Things to Do in Argentina

The road of the seven lakes (Siete Lagos) is a spectacular 108 km (about 65-mile) drive in Argentina’s lake-dotted Patagonian lakes region. Route 234 runs from Villa La Angostura up to San Martín de Los Andes, not far from the undisputed capital and largest city of the region, Bariloche.

The seven lakes drive passes looming mountains, majestic lakes, waterfalls, turn-offs with emerald lagoons, beech forests, and even condor nesting areas. The seven lakes, going from Villa Lo Angostura, on the north shore of branched Lake Nahuel Huapi (Bariloche is on the south side) are the following: Nahuel Huapi, Espejo, Correntoso, Villarino, Falkner, Machónico and Lácar. Lago Escondido (which means hidden lake) is not technically on the route, but you can take a peek at it between Villarino and Correntoso all the same.

On this drive, you’ll also pass the Argentine national parks of Nahuel Huapi and Lanín, both of which are worth a visit. The best views are in autumn (in April and May) with the beech forests turning red and yellow.

While it may seem odd that one of Buenos Aires’ principal tourist attractions is a cemetery, the Recoleta Cemetery is no ordinary graveyard. Encircled by a towering perimeter wall and entered via a striking columned portico, Recoleta Cemetery is one of the world’s most exquisite necropolises; a glorious ‘City of the Dead’ that houses some of the country’s most prominent political, military and artistic icons.

Over 6,400 tombs are found in the Cemetery, laid out in formal tree-lined avenues and punctuated with beautifully sculpted monuments, poignant marble statutes and grand, bronze-cast mausoleums. Notable burial plots include the vivid white stone tomb of newspaper founder José C. Paz, flanked by a pair of dazzling Rubenesque angels; the ostentatious tomb of former Argentine president Carlos Pellegrini, featuring an elaborate statue of the controversial leader atop the coffin; and the evocative statues of crying widows kneeling beside the tomb of Colonel Falcon, the Chief of Police famously assassinated by rebels in 1909. One of the most visited tombs is that of the city’s beloved Eva Perón, or Evita, whose family vault blooms year-round with bunches of fresh flowers and is inscribed with the promise: ‘I will return and be millions!’

With a list of residents that reads like a who’s who of Buenos Aires’ high society, the cemetery serves not only as a resting place for the dead but as a testament to the golden age of Buenos Aires and the equally turbulent and triumphant history of Argentina. One thing’s for sure – the ornate miniature city with its breathtaking sculptures and fine works of art is a fitting tribute to everyone buried there.

Composing part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay, this 180-mile-long estuary is formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River. Though used for centuries by native tribes, the river wasn’t explored by Europeans until the 16th-century Spanish navigator Juan Díaz de Solís went in search of a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. He originally named this enclosed coastal body, about one mile across at its widest point, the Mar Dulce, or freshwater sea; after multiple explorations by various other Spanish navigators, the waterway came to be known as the Rio de la Plata, or River of Silver, for the promise of riches thought to lie upstream.

San Antonio de los Cobres, 104 miles (168 km) west of Salta, got its start as a mining town, thanks to the copper-rich mountains that surround it. The mining industry has faded, and today, the town’s livelihood comes mainly from the tourist industry, as it’s a stop on the famous Tren a las Nubes (Train of the Clouds).

Iguazu Falls aren't northern Argentina's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. History buffs may be tempted away from the falls by the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis, a cluster of well-preserved ruins of reducciones, or settlements, built here by the Catholic order in the 1600s. There are four of these beautiful walled cities to explore: Sao Miguel das Missoes, in Brazil, and Argentina's Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Santa Maria Mayor, and San Ignacio Mini, the finest of them all.

San Ignacio Mini was originally founded in 1611, and moved to the current location in 1696. Hewn from beautifully carved red sandstone, it was designed to both protect and convert indigenous Guaranis, primarily children, to Catholicism. The remains of a magnificent church, as well as sleeping and living quarters, can all be explored on a guided tour.

After the Spanish Empire evicted the Jesuits in 1767, the recciones were systematically destroyed and forgotten. The ruins, rediscovered in 1897, have been partially restored. A nightly light show spectacular tells the story of Guarani life inside these crumbling walls.

The Salado River (Rio Juramento) flows some 715 miles (1,150 km) from its source in Salta Province to where it dumps into the Paraná in Santa Fe Province. The portion of the river that runs through Salta has become famous among outdoor adventurers for its rapids, perfect for rafting and kayaking.

Seeing a tango show is a quintessential Buenos Aires experience. Tango Porteno, housed within a former MGM movie theater, stages one of the best tango shows in town. The art deco-style theater is the perfect place for a trip back to the 1940s, considered the golden age of tango in Argentina. The show mixes clips of old tango footage with a live orchestra and sensual dancers, all complemented by an artistic set worthy of a Broadway production. 

One of the most otherworldly sights to see in the Salta area is Salinas Grandes, a giant salt plain that seems to glisten in the sunlight and spread out as far as the eye can see. The flat expanse of almost blindingly white salt crust and the (usually) clear blue sky together create a vista similar to the more famous salt flats of Bolivia.