Argentina Travel - Aracely on the cliffs of Punta Ninfas in Patagonia Argentina

10 Unusual Things to Do in Buenos Aires
Punta Ninfas (Spanish, “Nymphs Point”) is found in Patagonia, Argentina. Just opposite of Península Valdés the Point is about 90 km southwest of Puerto Madryn. Argentina travel is vast and varying, from the bottom of the world in Ushuaia Patagonia to the the Gaucho lands of Northwest Argentina.

Punta Ninfas is the ideal location for observing a colony of elephant seals, whose breeding season occurs from September to December.

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Argentina Travel - San Telmo, Buenos Aires

In this travel guest post for 2Backpackers.com, Erin and Simon of Never Ending Voyage, share their list of unusual things to do in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Argentina Travel

Buenos Aires is one of the highlights when travelling South America and most visitors fall for this elegant city with its European vibe and South American energy. Although we enjoyed visiting the city’s most popular tourist attractions such as the huge Recoleta cemetery and one of the many tango shows, what interested us most during our two months in Buenos Aires were its more unusual activities. Here are our suggestions for exploring an alternative side of Buenos Aires when enjoying Argentina travel.

1) Explore the Barrios

Argentina Travel - La Boca neighbourhood, Buenos Aires

You’ll find the soul of Buenos Aires in its barrios, the diverse neighbourhoods that make up this city of 13 million people. Each area has its own unique atmosphere from the trendy boutiques and cool cafes of Palermo Soho to the cobbled streets and colonial buildings of San Telmo. Walking the streets on foot is a good way to get a feel for the city, and there’s a lot less traffic in the barrios than there is in the busy commercial centre.

Some of our favourite barrios are pretty, tree-lined Palermo Hollywood; gritty, working-class La Boca, away from the touristy, colourful Caminito street; and Abasto, where houses are decorated with portraits and lyrics of tango maestro Carlos Gardel.

2) Ride an Old-Fashioned Subway

Argentina Travel - A Line Subway car, Buenos Aires

The subte (subway) is an easy, inexpensive way to get around Buenos Aires, but most tourists don’t realise that Line A is an interesting attraction itself. It’s the oldest subway line in South America dating back to 1913. They still use the original cars with wooden panels and benches, and a conductor to open and close the manual doors. It’s an atmospheric ride and you can use the trip to explore one of the less-visited barrios along the A Line such as Almagro for its Sunday book fair.

3) Meet Gauchos at the Fería De Mataderos

Argentina Travel - Feria de Mataderos, Buenos Aires

Surprisingly you don’t need to leave the city to explore Argentina’s gaucho culture. Very few tourists make it to the Fería de Mataderos where colourfully dressed locals perform chacareras (country dances) to the folk music played on stage; and gauchos young and old gallop past the crowds to compete in traditional contests at the most ferocious speeds.

Over 100 market stalls sell leather crafts, metalwork, mate gourds, handicrafts, and jars of dulce de leche. An asado (barbeque) serves up huge chunks of beef and sausages, creating a smoky haze over the rest of the market. You’ll also find ladies dishing up locro, a traditional meat stew, and empanadas with a range of fillings.

It’s worth the one hour bus ride to the far west of the city for this unique insight into gaucho traditions. Fería de Mataderos is held every Sunday (Saturday evenings in the summer) from 11am – 8pm.

4) Try Speed Dating for Language Learners

If you are looking for the opportunity to practice your Spanish head to Spanglish. It’s a language exchange event held in a bar that pairs English and Spanish speakers for a series of 10 minute conversations – half in English and half in Spanish, before moving on to a new partner.

Not only is it good for your Spanish but you get to meet porteños of diverse backgrounds and ages – we chatted with people aged 20 – 70 years. Everyone is really understanding if your Spanish isn’t brilliant, as they are all learners too. It’s a lot of fun and we’d really recommend attending one of the events held four times a week.

5) Take a Break From Steak

Argentina Travel - Armenian mezze at Sarkis

Buenos Aires is famous for its high quality, affordable steaks but after a while all that meat gets a bit much. Luckily there are some excellent, healthier alternatives including delicious Armenian mezze at Sarkis restaurant – we loved the flavour-packed dishes including mashed red peppers with walnuts, grilled aubergine in herbs, and feta cheese with olives.

There’s also a growing vegetarian restaurant scene where you can sample pear, goats cheese and rocket bruschetta at Artemisia and inventive dishes like mushroom and sundried tomato ceviche at Kensho. For more details read our picks for the best vegetarian restaurants in Buenos Aires.

6) Attend a Dinner Party

Puerta Cerrada (closed door) restaurants in private homes are popular in Buenos Aires and make a unique eating experience. We attended a dinner party along with 10 others at Casa Saltshaker which is run by American Dan and his Peruvian partner Henri in their Recoleta apartment. Not only was the five course gourmet meal delicious but we also met interesting people from all around the world.

