What to see in Argentina: 10 must-sees
Discover what to see in Argentina: 10 must-see destinations, from Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls. Predominantly city and UNESCO heritage; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
City(3)
Visit Buenos Aires and stroll the cobblestone streets of San Telmo, where on Sundays the antiques market fills Plaza Dorrego with open-air milongas. Cross into the La Boca neighborhood to photograph the painted sheet-metal houses of Caminito and see street art along the Riachuelo. At night, book a table at a notable café or a traditional milonga and listen to live bandoneón. Among avenues with French facades, old bookstores, and neighborhood steakhouses, the Argentine capital blends tradition and modernity in a cultural mosaic best explored on foot, mate in hand.
Explore Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, surrounded by the Beagle Channel, glaciers, and Fuegian tundra. Sail along the channel off the coast, spot cormorants and sea lions on the islands, and follow the route that leads to the true end of the world. Wander its steep streets, discover the End of the World Museum, and try Patagonian king crab at the harborfront restaurants. The city mixes sheet-metal and wooden houses with the history of the former convicts and navigators who settled this remote land.
Stroll the historic center of Salta, where the Basilica Cathedral rises opposite 9 de Julio Square and the San Francisco Convent displays its 54-meter bell tower, the tallest in Argentina. Take the cable car up Cerro San Bernardo, try Salta-style empanadas at a peña with folk music, and visit the Museum of High Mountain Archaeology, home to the mummies of the Children of Llullaillaco. A few kilometers away, the Lerma and Cafayate valleys offer torrontés vineyards.
UNESCO Heritage(2)
Marvel at the 275 falls plunging up to 80 meters in a permanent roar, with the Devil's Throat as the park's most awe-inspiring spot. Walk the walkways over the Iguazú River, take a boat ride to the base of the falls, and explore the Misiones rainforest among coatis and toucans. The park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is crossed by an ecological train running from the entrance to the upper and lower circuits. Arrive early from Puerto Iguazú and bring a rain jacket: the spray soaks the closest viewing platforms.
Enter the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a 150-kilometer canyon in Jujuy where hills of reddish, ocher, and violet strata frame towns such as Tilcara and Humahuaca. Follow the route of the ancient Inca road, visit the Pucará de Tilcara, and chat with Quechua communities that keep a 10,000-year-old culture alive. This valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves colonial chapels, craft markets, and traces of a vanished civilization.
Natural Heritage(2)
Walk down the boardwalks facing the Perito Moreno Glacier in Santa Cruz and listen for the dry crack before a block of ice crashes into the channel. See up close the 70-meter ice face advancing 2 meters per day, with blue crevasses, seracs, and gray-green water. Hike the trails among ñire and lenga trees, watch for condors or foxes if they appear, and return in time to witness another calving from the balcony.
Discover the Valdés Peninsula, a nature reserve in Chubut declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, where orcas hunt by beaching themselves on the shore at Punta Norte. Walk through Caleta Valdés to see elephant seals resting alongside Magellanic penguins, and sail from Puerto Pirámides between June and December to see southern right whales with their calves. Book a guided safari from Puerto Madryn, hike the trails between steppe and cliffs, and encounter Patagonian wildlife roaming free.
Natural(2)
Walk through the Argentine Rockies, where glacial lakes, lenga forests, and snow create a fairytale landscape. Visit Lake Nahuel Huapi, ride up Cerro Catedral, and discover a skier's paradise. Explore the natural landscape, where geological formations, fauna, and flora form a living ecosystem. Hiking, wildlife watching, and contact with spectacular scenery. Natural processes have shaped this landscape over millions of years.
Camp under the clear skies of San Juan in the Valley of the Moon, where wind and erosion carved rock formations that look straight out of a science-fiction film. Follow the trails of Ischigualasto Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and admire geoforms such as El Submarino and El Bochinche amid ocher and gray tones. Walk among sedimentary layers millions of years old, where dinosaur fossils were found, and keep an eye out for the guanacos, foxes, and condors that roam this Argentine desert.
Region(1)
Travel through Mendoza along the wine routes linking Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, and the Uco Valley, where vineyards grow at the foot of the Andes. Visit the wineries, taste the local Malbec, and gaze at the snow-capped mountains from between the rows of vines. Explore the wine villages, sample regional cuisine in restaurants set among the estates, and learn about the harvest festival traditions celebrated each year with the whole local community.
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