Things to do in Argentina

25 things to do in Argentina

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Watch the Perito Moreno Glacier calve into Lago Argentino

  Stand on the viewing platforms as house-sized icebergs crack and crash into turquoise waters from the face of this 250 km² advancing glacier. The thunderous sound and sheer scale make it one of Earth's most awe-inspiring natural spectacles.

  El Calafate, Santa Cruz

• Hike to the base of Mount Fitz Roy in Los Glaciares National Park

  Trek the Laguna de los Tres trail through lenga forests and glacial moraines to reach the iconic granite spires of Fitz Roy reflected in a milky turquoise lagoon. The 20 km round trip is one of Patagonia's most rewarding day hikes.

  El Chaltén, Santa Cruz

• Eat a parrilla feast at Don Julio in Buenos Aires

  Queue at this Palermo institution for grass-fed beef cooked over a wood-fired grill, from bife de chorizo to mollejas (sweetbreads). The wine cellar holds over 10,000 Argentine bottles and the butcher selects cattle from local estancias.

  Palermo, Buenos Aires

• Watch a tango show at Café Tortoni

  Experience tango in the ornate back room of Buenos Aires' oldest café, opened in 1858, with its stained glass, marble columns and framed photos of past regulars including Jorge Luis Borges. Dancers perform amid chandeliers and checkered floors.

  San Telmo, Buenos Aires

• Visit the Recoleta Cemetery and Evita's tomb

  Wander the labyrinthine paths of this grand necropolis lined with elaborate mausoleums, Art Deco angels and crumbling crypts of Argentina's elite. Eva Perón's modest but guarded Duarte family vault draws the biggest crowds.

  Recoleta, Buenos Aires

• Take a boat to the thundering Iguazú Falls from the Argentine side

  Walk the upper and lower circuit walkways through subtropical jungle to see 275 cascades spanning nearly 3 km. The Zodiac boat ride plunges directly into the spray of Devil's Throat, the tallest and most deafening section at 82 metres.

  Puerto Iguazú, Misiones

• Explore the colourful streets of La Boca and Caminito

  Stroll the corrugated-metal tenements painted in vivid blues, yellows and reds along this pedestrian walkway. Tango dancers perform on the cobblestones and street artists sell paintings under the open sky in Buenos Aires' most photographed barrio.

  La Boca, Buenos Aires

• Drive the Ruta 40 through the Quebrada de Humahuaca

  Follow Argentina's legendary highway past striped sedimentary hillsides of the Hornocal viewpoint, pre-Inca ruins at Pucará de Tilcara and colourful Quebrada villages. The 155 km UNESCO-listed gorge connects the Altiplano to the subtropical north.

  Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy

• Sip Malbec at a Mendoza vineyard in the Uco Valley

  Tour bodegas nestled at the foot of the Andes between 900-1,500 metres altitude, tasting mineral-driven Malbecs from alluvial soils. Wineries like Zuccardi and Salentein offer tastings with mountain panoramas and harvest-season lunches.

  Uco Valley, Mendoza

• Trek across the moonscapes of Ischigualasto Provincial Park

  Drive through the Valley of the Moon at sunset as eroded sandstone formations called 'The Submarine,' 'The Mushroom' and 'The Worm' glow red and gold. This UNESCO site preserves 180-million-year-old dinosaur fossils and Triassic landscapes.

  San Juan Province

• Attend a Boca Juniors match at La Bombonera

  Feel the stadium literally shake as 54,000 fans sing, jump and wave flags in this steep-sided concrete bowl. The La Doce section behind the goal never stops chanting and the atmosphere on derby day against River Plate is unmatched anywhere in football.

  La Boca, Buenos Aires

• Kayak among beavers and condors in Tierra del Fuego

  Paddle the Lapataia River and Beagle Channel coves surrounded by sub-Antarctic forest, peat bogs and snow-capped peaks. Watch for southern river otters, king penguins overhead and Andean condors circling above the Caraborda ridgeline.

  Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

• Browse the San Telmo Sunday antiques market

  Over 200 stalls line Defensa street every Sunday selling vintage tango posters, silver mate gourds, vinyl records and brass nautical instruments. Street performers, impromptu milongas and empanada vendors fill the surrounding blocks from Plaza Dorrego.

  San Telmo, Buenos Aires

• Ride the Tren a las Nubes through the Andes

  Board this engineering marvel that climbs from Salta to the Polvorilla Viaduct at 4,220 metres, crossing 29 bridges and 21 tunnels through cactus-studded gorges and Quechua villages. The 15-hour round trip is one of the world's highest railways.

  Salta Province

• Drink mate with gauchos on an estancia in the Pampas

  Visit a traditional cattle ranch outside Buenos Aires where horseback rides across flat grasslands end with asado, folk music and sharing mate from a communal gourd. Estancias like Santa Susana welcome guests with empanadas and demonstrations of boleadora throwing.

  San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires Province

• Explore the painted rock art of Cueva de las Manos

  See hundreds of stencilled handprints dating back 9,000 years on the walls of this remote canyon cave along the Pinturas River. The ochre, red and black designs include guanacos, hunting scenes and geometric patterns in one of South America's oldest art sites.

  Santa Cruz Province

• Dance the milonga at La Catedral in Buenos Aires

  Step into this cavernous converted warehouse in Almagro where beginners and veterans share the wooden floor under exposed rafters strung with fairy lights. The late-night milongas run until 3am with live orchestras and a welcoming, non-elitist atmosphere.

  Almagro, Buenos Aires

• Visit the Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba

  Tour the 17th-century university, church and cloister that formed the heart of Jesuit missions across the region. The UNESCO-listed complex includes the oldest university in Argentina and a library with thousands of colonial-era volumes.

  Córdoba City

• Stand at the end of the world at the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse

  Take a catamaran across the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia to this red-and-white-striped lighthouse on a rocky islet surrounded by sea lions and Magellanic penguins. The southernmost navigable waterway on Earth stretches toward Antarctica beyond the horizon.

  Beagle Channel, Ushuaia

• Eat alfajores and drink chocolate at a Bariloche confitería

  Sample artisanal chocolate truffles, dulce de leche-filled alfajores and hot chocolate on Calle Mitre, Bariloche's chocolate boulevard. Rapa Nui and Mamuschka compete for the best handmade confections in this Swiss-chalet-styled lakeside town.

  San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro

• Spot wildlife in the Valdés Peninsula UNESCO site

  Watch southern right whales breach just offshore at Puerto Pirámides from June to December, and walk among Magellanic penguin colonies at Punta Tombo. Orcas beach-hunt sea lion pups at Punta Norte in one of Patagonia's richest marine ecosystems.

  Península Valdés, Chubut

• Wander the MALBA art museum in Buenos Aires

  View Latin America's finest modern collection including Frida Kahlo's self-portraits, Xul Solar's mystical paintings and Tarsila do Amaral's avant-garde works. The sleek Travertine marble building by Gastón Atelman anchors Palermo's cultural corridor.

  Palermo, Buenos Aires

• Party at a Buenos Aires boliches on a Saturday at 3am

  Join the late-night crowd at Niceto Club in Palermo for themed DJ nights that spill from the main dance floor to a rooftop terrace. Porteño nightlife doesn't start until after midnight and the city's clubs peak around 4am on weekends.

  Palermo, Buenos Aires

• Cross the Andes by catamaran across Nahuel Huapi Lake

  Sail from Puerto Blest to Puerto Alegre aboard a catamaran gliding past ancient coihue forests, hidden waterfalls and the snow-dusted Andes. The emerald waters and jagged peaks of this glacial lake anchor northern Patagonia's Lake District.

  Bariloche, Río Negro

• Visit the Museum of the Falklands War in Ushuaia

  Explore this sombre museum housed in the former military prison with exhibits on the 1982 conflict including soldiers' letters, weapons, photographs and a recreation of battlefield conditions. Argentina's southernmost city lost many conscripts who sailed from its port.

  Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego