Weekend Travels
Argentina is a beautiful country, with all the landscapes you can imagine. At the School we help you to organise your weekends in order to improve your time and have fun.
Cuyo
The Cuyo region consists of the Andean provinces of Mendoza and San Juan, and adjacent San Luis. The area retains a strong regional identity, with a unique mestizo population reflecting the influence of neighboring Chile. An important agricultural region, particularly famous for its grapes and wine, it lies in the shadow of the massive Andes and is visited for its many sporting and recreational activities, such as climbing and trekking. Wineries, hidden mountain villages and the centers of Mendoza and San Juan are other attractions.
The Andean Northwest
Home to abundant natural attractions and atmospheric relics from the pre-Columbian and colonial past, this is the most 'traditional' part of Argentina. It includes the provinces of Jujuy (numerous wildlife reserves), Salta (with the best preserved colonial city in the country, hundreds of archaeological sites, subtropical forests and polychrome desert canyons) and Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca and Santiago del Estero.
Patagonia
This enormous region south of Buenos Aires province features a glacier-dotted mountainous interior, unique coastal wildlife and Andean national parks. Península Valdés is a special treat for lovers of wildlife, with large numbers of sea lions, elephant seals, guanacos, rheas, Magellanic penguins, sea birds, flamingos and right whales. The Perito Moreno Glacier of Santa Cruz is a 60-meter-high (197-ft-high) river of rising, toppling and exploding ice, though it hasn't been advancing for several years. Carmen de Patagones is a beautiful colonial city and there are unexpected vestiges of the area's previous Welsh inhabitants - in particular the town of Gaiman.
Tierra del Fuego
Argentina shares half of this island territory in the South Atlantic Ocean with Chile. It's a place of oil derricks, sheep, glaciers, wind and waterways. Ushuaia and Río Grande are the two main towns; awesome scenery, wild walks and fishing are the island's main attractions. Argentina's only coastal national park comprises rivers, lakes, forests and glaciers, with great trekking and wildlife-spotting opportunities.
Mar del Plata
Summer means the beach to the inhabitants of Greater Buenos Aires, and Mar del Plata is most often the beach they have in mind. Situated on the northern Atlantic coast, 400km (228mi) from the capital, beaches in this area sprawl for 8km (5mi). Sophisticated mansions from the area's heyday as an upper-class resort mingle with the newer, more modest resorts catering to middle-class porteños. Sea lions keep an eye on the fishing activities around the wharves, and a replica of the grotto of Lourdes is a kitsch paradise.
Córdoba
Argentina's second city, Córdoba, long rivaled Buenos Aires for political, economic and cultural supremacy; indeed, while Buenos Aires languished through neglect in the 17th century, Cordoba was the country's architectural treasure house. Today, a fine collection of colonial buildings is concentrated in its compact center. They include the old market, the Iglesia Catedral (featuring a Romanesque dome) and the Jesuit Iglesia de la Compañía. The Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobremonte is one of the most important historical museums in the country.
The Pampas
The unrelentingly flat Pampas is Argentina's agricultural heartland and the home of that symbol of romantic nationalism, the gaucho. Comprising the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa and major parts of Santa Fe and Córdoba, its varied environments include forested hills, extensive grasslands and flamingo-flecked salt lakes. The Parque National Lihué Calel is a popular detour, with wildlife including some puma and many guanaco, rhea, native hares and a variety of wild chinchilla called a vizcacha. The cities of La Plata, Luján (whose basilica to La Virgen de Luján receives 4 million pilgrims a year), Rosario and Santa Fe are worth seeing for their many museums, churches and faded colonial buildings.
Iguazú Falls
Situated in the Parque Nacional Iguazú near Puerto Iguazú, these spectacular falls lie just east of the confluence of the Iguazú and Paraná rivers. At least 5000 cubic m (176,570 cu ft) of water per second plunge the 70m (230ft) into the abyss below. If they look familiar, it's because they were the supporting actors in the film The Mission; appropriately, the area has historic ruins of Jesuit missions which also draw many visitors. San Ignacio Miní, built in a style of architecture known as 'Guaraní baroque', is especially popular. Above the falls, the waters are suitable for canoeing, kayaking and other water sports. The surrounding park is home to 55,000 hectares (135,850 acres) of pristine subtropical rainforest, with abundant wildlife and plant species. Estancias: Spend an unforgettable weekend at one of our typical "Estancias", where you will see and feel the gauchos way of living. You will have lots of activities, in a peaceful and beautiful environment. And of course you will taste the best "asados" (barbecues).