7) Learn About Recent History

Argentina has had a turbulent past, especially in the last 50 years, and you can learn more about it on the Buenos Aires Traces walking tour. We learnt about Peronism at the Evita museum in a trade union building that isn’t open to the public; about the people who were ‘disappeared’ during the military dictatorship in the 1970s at the recently discovered site of one of the detention camps; and about the protests following the collapse of the economy in 2001 at plaques commemorating protesters who were shot by the police. It’s a fascinating tour that will help you to understand Argentina today.

8 ) Watch the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo

Argentina Travel - Mothers of Plaza de Mayo protest

Plaza de Mayo is the centre point for all protests in Buenos Aires. There’s one happening on most days but the most moving is watching the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo commemorate their children who vanished 30 years ago during the military dictatorship in the 1970s. The organisation still campaigns for justice, and they meet every Thursday at 3pm at the Plaza.

9) Listen to Modern Tango

Attending one of the many tango shows is a typical tourist activity in Buenos Aires but for a more authentic experience go and see one of the new tango bands that fuse modern influences with tango traditions.

The Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro play every Wednesday night at the Club Atletico Fernandez Fierra in the historic tango barrio of Abasto. The hipster crowd and old warehouse venue feel like a rock gig, and the dreadlocked orchestra play dramatic, impassioned tango infused with rock and jazz.

10) Escape to Tigre

Argentina Travel - Tigre delta

When you need a break from the big city, Tigre is a perfect getaway. It’s a peaceful town an hours train ride north of Buenos Aires and is the starting point for boat trips into the green, tranquil Paraná Delta with its network of interconnecting rivers and streams.

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Perito Moreno Glacier in the Los Glaciares National Park near Calafate, Argentina Patagonia.

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Iguazu Falls is nestled between the Northeast corner of Argentina and Southwest Brazil.  People often say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but no photo or Photo Essay (even one from yours truly) can do this magical place justice. These waterfalls must be experienced.

Waterfall Views

National Park Iguazu, Argentina has many walkways that take you into an enhanced journey of beautiful waterfall views.  The Argentina side of the falls is much more tourist friendly, providing incredible views and trails for miles.

Get Wet!

You can get yourself very wet on this famous walkway.  They sell ponchos just before the lookout deck.  If the waterfalls are low, you can get close without getting drenched.  It all depends on the season.

Largest Waterfalls in the World

Iguacu or Iguazu Falls are one of the largest waterfalls in the world.  It all depends on how you measure that.  The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.7 mi) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82 meters (269 ft) in height, though the majority are about 64 meters (210 ft).

For those who don’t mind getting soaked or pounded by the force of water rushing down from one of the “weaker” waterfalls, there are boat tours that take you up close and personal to the water action.

The Roar of Devil’s Throat Waterfall

The star of the show is “Devil’s Throat” a U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide and 700-meter-long waterfall. At National Park Iguazu, Argentina you have back stage VIP access. Get your ears ready to hear The Devil scream.

Depending on the time of year you visit the waterfalls, the water level and volume can change dramatically.  We have visited both the Brazil and Argentina side during different seasons and have seen varying results.

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One of the most popular wine regions to visit in Mendoza, Argentina is Maipu.  Maipu is easily accessible from Mendoza by local bus or your own transportation.  The entire Mendoza wine region is most known throughout the world for it’s Malbec wines.  Experience the thin skinned grapes in a variety of vineyards serving the intense red Malbec wines.  The greatest reward for tasting wines in the Mendoza region is the dramatic landscape featuring the Andes (Los Andes) Mountains and high plains.

This compilation of Mendoza wine travel pictures was taken during our visit to the Maipu wine region in 2010.

Wine Museum in Maipu, Mendoza

Wine Museum in Maipu, Mendoza

Wine Tasting in Maipu, Mendoza

Olive Orchard in Maipu, Mendoza

Wine Vineyard Irrigation System

Wine Fermentation Tanks

Antique Wooden Wine Barrels

Antique Wooden Wine Barrels

Modern Cement Tanks and Antique Wooden Barrels

Antique Wine Tools & Supplies in the Maipu Wine Museum

Antique Grape Smasher in the Maipu Wine Museum

Antique Wine Tools & Supplies in the Maipu Wine Museum

Antique Wine Tools & Supplies in the Maipu Wine Museum

Antique Wine Barrel Label from Maipu

You might also enjoy reading… Mendoza Wine Country

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Peppers Drying In The Sun Near Cachi, Argentina

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Black & White Photo of Salinas Grandes in Argentina

During our exploration of Northern Argentina we visited Salinas Grandes. These are the largest Salt Flats in Argentina. After driving out into the middle of the flats you get an amazing panoramic view of the area. The contrast in colors between the blinding white salt and the rich blue sky is incredible and best captured in this black and white photo.

