Argentina in May

Author
Discussion

matrignano

Original Poster:

4,345 posts

209 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
Had to use some BA companion vouchers and Buenos Aires or Rio were pretty much the only destinations of interest available. I chose Buenos Aires.

First time so I would probably do the usual 2-week itinerary: Buenos Aires, Iguazu falls, Patagonia (El Calafate and El Chalten) and the north (Salta and Jujuy). Order to be decided.

But...is it the right time to go?
Middle of Autumn, temperatures don't seem tooooo cold (10-20c range) and it shouldn't be too rainy either.
Bit out of season so less touristy and a bit cheaper apparently.

But I don't know if I'm just reading travel blogs that are incentivised to "sell" the country, and in reality it's a st time to go?

Opinions welcome!

RC1807

12,482 posts

167 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
I've been to BsAs a couple of times during May / June and have been pleasantly surprised at how mild and sunny it was, but, as you mentioned, it's Autumn and can change!.
Conversely, one of my team was there in August 2019 on a business trip and it was properly cold!

I think it's rather a case of, "no such thing as bad weather, but wrong clothes", and being prepared.

(I love BsAs as a city. Enjoy your trip!)

akirk

5,376 posts

113 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
Argentina stretches a huge distance top to bottom - so you should find almost any weather / conditions you want...
there are some seasonal elements to the country (such as the polo season if you play / wildlife in the chubut region etc. being there or not) but generally there is an amazing range of choice and plenty to see...

Iguazu is great to visit - the hotel in Brazil by the falls was lovely when I stayed there many years ago - boat trips up to the falls / helicopter ride over it etc.

lovely country (I grew up there for half my childhood) - enjoy it!

Bill

52,479 posts

254 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
No idea about further north, but Patagonia is famous for being changeable. We were there in December and it went from baking hot to near continuous rain and then snow in a few days. Go prepared!

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
We once went there in May.

We had brilliant weather. It was warm in Buenos Aires and around Mendoza. It was very warm, around 30DegC, in Iguazu.

As it was out of season, whilst walking up to the base camp of Aconcagua, we had literally the whole national park to ourselves (you need to sign in at the ranger centre). The skies were clear and blue. It was fairly spectacular.

Driving on the Andean roads and dirt tracks was a fantastic experience, as was horseriding in the desert.

DB4DM

928 posts

122 months

Friday 24th January 2020
quotequote all
El Calafete will likely be cold (we had snow in November), and the Melia hotel at Iguazu is well placed for an early morning dash to the falls to be there at 0800ish ahead of the first trainload. Otherwise it gets very crowded.

One point we found in organising our trip was despite the peso being very good value against sterling, hotels and internal flights were priced in USD so not a bargain! We had 7 internal flights in 22 days and Aerolineas Argentinas were excellent and generally to time.

The other point is that your BA baggage allowance of 22kg if not 30 is significantly more than on AA internal flights (15kg), unless you use a savvy travel agency and ground handlers to book you on "Visit Argentina" terms when you'll get enhanced baggage allowance of 23kg. And if you do get these terms, you'll still need to mention it to the check in staff for internal flights otherwise they may not delve deeply enough into your booking, and try billing you in USD for excess baggage

Our tour was organized by Sunvil whose ground agents in Buenos Aires were called Attipica. All excellent including out of hours fixing of "operational" issues

Edited by DB4DM on Friday 24th January 18:24


Edited by DB4DM on Friday 24th January 18:42

Murph7355

37,651 posts

255 months

Saturday 25th January 2020
quotequote all
Don't know about the weather as we went in November (a while ago)...but it's a fantastic country.

We did BA, Iguazu, Mendoza and Cordoba (stayed on a gaucho ranch).

Very recommended.

My advice would be not to try and do too much. It's a big country and to see it all properly is way more than 2wks.

tog

4,517 posts

227 months

Sunday 26th January 2020
quotequote all
My brother lives in BsAs and I've been quite a few times. Patagonia will be pretty chilly in May - we were in Esquel last April, not as far south at El Calafate but even there there we had some very cold and frosty mornings, though we generally had beautiful autumn days. I've been in October to El Calafate and it was freezing. Iguazu in May is early season I think as the falls are at their most powerful in the spring, but it means the park can be much emptier of crowds. We went in March I think years ago and were blown away - the falls were amazing and we had the place almost to ourselves. My wife has been to both Niagra and Victoria falls and said Igazu was better then both, even with low flow.

I loved the far north, though it is completely different to the rest of Argentina. The emptiness and otherworldly landscape of the high Andes and salt flats is amazing if you have time to get up there. You can drive from Salta south to Cafayate and then loop north through the mountains to Purmamarca and Jujuy to come back to Salta. The landscape is stunning. Needs several days really though. Excellent wine in Cafayate, some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world.

