Everything in one place

by Jerrard Doran

The 8th biggest country in the world. A country spanning seven different climactic zones. From the lowest point on the South American continent (that’s Laguna del Carbón) to the highest peak in all of the Americas (and that is Aconcagua). Home to the largest ice cap in the Southern Hemisphere, outside of Antarctica, and to the World’s most Southerly city, Ushuaia. A place where you can find lakes, vineyards, desert, salt flats, canyons, steppe, jungle, not to mention Iguazú – a waterfall system made up of a staggering 275 individual waterfalls. There is over 4,500km of coastline and then, Buenos Aires – the second biggest metropolitan area on the continent and a city that, try as you might, one can’t help but call cosmopolitan. I knew this, and yet, the sheer diversity to be found in just this one country was still more than I could have ever imagined. Here are some of my highlights from the month I spent there.

Buenos Aires

It would be criminal not to begin this with Buenos Aires. I felt an intangible air of excitement about this city; a feeling of something known yet entirely unknown. Everything you may have heard about the place is almost certainly true – every corner I turned brought a new surprise and I don’t think you could ever be done exploring here. Choosing just one photo to sum up this metropolis wasn’t difficult:

Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata is unlike any other seaside experience I have ever had. A sea of colourful umbrellas and deckchairs, no patch is left unused. I took a walk along the seafront in disbelief, before escaping by bus to Playa Serena on the edge of town. A welcome escape, this second beach lived up to its name.

Salta Province

As if the diversity across the entire country wasn’t enough, one of the amazing things about Argentina is the amount of landscapes and experiences to be found in one province alone. Tucked up in the northwest, Salta boasts beautiful colonial cities and towns, hillsides with every colour of the rainbow, vineyards and a chance to taste the local speciality of Cafayate Torrontes white wine, the Salinas Grandes salt flats and the lush jungle of the Southern Andean Yungas. With a rich Gaucho culture, there is also some incredible music to be found in Salta once the sun goes down.

Perito Moreno Glacier, Patagonia

Patagonia has so much to offer. It can be quite expensive to travel here given the remoteness and the distances are huge, but whatever you do, don’t let that put you off. An obvious choice or not, if I had to choose one highlight (a difficult task indeed) it is the Perito Moreno Glacier. Located in the Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno is a beast of a glacier, stretching thirty kilometres and growing.

Jerrard Doran is a freelance writer with a keen interest in world travel, currently working on behalf of eShores, a small Manchester-based luxury travel company