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[dleventhal]

Hello,

Can anyone help me with an itinerary for a 10-12 day trip in Argentina in late April, early May? I am in a group of 3 people, traveling with my mom and a friend. We cannot do any intensive hiking as my mom has bad knees. We are more interested in seeing the culture and experiencing the great food and wine. We are debating whether or not to use a tour company or just plan the trip ourselves.

Do we have to travel back to BA in order to reach each destination or can we go directly from city to city? What are the best ways to get around the country

I know that Mendoza is in the heart of wine country and of course Buenos Aires, but what are some other good cities/places to visit?

In addition, would it be easy to go to the Torres del Paine National Park from Mendoza?

I appreciate your help!

Thanks,
Dana

[starlagurl]

Hi Dana, how bad are your mom's knees? Can she walk for a few hours at a time, every day, during the duration of your trip? If so, I would say plan your trip yourself. If not, I would definitely recommend looking for a guided tour.

I have never been to South America, but myfamily went across Canada on a train trip with my grandma, who can't walk more than 50 m without a break. You wouldn't believe the amount of money we spent on taxis. Definitely, the economic choice would have been to do this trip with a bus touring group. But, in the end I think it was worth it, to travel on our own schedule and do the exact things that we wanted to do. It all depends on your budget.

As for some recommended itineraries in Argentina, here are some inspiring travel blogs I found:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...14820/tpod.html
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...01860/tpod.html
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...09460/tpod.html

It looks like most people take the bus around.

[mmbcross]

Hello,

Can anyone help me with an itinerary for a 10-12 day trip in Argentina in late April, early May? I am in a group of 3 people, traveling with my mom and a friend. We cannot do any intensive hiking as my mom has bad knees. We are more interested in seeing the culture and experiencing the great food and wine. We are debating whether or not to use a tour company or just plan the trip ourselves.

Do we have to travel back to BA in order to reach each destination or can we go directly from city to city? What are the best ways to get around the country

I know that Mendoza is in the heart of wine country and of course Buenos Aires, but what are some other good cities/places to visit?

In addition, would it be easy to go to the Torres del Paine National Park from Mendoza?

I appreciate your help!

Thanks,
Dana

Hello dana,

I see Starlagurl has already given you some pretty good advice. I agree, if you can get onto TravelPod, you should be able to get around Argentina by yourselves. I was there the year before last for 10 days, and it's a great deal. The US$ still means something there.
Here's my suggestion for a 10-day itinerary.
Day 1 - USA to BUE - generally an overnight flight
Day 2 - Arrive in BUE. Read the blogs...enjoy this fabulous city
Day 3 - If you are here on a Sunday make sure you go to the San Thelmo Flea Market. Districts you must visit are Boca, Recoleta and Palermo. We took the Tren de la Costa (very easy) to the Tigre Delta, and had wonderful day. We attended a ballet at the Colon Opera House. We had box seats right beside the stage at US$ 25.00 each. We also went to a local football match. Wow..what an experience.
Day 4 - Fly Buenos Aires-Iguassu Falls-Buenos Aires. There are three waterfalls everone should see in their life, Niagara, Victoria and Iguassu. Now's your chance. There is a bit of walking to be done, but you can stick to the boardwalks if Mum's knees act up. BUE has a very convenient downtown airport. It's a 15-minute, US$ 5.00 taxi ride from downtown.
Day 5- In BUE - You might do what we did and take the overnight bus to Mendoza. The bus has full length beds and they serve dinner and breakfast, all for around US$ 25.00 each way.
Day 5 - Mendoza - Lovely town. Visit wineries. We rented a car for the day and drove to the Andes. Return to BUE tonight.
Day 6 - Spend a night in an estancia in the Pampas. We chose La Bamba, but there are lots available. If you rent a car, the whole area is open to you. If you take the bus, make sure the estancia can pick you up at the bus stop.
Day 7 - Return to BUE.
Day 8 - Fly to Bariloche. There is a bus service, but it's an awfully long way (20 hours).
Day 9 - Enjoy this beautiful town and the spectacular surroundings.
Day 9 - Return to Buenos Aires
Day 10 - Fly back to USA by overnight flight.

By the way, I think you should forget Torres del Paine. Patagonia is a trip in itself, and can be quite rugged. Anyway, it's in Chile, and somewhat complicated to get there from Argentina.

Read my blog about our trip.
http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/entries.p...464695914562848
If you need more info please contact me via this blog.
Cheers
Martin