Buenos Aires & the Best of Argentina Alive

BUENOS AIRES

& the Best of

ARGENTINA

ALIVE

Arnold Greenberg

Harriet Greenberg, Editor

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC. 

michael@hunterpublishing.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions are the result of negligence, accident or any other cause.

Maps by Kim André © Hunter Publishing, Inc.

www.hunterpublishing.com

Acknowledgments

With special thanks to Susan Brushaber for all her valuable assistance in this revision.

About the Alive Guides

Reliable, detailed and personally researched by knowledgeable authors, the Alive series was founded by Harriet and Arnold Greenberg. Arnold has co-authored South America on $40 A Day,as well as Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao Alive. Harriet has co-authored the Virgin Islands Alive and St. Martin & St. Barts Alive and is currently researching Puerto Rico Alive.

This accomplished travel-writing team also operates a renowned bookstore, The Complete Traveller at 199 Madison Avenue in New York City.

We Love to Get Mail

This book has been carefully researched to bring you current, accurate information. But no place is unchanging. We welcome your comments for future editions. Please e-mail your comments to michael@hunterpublishing.com.

Introduction

Congratulations! If you are reading this introduction you are at least contemplating taking a trip to Argentina. If so, you can look forward to an extraordinary vacation, enjoying both man-made wonders and natural ones. Argentina is not yet a major tourist destination, although the number of visitors from North America has risen dramatically during the last several years. The reasons are obvious. They begin where everything begins in Argentina – Buenos Aires.

One of the world’s most wondrous cities, Buenos Aires is more European than Latin American. Open the phonebook and you’ll find as many Italian surnames as Spanish ones. You’ll also find many British, German, Jewish and Japanese names. Much like the United States, Argentina experienced waves of immigration at the turn of the century and after the Second World War.

Buenos Aires is a city that hardly sleeps, with restaurants routinely serving until 2 or 3 am. There are no obvious slums and, unlike many US cities, the downtown areas are not decaying. In fact, they are the heart of the city, home to the best hotels, shops and restaurants. You’ll spend much of your time downtown.

Soccer is a national passion; but, thanks to the British, polo is also first rate.

The city has many fine museums and a worldreknowned opera house. Shopping for fine leathers and furs can be fun and rewarding.

You can begin and end your stay in Buenos Aires. But why not see the rest of Argentina? The second-largest country in South America, it covers an area of over one million square miles. If you can imagine South America resembling a lamb chop, Argentina and Chile share the bone.

Did You Know? The country is over 2,000 miles long and only 884 miles across at its widest point. It narrows as it moves southward and its terrain varies dramatically, changing from tropical jungles and rain forests in the north, to majestic Andes peaks that are snowcapped year-round along the spine and an everexpanding glacier near its southern tip.

Argentina offers a wide range of vacation options that change with the seasons. Of course, since Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, when it’s winter in New York, it’s summer in Buenos Aires. Avid skiers may want to combine a July 4th visit to Buenos Aires with great skiing near Mendoza or in Bariloche. If you prefer to trek, hunt or fish, you can explore Argentina’s national parks in the Argentine summer and swim in Lake Nahuel Huapi on Christmas Eve. Islands inhabited only by penguins and the world’s most spectacular waterfall can also be part of an Argentine vacation. See Around Argentina for experiences in other parts of this vast country.

Getting to Argentina

By Air

Buenos Aires is readily accessible from the US and Canada, with major carriers flying to the capital city daily. They offer direct flights, usually with one stop en route at Lima, Rio or Miami. Gateway cities include New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

See Buenos Aires A-Z for a list of the airlines that fly here.

The Visit Argentina Pass

This is actually a booklet of flight coupons that must be purchased at the time you buy your ticket to Argentina. 

The Visit Argentina Airpass has two fare levels, the most economical when arriving/departing internationally in Argentina with Aerolineas Argentinas and the next level when arriving with other carriers.

The fare for this airpass is based on the number of coupons in the booklet. It can range from $459 to $1,209, for three to 12 tickets, provided you fly to Argentina on Aerolineas. If you fly in on other airlines, the cost is $579 to $1,329 for three to 12 tickets.

You have to plan carefully since you must state the destinations you intend to use the coupons for at time of purchase (dates are open), and each connecting flight requires an individual coupon.

Domestic carriers are discussed in the Around Argentina section.

