Argentina

Argentina is a fabulous country but I would not underestimate how geographically vast it is. I saw just the northwest corner of it, plus Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls over a two week trip. Start with a Footprint travel guide to Argentina and check out Southern Explorations on the web (they're a Seattle-based company, I believe) to get a sense of possible itineraries). I did an independent trip that required multiple internal flights (like I said, it's a HUGE country with multiple econsystems and varied terrain) and a rental car, and it was a real feat to plan that trip because many of the roads were not paved and it was hard to judge distances and travel times. If Argentina seems overwhelming, then try Ecuador - lots of biodiversity in landscapes and interests but it a much more compact package.

I've traveled throughout the ABCs (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) and have found them all worthwhile in their own special way. Probably Chile is the most use-friendly for Americans, followed by Argentina, and then Brazil.

In Brazil I spent a few weeks, exploring the Amazon rainforest, using Manaus as a home base. I did a river cruise on the Black and White Amazon rivers via Iberostar (a Spanish tour company) and it was the adventure of a lifetime. Rio de Janeiro was really fun to visit and I wish I had more time there.

In Chile I like the capital, Santiago a lot, very livable, it's a city with the perfect blend of new and old, and close by are many wineries that you can visit. Nearby is Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, which is like a hip beach town area that reminds me of California, that area is good for a few days too.

For Argentina, I used the town of Ushuaia (nicknamed the End of the World) as a base to explore the fantastic hiking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Ushuaia is a great town (feels very European/German) with plenty of transportation options, great seafood, and the best beer south of the equator (Beagle Beer). I also visited Iguazú falls up north and it was a highlight for me too. Buenos Aires was a meh for me.

PS - You probably know that the seasons are flipped for the southern hemisphere. So May is kind of a challenging month to visit, think of it like November for us, it can get quite cold and unpleasant in Argentina/Chile around that time as its the start of winter. Brazil should be ok though.

Thank you all so much for your input so far.

Very helpful already! 🙏👍🏻😊

We too enjoyed Santiago de Chile. While there we did take a day trip over to Valparaiso, and took two winery tours. We visited Peru on a National Geographic tour and visited Lima, Pisa, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and the sacred valley. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour, but tours are too structured for the way we like to travel. We also spent a week in Quito, Ecuador. While the we hired a driver and took day trips to the Mitad Del Mundo (the equator), Otavalo, Ibarra, and one other small town. The historic center has some very pretty churches. Right now I’d pay real close attention to the political issues occurring in each of the countries.

How many days are you planning the trip to be?

A suggested itinerary for a 5 day visit would look very different than one for a 20 day visit

Diana,
There is much to see in South America and Argentina is worth a visit.

We have visited Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

Our favorites are Peru, Chile and Argentina in that order.

Peru has Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu as well as Lima. There is much more. The food in Peru is special. The potato came from Peru and when you get potatoes in Peru, you usually get at least 8-10 different types. Food varies from country to country. The countries on the Pacific eat a lot of fish and it is fantastic, The Chilean Seabass is wonderful and love the empanadas stuffed with cheese and crab.

Chile and Argentina are more like Europe than other Latin countries. Chile has the highest standard of living. Argentina was once a very prosperous country on a level with Europe, but poor leadership has not been good for that country. Still, it is a great place to visit, just don't wander into areas in Buenos Aires that aren't safe.

We spent 5 days in Buenos Aires prior to our cruise around the Horn of SA. Wonderful two week trip. I highly recommend that cruise.

Argentina has the best steaks in the World and their empanadas are stuffed with beef. Love the Tango shows in BA. Also, our cruise stopped in ports in Patagonia and on Terra del Fuego that were fantastic.

Flying to BA is about like flying to Europe, so you need to plan to stay a while.

Also, if going to Peru, check out PeruAgency.com for a great tour company. Also, they are not expensive.