A short guide to planning your next backpacking trip in Argentina
After seven months on the road, we made it to Argentina. Argentina is such a beautiful place, which, much like Chile where we were coming from, is perfect for every kind of traveller, whether you like nature, art, food or big cities. Argentina is also a great place for backpackers and, although unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit too many places here – distances are big and travelling from one place to the other by bus takes a long time – we really enjoyed our stay here.
In this post, you’ll find useful info on:
- Top places to visit
- When to travel to Argentina
- Money and ATM
- How much would your trip to Argentina cost
- Public Transport and Taxis
Top places to visit
Because Argentina is so big, here you can find different types of landscapes, from deserts to jungles, to beaches and more, and they are all worth exploring.
Our itinerary included:
El Calafate – a cute town in the Argentinian side of Patagonia and the ideal base to explore other places in the area, such as Perito Moreno, El Chalten, or Laguna Nimez
Perito Moreno – a 35 km long glacier which is the main attraction of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Buenos Aires – the country’s biggest city, full of art, good food and nice people and a great stop if you are backpacking to meet other people who are doing the same and exchange tips.
Cataratas de Iguazu – another UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most incredible places I have ever seen.
In the next few posts, I’m going to talk more about these places but as I said above, in addition to them, there are so many stops that were on our list but unfortunately, we couldn’t visit (this is a good excuse to go back, right?).
These places are:
- Bariloche as a base to also visit the beautiful Lake District
- Salta to visit not only the town, but also the Salt Flats and Quebrada de Humahuaca, la 14 colour mountain!
- Ushuaia – also known as the “End of the World” – the southernmost tip of South America
- Mendoza to go on a wine tour
- El Chalten, another place in the Argentinian side of Patagonia
When to travel to Argentina
There isn’t a particular time of the year when it’s best to visit Argentina. However, there are some areas, like Patagonia, that are not accessible during the winter.
December through February are the summer months, and this is the best time to visit Patagonia and the country’s beaches. On the other hand, June to August are the winter month and, while this is the peak of the Ski season, some places in Patagonia and beaches are shut down.
Over the spring – September to November – the Lake District fills up with wildflowers and this is also supposed to be the best time to visit Buenos Aires, while autumn – March to May – is a good time to visit Mendoza to see gold and copper-coloured vines.
We visited Argentina in April during autumn and we found that the temperature and weather, in general, was ideal for all the activities we did and the places we visited.
Money and ATM
Of all the places I visited in South America, Argentina was the trickiest when it comes to withdrawing money.
The official currency in the country is the Argentine peso (AR$) but it is not as easy to say exactly how much that would equal in Euro or Dollar, as its value changes quite often. €1 is usually around AR$120.
ATMs issues in Argentina
ATMs – or Cajeros automáticos – can be found everywhere but there are some issues with them. The first one is that often enough they run out of cash, particularly in the most popular destinations and smaller places like El Calafate and El Chaltén.
The second issue is that withdrawal fees can be high enough, as much as 15-20% in fees per transaction. This, alongside the fact that there are very low withdrawal limits – approximately the equivalent of US$100 – and inflation, meaning costs can add up very quickly, is not ideal if you are planning to spend a long time in Argentina.
Finally, not all ATMs accept all credit cards.
Cash and Credit Cards in Argentina
So what to do if you can’t or don’t want to use an ATM? The first tip is to bring a lot of cash with you before entering Argentina. US dollar is the best currency to have, not only because it is widely accepted almost everywhere (except the smaller towns), but also because you can easily exchange them at the best rate. Dollars and Euros can be exchanged at banks and exchange houses (called cambios here) in most bigger cities, although other currencies can be difficult to change outside Buenos Aires. If you are coming from Chile or Uruguay, it’s always possible to exchange Chilean and Uruguayan pesos at the border.
Although some hostels will tell you that you can exchange them in the street, bargaining on their value, it’s always best to use a bank or a cambio, as counterfeiting, of both local and US bills, has become a problem in recent years. Simply remember to bring your passport with you.
Finally, some accommodations or tourist agencies will quote you prices straight in US dollars, as the peso is very unstable and some places prefer to use a currency that isn’t always fluctuating.
As far as credit cards are concerned, if you don’t have cash, many hotels, restaurant and other tourists services tourist services accept credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard. Although some other businesses in smaller or less touristy places might not. Moreover, some places offer a discount if you pay with cash instead of card.
Don’t be surprised if you see an extra charge when you pay for something by card: some businesses add 5% to 10% surcharge on credit card purchases. Moreover, don’t forget that the final amount you pay will depend on the official exchange rate not on the day you paid for your service or item, but on the time the transaction is posted on your account, which can be even a week or two later.
How much would your trip to Argentina cost
Although Argentina is definitely more expensive to visit than other countries in South America, you can still find options if you are travelling on a budget. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that because of the increased popularity of certain destinations, some of the most visited destinations have put in place a two-tier pricing system, where non-Argentinian people pay a higher price than local people. We ran into this in some places in Buenos Aires like museums, tours, etc.., and in Patagonia with entrance to National Parks.
Overall, the average place per night for a bed in a dorm is between €10 and €20, while the price for a private ensuite room in a hostel or good budget hotel is between €40 and €60.
For example, in Buenos Aires, where we spent quite a long time, we first stayed in an apartment in the Palermo area where we paid around €28 per night. Then we moved to a hostel in the centre of Buenos Aires where we paid around €35 euro per night for a private ensuite room, whereas a bed in a dorm in the same hostel would have been €16 each. In El Calafate, we paid €28 per night in a private room in a hostel, whereas a bed in a dorm in the same hostel would have been €15 each.
A meal out can be anything from €10 up to €30 euro, including nice wine. In Argentina food is delicious everywhere, so even a cheaper meal will be amazing!
I will talk more about public transport and taxis in the next section, however, an average four-hour bus ticket is around €25 and a taxi trip in Buenos Aires can cost up to €10.
Overall, we spent around €800 for 3 weeks for 2 people.
Public Transport
Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world and visiting it all can take a long time, considering distances between places. For example, the distance between two of the most popular destinations here, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires is over 3,000 km. So how to get around here?
If you want to explore places off the beaten track, the best solution for you is to rent a car, particularly if you are planning to visit many destinations in Patagonia or outside the bigger cities. Renting a car is however more expensive than in Europe and in North America.
The best way to cover long distances in Argentina is by bus, which is the most cost-effective way. You can even opt for overnight buses and choose the semi-cama or cama (fully-reclined) seat options for comfort. Just to get an idea of distances and cost, these are some of the most common destinations from Buenos Aires:
| Cordoba | 800 AR$ | 10 hours |
| Mendoza | 1,300 AR$ | 15 hours |
| Bariloche | 2,000 AR$ | 24 hours |
| Mar de Plata | 600 AR$ | 6 hours |
| Iguazu | 1,900 AR$ | 18 hours |
| Salta | 1,600 AR$ | 22 hours |
Trains are also an option and Argentina has some incredibly scenic routes for tourists, including the Tren de la Costa from Buenos Aires to Tigre, the Tren Patagónico through the Lake District or the Tren de Fin del Mundo which is famous for being the most southerly railway on Earth, in Tierra del Fuego.
Buenos Aires can count on a lot of reliable public transport too, but I will talk more about this in the guide to Buenos Aires, so keep an eye out.
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