salinas Grandes Salt Flats
Visit the town of Purmamarca
The Hill of 7 Colors View Point
Hill of 7 Colors Loop

Places To Stay In Tilcara

Budget| Tilcara Rustica Hostel

Mid Range| Capec Alojamiento

Luxury| Las Marías Hotel Boutique

2 Days in Cachi

Day 14-15

Drive from Tilcara to the tiny picturesque town of Cachi.

Approx drive time 7 hours

Things To Do In Cachi

Plaza 9 De Julio
Museo Pío Pablo Díaz
Iglesia San Jose De Cachi
Visit The Cemetery & Mirador Norte
The Ovnipuerto
Have Wine & Lunch at Bodega Puna
Sip wine at Isasmendi Winery

Places To Stay in Cachi

Budget| La Casa de Vero

Mid Range| Hosteria Villa Cardon|El Cortijo Hotel Boutique

Luxury| La Merced Del Alto

3 Days in Cafayate

Day 16-18

Last stop on our road trip, the remote town of Cafayate situated in the Calchaquí Valley. It’s Argentinas second largest wine region and is known for its Malbec and Torrontés.

Approx driving time 4 hours.

Things To Do in Cafayate

Visit The Wineries
Try Alfajores At Calchaquitos
Taste Torrontes and Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Cream At Heladería Miranda, also try the Flan flavor, so good!!
Drive The Quebrada De Las Conchas, one of Salta’s most famous natural wonder.
La Yesera, take a nice short hike to Los Estratos
Visit Cabras De Cafayate a local goat farm with delicious cheese tastings.
Hike Las Cascadas Del Rio Colorado

Best Wineries in Cafayate

Finca Los Nubes, Domingo Molina, Porvenir, Bodega El Tránsito

Places To Stay In Cafayate

Budget| Hostal Tierra de Vinos

Mid Range| Villa Vicuña Wine & Boutique Hotel

Luxury| Grace Cafayate

4 Days in Mendoza

Day 19-22

Take a flight from Salta to the heart of Argentinas Wine Country.

Mendoza is known for its sunny climate, Malbec wine and incredible outdoor adventure.

Things To Do In Mendoza

Explore the City Center
Hike part of highest mountain in South America, Aconcagua. Day Tour| Hike Aconcagua Confluencia
Go Horseback Riding Private Tour| Group Tour
White Water Rafting
Fly Fishing
Wine Tasting- Private Driver | Small Group Tour| WineBike Tour

There are 3 wine regions in Mendoza, Eco Valley our favorite, Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu. Eco Valley has the best wine of the three. Lujan de Cuyo is a great wine region to do a wine & bike tour and Maipu is the closet to the city.

Best Wineries in Mendoza

Corazon del Sol, SuperUco, Bodega La Azul

Places To Stay In Mendoza

Budget| Blue Sky Mendoza

Mid Range| Bed And Breakfast Plaza Italia

Luxury| DiplomaticHotel

12 Days in Patagonia

Day 23-34

Pristine and wild. Patagonia is located at the southernmost tip of South America, it’s every nature and adventure lovers dream.

Catch a flight from Mendoza to San Carlos de Bariloche this will be your first stop in Patagonia, then proceed to El Chalten and finish in El Calafate.

Things To Do In Patagonia

Explore Bariloche and the surrounding area
Explore El Chalten and hike some of the best day hikes in the world
Visit Perito Moreno in El Calafate

Buenos Aires and Fly Home

Day 35-36

Take a last stroll through the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, don’t forget to have one more delicious steak dinner!

Places To Stay In Buenos Aires

Budget| Malevo Murana Hostel

Mid Range| Bulnes Eco Suites

Luxury| Loi Suites Recoleta Hotel

Don’t have 5 weeks, here’s the perfect 2 week Argentina Itinerary with all the must have stops for your first visit to Argentina.

The Perfect 2 Week Argentina Itinerary

DAY 1-3 Buenos Aires

DAY 4-5 Iguazu Falls

DAY 6-8 Mendoza

DAY 9-11 El Chalten

DAY 12-13 El Calafate

DAY 14 Buenos Aires

DAY 15 Fly Home

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE:

Travel Resources

Here you can find all the travel site links that we personally use and recommend.

CAMPSITES/CAMPGROUNDS We like to use a couple apps for last minute campsite bookings. Our favorites are HipCamp, The Dyrt and Campendium.

ACCOMMODATION: We find the best deals with BOOKING.COM. The more you book the better the perks like free breakfast with your stay, room upgrades and even higher discounted room rates.

CAR RENTALS: We have always used RentalCars.com and find them to have the best deals, customer service and selection of locations.

FLIGHTS: Our go to for looking up flights is SKYSCANNER, but we try to always book directly with the airline.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: GET YOUR GUIDE and VIATOR are two very reputable sites with easy and hassle free bookings.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: It’s so important to travel with insurance and for this we use SafetyWing. We are currently using them for our 1 year trip.

TRANSPORTATION: For all our bus, ferry and train transfer needs in Asia we use 12go.as ia.

The Ultimate Argentina Itinerary

Best Time to Visit Argentina

Argentina Travel Tips