About us Dear friends, Through these pages, Eurotur invites you to discover the tourist beauties Argentina offers, a country of incredible attractions that combine the seduc- tion of the cosmopolitan cities and the tango, the immensity of the pampas, the majestic scenery of the national parks and an amazing diversity of fauna. Our company, now with more than 40 years in the tourism industry, specialized in incoming tourism, has achieved international recognition for its efficiency and professionalism. Some of our tourist proposals have been pioneers in Argentina having intro- duced regular tours with guaranteed departures and multilingual guides, special agricultural, cultural and estancias tours that have distinguished us thanks to our creativity. We count on Congresses and Conventions (we are an ICCA member) and Incentives special departments. Likewise, we have recently developed an Adventure and Expedition department. Eurotur counts on multilingual experienced operators and sale executives who will satisfy your needs offering you the best itinerary at the best price, out of the multiple available options. Our computerized sales and reserva- tions system allows us to offer you on-line reply within 24 hours, whether you need a simple booking or a complex tour. We truly hope you find this second revised and completed edition of our Argentine manual really useful. Please do not forget Eurotur is your friend in Argentina! Arq. Giacomo Zanone General Manager ARGENTINA The place on earth you are looking for Argentina is a country blessed by an endless array of natural beauties that will undoubtedly meet your most personal expectations. The infinite Pampas, whose beauty and spirit are hardly appreciated at a first glimpse, is the first approach to a land that treasures the most incredible variety of natural resources ever gathered within a country. Views that will amaze, impress and move you. Every single trait leads to surprise: the imposing snowed summits of the Andean Cordillera; the subtropical rain forest that stretches down to BOLIVIA improbable latitudes; the torrential PARAGUAY falls of the Iguazú River; the barren Jujuy S. Salvador bleakness of the Patagonian Steppe; the de Jujuy Salta Salta Formosa endless beauty of the marine fauna; the ASUNCION frozen land of the fascinating glaciers; Formosa S.Miguel Chaco de Tucumán the charming scenery of the hills; the Santiago Misiones Tucumán del Estero Resistencia Posadas CHILE Corrientes Catamarca Santiago blinding whiteness of the Puna; the del Estero San Fdo. Corrientes assorted native fauna in the del Valle de Catamarca La Rioja Santa marshlands. Fé BRASIL La Rioja Córdoba San Juan Entre Córdoba San Juan Santa Fé Ríos But the landscape is not all. Argentina Paraná has much more reserved for you. The URUGUAY Mendoza San Luis kindness and cordiality of its people SANTIAGO San DE CHILE Luis will undoubtedly grant you a most Mendoza Buenos MONTEVIDEO Pacific Ocean Aires pleasant visit to our country. This Buenos cosmopolitan country where diversity Aires Santa Rosa has influenced even the composition of La Pampa its society, since many immigrants from Neuquén all over the world reached these shores Neuquén decades ago, choosing the country to Río Negro settle what is nowadays apparent in Viedma local inhabitant's mores and habits. Rawson Chubut Atlantic Ocean Scale in km 0 150 300 N Santa Cruz The country is divided in seven Atlantic Ocean different regions: Southern Atlantic Islands Pampas and Sierras pág. 7 W eddell Sea Río Gallegos The Littoral pág. 55 Northwest pág. 67 Cuyo and The Andes pág. 87 Tierra del Fuego Southern Lakes pág. 103 Ushuaia Central Patagonia pág. 119 ARGENTINE ANTARCTICA Southern Patagonia pág. 133 3 Origin of the Name: From west to east, it measures 1,400 kilometers in its The word Argentina comes from the Latin word 'argentun', which means silver. This widest part. From its northernmost city, La Quiaca, part of the continent was named like this, in the XVI century, after the rich silver mines to its southernmost one, Ushuaia, there is a total discovered nearby, in Potosí. In the XVIII century the region came to integrate the distance of 4,890 km. Río de la Plata Viceroyalty and it was not until 1860 that the Argentine Its boundaries are: Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; Republic was constituted as a nation, comprising most of the territory of the former Chile to the west; Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and the viceroyalty and adopting this word as its official denomination. Atlantic Ocean to the east; and Chile and the Atlantic Geographic Location: Ocean to the south. Argentina is situated in the southern extreme of the American Continent, between the Gateways: 22nd and 55th parallels of south latitude, and the Capricorn Tropic crosses it in the The main airports to enter Argentina are the Ezeiza north and the