Some travelers may welcome breaking up the flight with a short diversion at the Rio airport.

Aerolíneas Argentinas is the national carrier of Argentina. It enjoys a fine reputation for good service both in the air and on the ground. Its private terminal at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, complete with customs facilities, allows you to move through the entrance formalities quickly. Evening flights to Buenos Aires depart from both Miami and New York’s John F. Kennedy airport and arrive in Buenos Aires the following morning. There are also morning flights that depart out of Miami on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Aerolíneas offers a host of special tours which you should investigate.

In the US, the toll-free number for Aerolíneas Argentinas is tel. 1-800-333-0276, with assistance available from 9 am to 9 pm (EST), Monday through Friday, and 10 am to 6:45 pm on weekends. Email is informes@aerolineas.com.ar  and the website is www.aerolineas.com.ar.

American Airlines has two daily flights out of Miami and one out of New York’s John F. Kennedy airport. All are evening departures. For information and reservations, tel. 800-433-7300.

United Airlines offers daily non-stop service to Buenos Aires from Chicago, New York and Miami. All are evening flights. For information and reservations, tel. 800-241-6522.

Varig Brazilian Airlines, an excellent carrier, flies from New York and Miami to Rio, where you can transfer for the daily flight to Buenos Aires. For information and reservations, tel. 800-GO-VARIG.

Canadian Pacific offers daily service to Buenos Aires from Toronto and Vancouver. For information and reservations, tel. 800-426-7000. Many other Latin American carriers fly from their home base to Buenos Aires. These include AeroPerú, Avianca, LanChile and Viasa. This takes on major importance if Buenos Aires is just one stop on a South America trip.

To get the best fares, you will have to do your homework or have an experienced travel agent do it for you. Deregulation, length of time before departure, your flight route, season and a host of other factors affect fares. Make sure to explore such money-saving options as package tours offered by the airlines, bucket shops, stand-by travel (if your time is flexible), and assorted charter opportunities. The Internet is a great source for last-minute bargains. Three websites worth looking into are www.airwebtravel.net, www. priceline.com and www.webflyer.com.

Overland

Buses, ferries and trains link Argentina with countries nearby – although rarely via Buenos Aires. You can drive or hop a bus from Chile (no rail). The busiest crossing goes from Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, although the most exciting is from Puerto Montt through the Chilean and Argentinean lake regions.

Overland Routes in Argentina

This route is particularly recommended if you can break your trip. There are bus and rail connections between Bolivia and Argentina, and you can hop a bus or ferry in Paraguay. The most popular crossing is the one at Iguazú, which is also the favored crossing point from Brazil. Keep in mind that you will still be far from Buenos Aires. Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires are just a hydrofoil ride apart.

Health & Safety Tips

No matter where you travel, take some simple precautions in order to avoid health problems, crime and other mishaps. Following are a few suggestions:

To avoid suspicion when passing through customs, always carry prescription medications in their original containers. Be sure to bring a few extra days worth of medication in case your return home is delayed.

Research the health risks of the areas you plan to visit and allow yourself time to update or get vaccinations and immunizations as necessary. You should also check on the availability of medical care.

Try to avoid tap water, ice cubes, local dairy products and raw or uncooked foods if you are traveling in rural areas or cities in lesser developed nations. Drink bottled water.

Carry a small medical kit with basic emergency supplies, including stomach remedies, band-aids, gauze, antiseptic, and neosporin or something similar for insect bites. If you have any allergies (insect bites, foods, etc.) or health conditions that require a special medication, include it in your medical kit. Check on the accessibility of medical assistance before you leave home.

Make several copies of your travel itinerary, airline tickets, passport, credit cards and traveler’s cheques receipts. Leave a few at home with trusted friends and/or family members and carry copies in one or two separate pieces of your luggage in case the originals are lost or stolen.

Leave expensive jewelry at home. As a rule of thumb, if any item is of value to you, sentimental or otherwise, leave it home.

Never display large amounts of money. Instead, divide your cash among your pockets and purse. If you must carry a large amount of cash, keep it in a money belt close to your body and wait until you are in a private location to retrieve it.

Avoid walking alone at night in an unfamiliar area. Walk confidently (even if you’re not) and keep your eyes open.

TIP: If you are a frequent traveler, either for business or pleasure, or you have special medical needs, consider joining International SOS Assistance, Inc.,a leading provider of worldwide medical, personal, travel, legal and security assistance services for corporate travelers and expatriates as well as leisure and scholastic travelers. Check out their website at www.Intsos.com.

