Travel to Argentina

Danceoftheheart.com

Learn to tango from the master, Luciana Valle, in the heart of Buenos Aires. Along with Brian Dunn and Deborah Sclar of Colorado-based Dance of the Heart, Valle is offering six days of intensive study in the art of tango. Students receive expert guidance, four hours a day, five days a week with three hours of structured review on the final day.

Ciberarte

This is a cultural space located in the Buenos Aires Art Centre. It was a project propelled by the British Council and the Association Argentina of English Culture, that in order to promote the general culture and English in particular, created this new space for the interchange. Created with aesthetic care and modern ambiance, the Ciberarte makes room for all artistic expression: sculptures, paintings, photographs and drawings, done by creative Argentineans as well as foreigners..

Museo Etnográfico

This building, originally built as the seat of the University of Buenos Aires around 1880, was the work of Pedro Benoit's son, and was occupied at one time by the university's Faculty of Law. The museum houses valuable collections of anthropology, archaeology, folklore and ethnography, which add up to more than 150,000 artifacts and documents. Throughout the year, the museum offers exhibitions that deal with the country's original inhabitants, ceramics or textiles, among others, from Argentina, Peru or places as far away as Europe and Africa. Entrance: ARA2.

Reserva ecologica

This park consists of 350 hectares of land that can be visited every day of the year. Forty years ago the plans were to build a sports complex and residential accommodation, but as time went by, the local fauna and flora reclaimed the land and it became a natural reserve by the river. It is divided into four zones, of which the most relevant ones are the woods, where many different types of birds live, by the river; the lagoons and marshlands, inhabited by ducks, storks and swans; and finally the River Plate banks.

Cerro Aconcagua

Argentina's Cerro Aconcagua, situated in Mendoza 's  province, is the higest peak in the Western Hemisphere. At 22834 ft, or 6960 m, the peak towers over the Andes range and nearby Upsallata Pass, the transandine crossing between Argentina and Chile. The very first man that scaled it in 1897 was Edward Fitz Gerald, an English alpinist, Aconcagua still challenges climbers who must schedule at least two weeks to acclimatize to the altitude and ascend to the summit. Cerro Aconcagua is within the rugged Parque Provincial Aconcagua on the Argentine/Chilean border. The park rangers on the mountain will not allow access without a permit, which must be obtained personally in Mendoza before the climb. Take a friendly advice and not try it if you are not prepared for this kind of odissey.

Tango in Argentina

The tango was born with humble beginnings along Rio de la Plata towards the end of the 1800's. The tango was at first known as the dance of the poor: the porteños, residents of Buenos Aires, immigrants from Europe, and campesinos from the pampas merged their cultures in the poorer barrios of the city. Looked down upon by the wealthy and aristocratic residents of Buenos Aires, the tango gradually danced its way into the upper classes, who took it to Europe where it became the rage in Paris in the early 1920's. From there, it returned with joy and glory to Argentina, where in the 1940's and 1950's it enjoyed great popularity, and a number of tango singers, such as Carlos Gardel, Anibal Troilo and Astor Piazzolla surged to great fame.

Perito Moreno

When nature formed the great glaciers of Argentina, there were no political boundaries in southern South America, nor an area called Patagonia. Now of course, we refer to this land mass as Chile and Argentina and Patagonia is a term applied to the southern portions of each country. There are glaciers on both sides of the Andes, forming the Patagonian Ice Field, second only in size to Antartica. On the southwestern Argentine side, there are more than 300 glaciers, some of them in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Glacier National Park, extends for 217 miles (350 km) along the Andes. The park also includes mountains, rivers, lakes and forests and reaches into the arid Patagonian steppes to the east. Among the steep, jagged granite mountain peaks Cerro Fitz Roy, also known as Chaltén at 11236 ft (3405m) and Cerro Torre at 10236 ft (3102 m). Flora and fauna include stands of beech trees, shrubs, mosses, orchids, red firebush, and guanacos, large Patagonian hares, hawks, red foxes, Magellan geese, black-necked swans, flamingos, woodpeckers, skunks, pumas, condors and the near-extinct huemel deer. The huemel is now protected as a national monument.

