Argentina

The Lake District has some ofArgentina’s most beautiful scenery with shimmering lakes and jagged peaks. It is a paradise for hiking, fishing, rafting, riding or just driving through the stunning landscape. On the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche is the centre of Argentina's Lake District. There is an Alpine feel to the town, with timber and local stone buildings making up the historic centre. The classic 7 Lakes Road between San Martinde los Andes and Bariloche will take you past some hidden gems in forested valleys with numerous options for hikes to stretch your legs or even swim in some of the quieter lakeside bays.

Argentina's northwest is culturally closer to the Andean cultures of Bolivia and Peru than the European influenced south. Sliding down from the Andes in the east, the region is a mosaic of parched terracotta deserts, blinding white salt flats and lush green tobacco plantations dotted with colonial adobe villages. The region's show stoppers are geology at its finest (the Puna) and as if it couldn’t get any better, the region is also home to the world's highest vineyards, an area mooted as the next Napa Valley?

If you want to increase your chances of seeing southern right whales, penguins, sea lions, dolphins and elephant seals then Argentina’s Atlantic coast is where you need to come. Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdés fringe the Atlantic coast, in the northern reaches of Patagonia. The city of Puerto Madryn was founded by a group of Welsh immigrants in 1865 and has grown steadily ever since. It overlooks the sheltered waters of Golfo Nuevo and is one of the best places to see whales in Argentina - in particular, southern right whales, which visit the bay each year between June and December to breed.

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Patagonia is a region encompassing the vast southern most tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile, with theAndes Mountains as its dividing line. The Argentine side features arid steppes, grasslands and deserts, while the Chilean has glacial fjords and temperate rainforest. Argentina’s famed RN-40 highway passes the pinnacles of Monte Fitz Roy and Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park.

The biggest falls in South America and straddling the border of Argentina and Brazil, the Iguazu Falls stretch almost3 kms. Iguazu is a Tupi Indian name meaning 'Great Waters' and it needs to be seen to be believed!

With its elegant architecture and fashion-conscious inhabitants, Buenos Aires is often seen as more European than South American.  It is a cosmopolitan city, often referred to as the ‘Paris of South America’, with many different areas for you to explore. Often a trip to Argentina is book-ended with nights in the city and in this case we would encourage you to stay in different areas at the beginning and end of your stay to experience as much as possible.