Entry Requirements

A valid passport is required for US and Canadian citizens to enter Argentina. In addition, you will be issued a tourist card by the airline prior to landing which you must keep in your passport at all times. This is generally true for citizens of other Latin American and European countries. All foreign students who come to Argentina to study should check on entry requirements. No special vaccinations are necessary to enter Argentina.

Climate

Argentina’s climate varies by region. Located in the heart of the Pampas along the shores of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires enjoys a fairly dry climate. The summer months (December through March) can be very hot and humid, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s.

TIP: School vacations begin at Christmas and continue through January. The city is less crowded then and a few restaurants close.

The Buenos Aires winter is cool but relatively mild, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Heavy rainfall occurs during the winter months and, although rare, snow is not unheard of.

The northeastern region, including Iguazú Falls, is semi-tropical and humid all year long. Temperatures are lowest in July and August. Bariloche, a year-round resort destination, has summer temperatures in the high 70s, while winter temperatures are often in the 30s. Patagonia is much colder and rainfall is heavier. Winds, sometimes at gale force, are not uncommon, and weather fluctuates greatly in a 24-hour period. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, is most popular in the summer when the temperature is often in the 50s.

Measurements

Argentina operates on the metric system. To convert kilometers to miles, multiply by .621. To convert meters to feet, multiply by 3.28.

1 Km = .621 miles

5 Km = 3.10 miles

10 Km = 6.20 miles

15 Km = 9.30 miles

20 Km = 12.40 miles

Packing For Your Trip

Depending on the season and regions you will be traveling in, you will need to pack a somewhat varied suitcase. For Buenos Aires and the temperate regions, plan on light, spring-like clothing for the summer months and don’t forget your bathing suit. Make sure you have a light jacket or sweater for cool evenings and heavier clothes if you are traveling south. Obviously, if you are planning to visit Bariloche during ski season (May through September), you will need warm winter-wear. The same is true if you plan to stay in Buenos Aires during the winter. Bring a warm sweater or jacket.

While clothing in more rural parts of Argentina tends to be casual (jeans are quite acceptable all over), Buenos Aires residents are quite fashionconscious and often dress more formally. Dressing up for dinner is an everyday occurrence in the city and is usually required in the nicer restaurants or nightclubs. Men should bring along a jacket and tie, and women should have at least one dressy outfit. Walking shorts are generally acceptable in the capital (but not at dinner).

The dress code relaxes in summer.

Money Matters

Cash

Historically, the Argentine exchange rate fluctuated sharply and suddenly – sometimes overnight – until 1992 when the new peso replaced the austral at a rate of 10,000 australes to one new peso. Additionally, the Argentine peso was pegged to the dollar and, because of that, rates have remained constant ever since.

Did You Know? In 1999, there was even discussion of adopting the dollar as an official currency.

Hence, the exchange rate of the new peso has been holding steady at $1 US to one new peso. However, economic and political thinking changes over time. Just as you should whenever you travel, check the rate immediately prior to your departure.

It may help for you to be aware of the events leading up to the introduction of the new peso. In the 1970s, Buenos Aires was one of Latin America’s best buys for the dollar, a budget traveler’s dream. A steak dinner at a lovely restaurant could run all of three dollars. With the advent of the parallel market in 1974, there was enormous variation between the parallel and the official rate, so costs depended largely on where you purchased your pesos.

Inflation soared out of sight in 1980. A cup of coffee, for example, cost $5 and a cab to the airport from Buenos Aires was over $50. In 1985 the austral replaced the peso as the unit of currency at approximate par with the dollar. Inflation continued to soar and so did the strength of the dollar. Upon his election in 1989, Argentina’s president, the Peronist Carlos Menem enforced strict austerity measures and the Argentine economy began to improve.

Today, prices in Buenos Aires are comparable to those of other major cities around the world, although slightly lower than in New York and Paris.

Dollars and travelers checks can be exchanged at banks and cambios (exchange houses) as well as at your hotel. At this writing there is no parallel market and the dollar and peso are accepted equally. By the way, in the years when it did exist, it was not a hush-hush thing. Parallel rates were published in daily newspapers!

Credit Cards

All major international credit cards – American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Diner’s Club – are readily accepted at hotels, restaurants, and shops.

TIP: