Argentina in May

[matrignano]

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!

[matrignano]

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?

[matrignano]

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

[matrignano]

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?

[matrignano]

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