Antarctic Polar Circle in the south. International Airport and the Jorge Newbery Airport, It has a surface of 3,800,000 km2 out of which 2,800,000 km2 belong to the continent and both located in the City of Buenos Aires, as well as the rest to Antarctica and the Southern Atlantic Islands. some other airports such as Córdoba and Mendoza. It is the largest among the Spanish-American countries and the fourth one in the con- The Port of Buenos Aires is also an important gateway. tinent after the United States, Canada and Brazil. Buenos Aires is, at the same time, the starting point of the main routes within Argentina. The frontier passes are also important gateways into Argentina, linking the BOLIVIA country to its neighboring countries. PARAGUAY Climate: Jujuy Most of the Argentine territory is located within the S. Salvador de Jujuy temperate zone of the southern hemisphere. However, as it is such a large country, it spans from the hot deserts Salta Salta Formosa ASUNCION 2h Iguazú of Salta, in the north, to the frozen lands of the glaciers, 35m Santiago Formosa in the south. The north-east is humid and subtropical. del Estero S.Miguel 2h Chaco The north-west is quite hot and rainy during summer de Tucumán 06m Misiones Tucumán Resistencia Posadas but with mild and dry winters. In the vast prairies of CHILE Santiago Corrientes Catamarca del Estero Corrientes the Pampas, the climate is temperate. The southern San Fdo. del Valle de region has cold climate and rains vary greatly along this Catamarca 1h La Rioja Santa extended territory. The capital city has temperate 1h 50m Fe La Rioja 1h 50m 1h BRASIL climate, thus not showing extreme temperatures. 55m 45m 1h Córdoba 30m San Juan Entre TRAVEL TIPS: Córdoba Ríos San Juan 1h Santa Fe 50m 1h Paraná Official Language: Spanish. 15m Currency: Peso. 1h URUGUAY 45m Credit Cards and Travelers' Checks: are normally Mendoza San Luis SANTIAGO San accepted. Travelers' Checks can be exchanged at most DE CHILE Luis MONTEVIDEO banks and exchange houses. Introduction Mendoza Buenos Pacific Ocean Aires Shops, restaurants and banks: banks are open Buenos Aires Monday thru Friday from 10 AM to 3 PM. Shops and offices are open Monday thru Friday from 9 AM to 7 50m Santa Rosa PM, and usually till 1 PM on Saturdays. In the main La Pampa cities, specially in Buenos Aires, most shops remain Mar del Plata Neuquén 2h open also on Saturday afternoon. Shopping malls are 05m Neuquén open all week around usually from 10 AM to 10 PM, but their food courts and cinemas are usually open well after Río Negro midnight. Restaurants are also open till late at night and Viedma Bariloche many bars and coffee-shops are open 24-hours a day. 3h 15m 1h 50m Voltage: 220v/50hz – all over the country. Pto. Madryn Tipping: it is not compulsory at all, though a 10% tip Esquel Refereces Trelew Air Routes of the total expense is usual at restaurants, bars and Flight length other services. Chubut 2h 15m Customs: passengers entering the country can bring Atlantic Ocean all personal items such as sport equipment, photo- Comodoro graphic equipment and video cameras. Rivadavia 3h 45m National holidays: Scale in km 0 150 300 N January 1st: First day of the year – Virgin Mary's Day. March or April: Good Friday. Santa Cruz May 1st: Workers' Day. Atlantic Ocean May 25th: Anniversary of the First National 3h 00m Southern Government. El Calafate Atlantic Island June 10th: National Sovereignty Day (*) W eddell Sea June 20th: Flag Day. (*) Río Gallegos 3h 45m July 9th: Independence Day. August 17th: Anniversary of General San Martín's 4h 25m death. (*) Río Grande Tierra del Fuego October 12th: Day of the Americas (*) Ushuaia December 8th: Virgin Mary's Day. December 25th: Christmas. ARGENTINE ANTARCTICA (*) Transferred to the previous or following Monday. 4 Temperature: Monthly Average (Expressed in Centigrades) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Iguazú 25,3 24,4 23,8 21,1 17,6 15,0 15,4 17,2 18,6 21,5 23,4 24,6 Tucumán 25,3 24,2 22,2 19,1 15,5 12,2 12,1 14,7 17,1 21,6 23,2 24,9 Salta/Jujuy 22,4 21,5 20,3 17,5 14,0 10,7 11,3 13,9 15,9 20,3 21,9 22,4 Mendoza 25,2 24,0 20,8 16,5 11,7 8,0 7,8 10,7 13,3 18,7 22,2 25,0 Córdoba 23,5 22,4 20,4 17,2 13,8 10,4 10,0 12,5 14,5 18,8 21,0 22,9 Buenos Aires 25,1 23,7 21,4 17,7 14,3 11,2 10,9 12,7 14,2 17,7 20,6 23,2 Mar del Plata 20,9 20,4 18,1 14,7 11,0 8,3 7,7 8,9 10,5 13,3 16,2 18,6 Bariloche 14,3 14,0 11,3 7,7 5,0 2,6 2,1 3,0 4,7 7,5 10,6 12,9 El Calafate 13,4 13,1 10,7 7,6 3,9 1,5 1,2 2,6 5,3 8,5 11,2 12,8 Puerto Madryn 21,7 20,6 17,1 13,1 9,1 6,3 5,9 7,6 10,5 13,8 18,0 20,3 Ushuaia 10,3 9,5 7,6 5,7 3,1 1,7 1,6 2,4 4,3 6,5 8,3 9,1 Antarctica -0,6 -2,0 -5,0 -9,2 -11,7 -12,8 -12,7 -12,3 -9,9 -8,2 -3,9 -1,0 Gastronomy: National Parks: The excellent quality of Argentine beef is well- Vast areas within the country have been declared natural reserves and national parks in known worldwide.