Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see and do there?
Escorted group or tailor-made?
If you'd like to travel on a fixed date, fixed itinerary holiday with a small group of other travellers and a tour leader, please consider our Gaucho Classic Journey or Nandu Discovery Journey.
If you'd prefer that we design an itinerary just for you, with accommodation, excursions and transport selected according to your tastes, needs and budget, please see our Tailor-made pages.
How do I choose an itinerary?
If we are building a holiday just for you, rest assured we have access to a huge, unrivalled bank of services throughout the country. You can choose one of our suggested itineraries in Argentina, the Guanaco is a trip through Patagonia, or the Quebrada is a tour of the canyons of the northwest. These itineraries are not fixed, but are suggestions of how the highlights can be linked together. You can modify any part of them. Transport, accommodation and excursions will be tailored to your wishes.
When's the best time to go?
For most people, climate is the most significant factor in choosing the time of year for a visit to Argentina. Other things to bear in mind are the possible crowds in local holiday periods or European school holidays. The seasons fall in reverse order to those of the northern hemisphere.
The north, including Buenos Aires, Salta and Iguazú Falls, are hot (over 30°C during the day) and humid in summer (November to February) with heavy tropical showers. Winter can be cool and showery with cold nights, although warm and sunny days are quite common. Spring and autumn can be very pleasant but unpredictable, rather like an English summer.
The further south you go, the more attractive it is to travel in the southern summer, when daylight hours are long and it is as warm as northern Europe. Spring and autumn in Patagonia can be colourful but very blustery, this time is popular among visitors who want to avoid the crowds. Winter temperatures rarely fall much below freezing but in the far south daylight hours are very short.
What kind of accommodation is available?
Of all Latin American countries, Argentina, where much attention is given to style and taste, has possibly the greatest range of hotels to choose from. Buenos Aires has several well-established first-class traditional properties, but also a selection of international chain hotels and a growing portfolio of trendy boutique establishments. There are plenty of good-value tourist class hotels throughout the country. We probably have access to more of these than any other British tour operator.
In addition to city-based hotels, the country offers a wide range of countryside stays, from country house hotels to working ranches and wine estancias. Some of these date back to colonial times and are very atmospheric, all offer a very warm and personal welcome.
Can I combine Argentina with another country?
Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego is the embarkation point for most Antarctic cruises, making a combination of a holiday in Argentina and a visit to the White Continent very convenient.
It is easy to create an itinerary which combines Argentina and Chile, crossing the Andean frontier in the lake district or Patagonia. Several of our group tours, the Lapwing, Nandu and the Charito, follow these routes, as does the tailor-made suggested itinerary Darwin's Rhea.
How much will it cost when I'm there?
Argentina offers not only good value for money but also excellent quality, especially in its restaurants and bars. You can eat in a good restaurant in Buenos Aires where a meal with wine will cost less than £20 per head. (An equivalent meal at the Gaucho Argentinean restaurant in Richmond will set you back £50).Taxis in urban areas are relatively cheap, you can cross Buenos Aires for a few pounds and much less in smaller towns.
There are few obvious souvenirs but good quality leather goods are very reasonably priced.