My brother runs a wholesale travel company (local operator for foreign tour companies) and their website has summaries on the various destinations and when to go. I'd echo others' comments though - it is a huge country and can take time to get about, so be wary of trying to squeeze too much in. Internal flights can be pretty expensive too, and often involve changing in BsAs.

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Sunday 26th January 2020
quotequote all
I agree. Iguazu falls are far more impressive than Niagara.

matrignano

Original Poster:

4,345 posts

209 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
Thanks for all the advice so far.

My itinerary is starting to take shape. Point taken on Patagonia being cold, so will do that first. Mendoza/Cordoba would be nice to see but I will skip otherwise the schedule will get too crammed (and my girlfriend doesn't drink...)

So far I have:
08-11 May - Buenos Aires
11-15 - El Calafate, with a day trip to El Chalten
15-20 - Salta, will hire a car and explore the area
20-22 - Iguazu
22-24 - Buenos Aires

Any glaring omissions?

In terms of packing, I plan on travelling with a 40l backpack to avoid wasting extra time at airports. Will probably get some clothes washed halfway.

I assume I will need some half decent hiking/trail running shoes? (I'm not really the hiking type so don't have any,,,)
I'll also bring a decent waterproof jacket, and then I guess normal long trousers and jumpers should be enough?
If Patagonia is really cold, I can always buy a couple extra layers/gloves when I get there?

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
We had planned to go to Bariloche, but needed to change our plans when we were in BA as a volcano eruption in Chile had grounded all flights to that region. Changing our flights at the last moment, negotiating crowds of people at help desks and running around the airport chasing our bags was "fun".

DB4DM

928 posts

122 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
On 15 May, do you know if you can actually make the trip from El Calafate to Salta?

There are plenty of knitwear shops in El Calafate

In BA the open topped hop on hop off buses are a good way to orient. Street tango on the Sunday 10 May would be worth pencilling in

Oh and you'll need a showerproof camera at Iguazu if you want to look down from the top


Edited by DB4DM on Tuesday 28th January 18:22

matrignano

Original Poster:

4,345 posts

209 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
DB4DM said:
On 15 May, do you know if you can actually make the trip from El Calafate to Salta?
Yep, but there is no direct flight - it's a 3-4 hour stopover in BA

tog

4,517 posts

227 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
matrignano said:
Yep, but there is no direct flight - it's a 3-4 hour stopover in BA
Sounds about right, I had to fly from Puerto Madryn (in Patagonia) to El Calafate (in Patagonia) via BA. Internal flights from (or via) BA go through Aeroparque in the city and not from Ezezia.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Tuesday 28th January 2020
quotequote all
See if Boca Juniors are at home whilst you're in BA. Even if you aren't a football fan, a game at the Bombonera is a must do.
Getting tickets is hard, you'll have to contact the club directly and beg. Lifelong ambition, dying of cancer, bucket list etc.

matrignano

Original Poster:

4,345 posts

209 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
I want to do Iguazu properly so have booked both the Melia on the Argentinian side (where I land) and the Belmond on the Brazilian side. Need to figure out which one I'll keep.

The Belmond seems to have direct access to the park and therefore you can walk around it after hours, or have a head start in the morning before it gets crowded.

I'm not clear if the Melia offers the same. Do you have direct access (i.e. you're already IN the park) or do you have to wait at the gates at opening times?

Room price is similar, however it's a 1h taxi ride from the airport in Argentina to the Belmond and it costs about £100 for the one-way journey. Also I'm not clear if the border crossing can be slow/problematic.

If the Melia has direct access to the park I'll stick to that, otherwise I'll go for the Belmond.

Anyone know if the Melia offers the same access to the park as the Belmond?

DB4DM

928 posts

122 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
The Melia is in the park with access to the track leading to the bridging to the Devil's Mouth, where my photo was taken, about 100m from the hotel. There is a portable barrier saying do not cross till 0800 but you can walk round it to get a head start on those coming on the 0800 train. At a fast walking pace, Melia to Devil's Mouth end of the bridging is about 25 minutes

The path to the falls is visible to the bottom right of this view from our room at the Melia

DB4DM

928 posts

122 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
There's also quite a lot of wildlife in the park including Jaguars and troops of monkeys which means after hours and especially after dark solo trips might be ill advised. You'll get a safety booklet with your park permit. Apols for the quality of this pic I've just taken


Edited by DB4DM on Friday 31st January 17:51

akirk

5,376 posts

113 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
we stayed at the Belmond - fab hotel...
either will be good...

matrignano

Original Poster:

4,345 posts

209 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
Thanks guys!

Would you say the falls and park are more interesting/spectacular on the Argentinian or Brazilian side?

I can’t make my mind up