Category: Argentina

A mellow little riverside place, Gualeguaychú is very quiet out of season and you won’t find much to do apart from stroll by the river or in the lush Parque Unzué – which makes it very appealing if you’ve just come from Buenos Aires, for example. Argentine holidaymakers begin to arrive in December, and in January and February the place really kicks off, with the country’s longest and flashiest Carnaval celebrations.

The main access point for the spectacular Esteros del Iberá wetlands, Mercedes is a handsome gaucho town with a mighty easy pace to life. Its claim to fame is the nearby –and utterly surreal – roadside shrine to the gaucho Antonio Gil, an enormously popular religious phenomenon, located 9km west of town.

East of Laguna Blanca are the wildlife-rich marshlands of 600-sq-km Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo. Its outstanding feature is shallow, shimmering Laguna Blanca (not to be confused with the town) where, at sunset, caimans lurk on the lake’s surface. Other animals are likelier to be heard than seen; species such as tapirs, anteaters, and the maned wolf are present. Birds are abundant, with rheas, parrots, cormorants, jabirú, and raptors easily spotted. The park has grasslands studded with caranday palms, and thicker riverine vegetation.

Little Purmamarca, 3km west of the highway, sits under the celebrated Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors), a spectacular and jagged formation resembling the marzipan fantasy of a megalomaniac pastry chef. It and the surrounds offer a memorable range of hues.

Living in the shadow of a world-class destination like Mendoza can’t be easy and, to its credit, San Juan doesn’t even try to compete. Life in this provincial capital moves at its own pace, and the locals are both proud and humble about their little town.

Argentines can justly claim Latin America’s highest peak (Cerro Aconcagua), its widest street (9 Julio) and perhaps its prettiest capital, but its beaches are nothing to write home about. Nonetheless, while well-heeled porteños head to Uruguay and Brazil to while away the summer, most folks flock to the string of ­resort towns that dot the Atlantic Coast.

The Quebrada’s largest settlement is its most handsome, with atmospheric cobblestoned streets, adobe houses and quaint plaza. You can feel the nearby puna here, with chilly nights, sparse air and a quiet Quechua population. Humahuaca feels less affected by tourism than the towns further south, and is the better for it. There are good handicrafts shops around town, and folk musicians strum and sing in the more popular restaurants.

Merlo is a growing resort known for its gentle microclimate (the local tourist industry buzz­word) in a relatively dry area. The town is located 200km northeast of the city of San Luis, tucked into the northeast corner of San Luis province.