Things to Do in Argentina

Cerro Catedral is a major attraction in the Bariloche area. It’s 20 km southwest of the city, and is a 2388-meter (7,800-foot) high peak from which you can see the contours of the valley, and the snow-capped volcanoes in the distance, on both the Chilean and Argentine side. There are abundant wildflowers in summer, and you get a view over one of the area’s major winter sports centers as well.

Most visitors take the Cablecarril and Silla Lynch, (two different gondolas/lifts) which also have a great view, and stop at the Confitería (café) for a coffee or hot chocolate to enjoy the view.

From here you can continue hiking along the ridge, to Refugio Frey, for a day hike or to spend the night. The area is very popular with rock climbers, and the mountain takes its names from the rocky spires that look like those of a Gothic Cathedral.

Visitors can also hike up the mountain, starting from the ski camp base. It’s a ten-kilometer, relatively easy hike and is usually possible from December to April, weather permitting.

Cachi, a tiny pueblo of only 5,000 people in northwestern Argentina, offers visitors a blissfully quiet base for exploring the Calchaquí Valley and surrounding archaeological sites, many of which exist well off Salta’s usual tourist path.

With over 350 different animal species and an acclaimed exotic breeding program, Buenos Aires Zoo is the go-to place for urban wildlife spotting, hitting headlines at the start of 2013 when one of its Bengal White Tigers produced a rare litter of four cubs. Located close to Plaza Italia in the heart of the city’s Palermo district, the zoo has been running since 1888 and today houses over 2,500 animal inhabitants, as well as spearheading Argentina’s zoological research, education and preservation efforts.

The 18-hectare park aims to mimic a range of different ecosystems, with a variety of unique enclosures and architecturally impressive buildings, set around a boating lake and island inhabited by a population of Madagascan Lemurs. Highlights include the subtropical jungle exhibition, where a suspension bridge offers a prime view of the lush vegetation and birdlife; an aquarium where piranhas, sea sharks and tropical fish are displayed alongside a penguin and seal pool; a Japanese style pagoda housing a family of Giant pandas;  and a dimly-lit bat enclosure. Giraffes, rhinoceros, pumas, lions, monkeys and elephants are just some of the zoo’s animal inhabitants, along with some more unique specimens like Red Pandas, Orangutans and a colorful array of native birdlife. There’s even a petting zoo where visitors can interact and feed goats, donkeys, llamas and Shetland ponies. The zoo also frequently opens its doors during the evening hours with after-dark visits offering the chance to see a different side of the animals’ lifestyle as well as getting the rare opportunity to watch the zoo’s nocturnal animals at large.

Argentina’s hot-spring spa town of Cacheuta has been a popular Andean resort since the early 1900s. Hot springs are a feature of the Andean foothills, and Cacheuta is one of the country’s major spa resorts. The first resort opened in 1904, and became a byword for luxurious relaxation, with bathing establishments and direct access to the spa from the town’s train station.

All this was swept away by the floods of 1934. Today, the ruins of the original spa are preserved within the new resort. Visitors can swim in the resort’s pools, have mud baths and spas in a series of rock pools lining the river, indulge in massage therapies, or go horseback riding and walking. The spa hotel offers luxury accommodation, and day visitors can use the day spa facilities, including sauna, thermal pools and relaxation areas. The resort also has an aqua park for all the family, with pools, slides and waterfalls.

Wild whitewater-rafting at its best surges along the Canon del Atuel, a gorge stretching from the Nihuil hydroelectric reservoir in Mendoza Province.

Kayakers, windsurfers, jetskiers, river-rafters, cyclists and all kinds of adventurers head to the canyon to take on the rapids and rugged landscapes, carved over the centuries by wind and water.

The river is bordered by steep cliffs, and natural rock sculptures formed by the elements have whimsical names like the Hanging Gardens, Monsters, Toad and Enchanted City.

A huge magnet for visitors, the Atuel region has a great range of hotels, country clubs and outdoor adventure facilities to choose from.

Follow Ruta Provincial 144 to the Nihuil reservoir for expansive valley views, or travel to the neighboring Valle Grande reservoir for more whitewater rafting on the River Atuel.

El Cabildo, a modest, two-story colonial building along the edge of Plaza de Mayo, once served as Buenos Aires’s original city hall. Within the white facade, meetings were held about Argentina’s declaration of independence in the first decades of the nineteenth century, the Uruguayan constitution was signed within the building in 1830, and it housed the National Court of Justice during the late 1800s. 

The Centro Cívico was built in the late 1930s, to reflect the architecture of the early German and Swiss settlers (from Berne) in a style referred to as “Bariloche-Alpine.” It serves as a central reference point, and a nearby sheltered area houses the helpful, multilingual tourist office.

The plaza that lies between the civic center and Lake Nahuel Huapi is a scene of ongoing activity and contrast. There are the tourist-happy vendors, complete with photo-ops with barrel-toting Saint Bernards, and more than its share of postcard vendors. At the same time, there’s a continual rotation of graffiti on the statue of General Roca, a controversial figure in Argentine military history.

Connected to the Centro Cívico is a tall stone tower with a steeply-pitched roof, which serves as the clock tower (Torre Reloj), and which strikes noon every day. Also on the plaza, to the north east, is the Museo de La Patagonia Perito Moreno (Perito Moreno Patagonian Museum), which brings together ethno-historical and natural displays, the former about the original (indigenous) inhabitants of the area, such as the Mapuche, Tehuelche and Fuegian peoples.

The natural history part of the museum contains a taxidermied collection of animals endemic to the area and farther afield. The third part of the museum follows Bariloche’s development from its founding in 1903. Next to the Patagonian Museum is the Biblioteca Sarmiento, a library and cultural center. One block north is the building that houses the administration of the national parks.

The town of Cafayate and the region that surrounds it have earned the nickname “Tuscany of Argentina” for its position as the nation’s second major wine producer after Mendoza. While much of Salta is dominated by arid landscapes, the microclimate surrounding Cafayate is home to some of the planet’s highest altitude vineyards — considered by some to be the most spectacular as well.

The eye-catching salmon-pink façade of Argentina’s presidential palace is one of the capital’s most iconic sights, standing proud over the city’s historic Plaza de Mayo public square. The aptly named Casa Rosada, or the ‘Pink House’, is the secondary mansion and office of the Argentine President, housing the government offices and providing the striking backdrop to Buenos Aires’ often-turbulent political history.

Erected in 1862, the Renaissance-style palace was initially to be painted white and theories abound as to hoe it got its rosy makeover, from ox blood being mixed into the paint to the then-President blending the red and white colors of opposing political rallyists. Designated a National Historic Monument of Argentina, the pink palace is perhaps most legendary for its lower balcony, from which the beloved Evita rallied the working class crowds back in 1949 – a moment that was famously recreated by Madonna in the 1996 movie Evita and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name.

The Casa Rosada now houses a museum showcasing the presidential history of Argentina and many of the opulent government chambers are open to the public by guided tour. Tour participants even get the chance to stand on Evita’s famous balcony, offering expansive views over the bustling Plaza de Mayo below.