Travel Tips V

Road Major privatization programs have resulted in many trunk roads being upgraded, and roads are generally in good condition. Expect tolls on motorways.
Rural roads, composed of packed dirt, become impassable after rain. Nonetheless, buses are considered to be a more reliable form of long-distance transport than trains.
Regulations: Traffic drives on the right. Drivers must be at least 21 years of age (sometimes up to 25 years of age) in order to be valid for hiring a car. Car hire: There are a number of agencies in Buenos Aires (including Avis, Dollar and Hertz). Documentation: International Driving Permit is required and this must be stamped at the offices of the Automóvil Club Argentino (website: www.aca.org.ar). These documents must be carried at all times whilst driving: proof of ownership, proof of insurance and receipt for last tax payment.
Taxi: Available in most cities and large towns and can either be hailed on the street or found at taxi ranks. They are usually recognizable by their yellow roofs. It is best to use hotel-recommended Urban Buenos Aires is generally well served by public transport. The city’s underground, the Subte, was the first to be constructed in Latin America. Recently privatized, its old glitzy stations (adorned with ceramic tiles portraying scenes of Argentine life) are now being renovated. There are five lines, labelled A to E. Services operate from early morning to late at night on a fixed-fare basis; tokens can be purchased at booking offices.
Bus: Services are provided by colectivo buses operating 24 hours a day on an inexpensive flat fare; however, these are often crowded, particularly at rush hour, but are usually prompt. There are extensive bus services in other towns, including trolleybuses in Rosario. The main bus station is in Buenos Aires, at Av. Ramos Mejia 1680, close to Retiro Station. taxis. Travel times The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Buenos Aires to other major cities/towns in Argentina.

Travel Tips IV

Prohibited items Animals and birds from Africa or Asia (except Japan) without prior authorization, parrots and fresh foodstuffs, particularly meat, dairy products and fruit. Explosives, inflammable items, narcotics and pornographic material are also forbidden. Note: All gold must be declared. It is wise to arrange customs clearance for expensive consumer items (cameras, computers, etc) to forestall any problems.
Internal Travel: Air Domestic flights from Jorge Newbery (Aeroparque) and Córdoba (COR) (Pajas Blancas) to destinations throughout Argentina are run by Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR). Air travel is the most efficient way to get around, but the services are very busy and can be subject to delay. There is a 30-day Visit Argentina Pass available, with four to eight coupons for flights within the country, with many accompanying airlines. It is also possible to buy a 60-day air pass. Domestic airports: Buenos Aires Aeroparque Jorge Newbury (AEP) is located on the bank of the Rio de la Plata, a few minutes away from the main financial and commercial district. To/from the airport: There are frequent bus and taxi services to all areas of the city as well as a coach connection to Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini international airport.
Facilities: Bank/bureau de change, left luggage, car rental and a tourist information kiosk. Departure tax: Between US$7.05 to US$8, and subject to frequent changes. Rail Owing to severe underfunding of State railways and recent privatization, many long haul services have been disrupted, although some suburban lines have been greatly improved. The domestic rail network extends over 43,000km (27,000 miles), which makes it one of the largest in the world. Children under three travel free and children aged three to 11 pay half fare. There are three classes: air conditioned, first class and second class. There are restaurant and sleeping facilities for first-class passengers. Second-class rail travel is good value. There are six main rail routes from Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires–Rosario (where one branch goes to Tucumán and Jujuy via Córdoba and the second branch goes to Tucumán and Jujuy via La Banda), Buenos Aires–Rojas, Buenos Aires–Santa Rosa, Buenos Aires–Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires–Las Flores–Quequén Necochea and Buenos Aires–Bahía Blanca (where a branch goes to San Carlos de Bariloche). Rail travelers are warned that once out of Buenos Aires, information is very hard to come by. Special fares: The Argempass entitles visitors to unlimited first-class train travel, but is only sold in Argentina at railway booking offices. Passes are available for 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. A supplement is charged for sleeping car accommodation. The passes must be used within 30 days of purchase and are valid from the first day of use to the last day at 2400. Other discount tickets include: Group Pass: 10 to 25 per cent discount for a group of 10 to 25 people; Family Pass: 25 per cent discount for a parent and up to two children; Youth Pass: 25 per cent discount for people under 30 years of age; Senior Pass: 25 per cent discount for women aged 55 and over and men aged 60 and over; and Student Pass: 25 per cent discount for students.

Travel Tips III

Sea/River Main ports: Buenos Aires, Quequén and Bahía Blanca. Ferries and hydrofoils link Buenos Aires with Montevideo in Uruguay, and there are ferry connections down the Paraná River from Paraguay.
Rail The major direct international route is from Buenos Aires to Asunción in Paraguay. There are also direct rail links with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay. Services are often disrupted and delays can be expected.
Road Argentina has a network of approximately 217,762km (136,101 miles) of roads, of which around 156,789km (97,993 miles) are paved. There are well-maintained road routes from Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile. Coach: Direct daily services between Buenos Aires, Puerto Alegre, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The following goods may be imported into Argentina without incurring customs duty: (a) Travelers over 18 years of age coming from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay, or residents returning to Argentina after less than one year’s stay in these countries, may import the following goods to a value of US$100: 200 cigarettes and 25 cigars; 1l of alcohol; 2kg of foodstuffs. (b) Travelers over 18 years of age coming from countries other than those listed above, or residents returning to Argentina after less than one year’s stay in countries other than those above, may import the following goods to a value of US$300: 400 cigarettes and 50 cigars; 2l of alcohol; 5kg of foodstuffs.