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These colorful mountains rest in the Jujuy province of Northwest Argentina which borders Chile and Bolivia. As part of our tour from Salta, we visited several towns in Jujuy, including Purmamarca. Purmamarca is most famous for it’s Hill of Seven Colors (Cerro de los Siete Colores), which describes the mountains surrounding the town that glow in many colors. A small trail, about 40 minutes long allows you to walk around the town on a elevated route for some spectacular photos.

Colorful Mountain Range During Drive in Jujuy Province of Argentina

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Northern Argentina, the region of Salta, has an unlimited number of naturally formed landscapes perfect for site seeing. If you are looking for things to do in Cafayate or Salta, rent a car. It’s the best way to explore these rock formations, salt flats, small villages, wineries and more.

Rock Formations Near Cafayate, Argentina

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Northern Argentina is the less traveled, but much to share region surrounding the province of Salta.  We explored this region by renting a vehicle for 7 days, beginning southwest to the city of Salta.  On the drive from Cachi to Cafayate, the sun was settling and we took this beautiful photo of a blanket of white clouds being held back by glowing red mountains with the moon already shining.

Red Mountains at Dusk in Near Cafayate, Argentina

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Northern Argentina is the less traveled, but much to share region surrounding the province of Salta.  We explored this region by renting a vehicle for 7 days, beginning southwest to the city of Salta.  Unexpectedly, we followed a typical festival sign that had us driving off onto a dirt and gravel road for several kilometers.  We arrived to a gaucho harvest festival, where children and adults displayed traditional gaucho dancing while serving some typical pampas food.

Yellow Daisy Against Northwest Argentina Pampas and Mountains

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Northern Argentina is the less traveled, but much to share region surrounding the province of Salta.  We explored this region by renting a vehicle for 7 days, beginning southwest to the city of Salta.  Unexpectedly, we followed a typical festival sign that had us driving off onto a dirt and gravel road for several kilometers.  We arrived to a gaucho harvest festival, where children and adults displayed traditional gaucho dancing while serving some typical pampas food.

Locals Dancing at the Gaucho Festival in Northwest Argentina

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The Iguazú National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the Iguazú Department, in the north of the province of Misiones, Argentine Mesopotamia. It has an area of 550 km2 (212 sq mi). The park was created in 1934 and it contains one of the greatest natural beauties of Argentina, the Iguazu Falls, surrounded by the subtropical jungle. Across the Iguazu River lies its Brazilian counterpart (Iguaçu National Park). Both sites were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, in 1984 and 1986. – Wikipedia

Cataratas del Iguazú are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River starts at the city of Curitiba and runs for the most part of the course entirely in brazilian territory, and in a little part at the end bordering Brazil and Argentina. – Wikipedia
See photos from the Brazil side.

Iguazú National Park

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Magellanic penguins dot the Argentina Patagonia landscape along the coast. Peninsula Valdez offers a myriad of sea life viewing opportunities including sea lions, elephant seals, penguins and if you are lucky, killer whales (orcas). As we drove our rented vehicle down the east coast of the peninsula from Punta Norte, we pulled off the side of the road at a penguin mirador (lookout). Signs detailed the penguins migrating and eating behaviors and also explained why they were currently shedding their fur.

Magellanic Penguin On Peninsula Valdez in Argentina

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Perito Moreno Glacier

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Wine Tasting at Vines of Mendoza

Yes, while in Argentina we visited the home of the world renowned Malbec wines of Mendoza.  No, we didn’t think it was awesome, but we aren’t wine connoisseurs either.  Once we promoted that we were visiting Argentina, our friends and family immediately asked, “Are you going to visit Mendoza?”  At first, we didn’t think it was going to fit into our route, but after our friend Kevin from home arrived to spend 2 weeks with us, things changed.

The The Mendoza wine region is situated at the foothills of the Andes Mountains on high plains.  The consistent weather, mountain water runoff and extreme high and low temperatures provide the ultimate environment for growing vines at an amazingly high altitude.  The natural, cold mountain water is irrigated to create a fixed and consistent watering system for the grapes.  It rarely rains, so they don’t incur flooding.  The extreme temperature change between night day builds a thick skin on the grapes.  But, best of all, its cheap and fruity delicious!

General San Martín Park in Mendoza

The City of Mendoza

The city of Mendoza is not very impressive in that it offers nothing substantially unique.  Not every city has to, but we figured due to it’s wine tourism significance, something would stand out.  The city is centered around a main plaza and also includes a pedestrian only street that attracts touristic restaurants and bars with plenty of outdoor seating.  It’s a very pleasant area to dine in and enjoy the cool foothills weather.  As any decent size city, Argentina’s fourth largest, buses parade down the streets and shoppers crowd the sidewalks.  Be sure to visit The Parque General San Martín (General San Martín Park) and rent some bikes for the day or stroll the walkway and observe the children practicing crew in the lake.

Wine Museum in Maipu, Mendoza Pronvice, Argentina

Within the city we recommend Vines of Mendoza for some of the best wine tasting you will experience.  Order a plate of cheese and salty hams to accompany your tasting.  Be sure to speak up and ask all the stupid questions if you are newbie, like us.  Once the servers sense interest, they will talk wine forever, maybe even handing you a few free samples.  If you are loaded with cash, enter their private viewing room where they show you a trailer video on owning your own vineyard.  Pretty cool huh?  I wouldn’t mind my own personal label.

Mr. Hugo Wine Tour on Bikes in Maipu, Mendoza

Mendoza Wine Region

Beyond the city is where most of the wine tasting takes place.  Expect to visit wineries in Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Uco Valley and Godoy Cruz.  If you are a budget traveler or backpacker, consider Mr. Hugo Wineries and Bikes in Maipú.  There you can rent a bike for the day with a map of local wineries and museums.  Take a bus from Mendoza to Maipú, but be sure to bring exact change.  It’s a long bike ride and a long day, but you are on your own and can therefore rest when you want.  Once back to Mr. Hugo’s, he will have a few pitchers of wine waiting for you, if you can still stand.  The region consists of one main road with gravel and dirt roads escaping to the wineries.  Visit the Wine Museum first and enjoy a fancy lunch overlooking a vineyard at Tempus winery.  My favorite was the Lamb Burger.

Wine Tasting at the Tempus Winery in Maipu, Mendoza

Other tours can be arranged by your hostel, hotel or even Vines of Mendoza, and the prices vary depending on the winery and the tour company.  There are tours for the rich and famous as well as us.

Purchasing Wine

After many of the wine tours and tastings you have the opportunity to purchase wine.  It’s not a problem bringing wine back with you to the United States as long as you aren’t carrying more than 12 bottles.  If you pay for a wine tour, ask for that cost to be deducted from your wine purchase.  Most are willing to meet this request.  Also, ask if the wine is sold in your country and under what label.  You may be able to purchase the same bottle under a different name at home.

Aracely in the Tempus Vineyards in Maipu, Mendoza

Adventure

Adventure travelers also come to Mendoza for the incredible summit of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemisphere.  Many outfitters and gear shops exist to meet a climbers needs.   Rafting, hiking and horseback riding are all available for the those not ready to climb one of the highest summits in the world.  The Andes mountains provide a vast array of opportunities for adventure as well as photography.  Jeep tours that climb out of the foothills up onto the mountainsides provide incredible views of the vast Argentina plains.

Other Wine Regions

Argentina is an extremely long country covering a vast area that offers more than just Mendoza for your wine tasting cravings.  Consider visiting Northern Argentina, the Salta region, for wineries in Cafayate or even southern Argentina in Patagonia.

I can see how the Mendoza region might attract the wine aficionados, but the small town of Cafayate would have provided enough good wine tasting for Two Backpackers.

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While driving through the wineries in Cafayate, Argentina parrots, or possibly parakeets, swarmed the pampas.  The plains seem to be the perfect nesting grounds for these loud groups of quick moving birds.  When they fly through the sky, turquoise colored wings glow against their bright green bodies.  This particular bird stood still long enough for us to capture a beautiful landscape with it as the star.

A Parrot Sits on a Fence Post at a Winery in Cafayate

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This train is a tourist attraction in Northern Argentina. Tren a las Nubes (or Train of the Clouds) takes a very long scenic stroll through the Salta region over bridges, viaducts as high as 4,200 m and the altiplano. The train doesn’t actually go to any specific town, it just takes it’s passengers to the end of the route on La Polvorilla Viaduct where artisan merchants sell their crafts for 30 minutes. Food and tour guides are both provided on the train.

Tren a las Nubes or Train Of The Clouds In Northern Argentina

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During our exploration of Northern Argentina we visited Salinas Grandes.  These are not the largest Salt Flats in South America, but beautiful none the less.  After driving out into the middle of the flats you get an amazing panoramic view of the area.  The contrast in colors between the blinding white salt and the rich blue sky is incredible.

Salinas Grandes in Argentina

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Most wine tours booked out of Mendoza, Argentina explore wineries in Maipú, 16 kilometers from downtown Mendoza.  A wine museum is a wonderful point of interest in Maipú.   The museum contains giant old barrels, traditional wine making tools and actual wine making on the premises.

Grapes Being Separated From the Stems for Crushing

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