The Rough Guide to Argentina (Travel Guide eBook)

Rough Guides

Description

World-renowned 'tell it like it is' guidebook

Discover Argentina with this comprehensive, entertaining, 'tell it like it is' Rough Guide, packed with comprehensive practical information and our experts' honest and independent recommendations.

Whether you plan to ride horses on an estancia, dance tango in Buenos Aires, hike across Glaciar Perito Moreno or visit the elephant seals at Península Valdés, The Rough Guide to Argentina will help you discover the best places to explore, sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way.

Features of The Rough Guide to Argentina:
- Detailed regional coverage: provides in-depth practical information for each step of all kinds of trip, from intrepid off-the-beaten-track adventures, to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas. Regions covered include: Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Córdoba and the Central Sierras, The Litoral and the Gran Chaco, The Northwest, Mendoza and El Cuyo, The Lake District, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
- Honest independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, and recommendations you can truly trust, our writers will help you get the most from your trip to Argentina.
- Meticulous mapping: always full-colour, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Buenos Aires, Patagonia and many more locations without needing to get online.
- Fabulous full-colour photography: features a richness of inspirational colour photography, including the captivating scenery of Patagonia, the Central Sierras, the Lake District and the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
- Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of Buenos Aires, Mendoza, the Lake District and Patagonia's best sights and top experiences.
- Itineraries: carefully planned routes will help you organise your trip, and inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences.?
- Basics section: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting there, getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more.?
Background information: comprehensive Contexts chapter provides fascinating insights into Argentina, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary
- Covers: Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Córdoba and the Central Sierras, The Litoral and the Gran Chaco, The Northwest, Mendoza and El Cuyo, The Lake District, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

Sujets

• Argentina
• Travel
• South America
• Argentine

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 14
• EAN13: 9781789196306
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 24 Mo

Extrait

Estock/4Corners Images
Contents
INTRODUCTION
Where to go
When to go
Author picks
Things not to miss
Tailor-made trips
BASICS
Getting there
Getting around
Accommodation
Food and drink
The media
Festivals
Sports
Outdoor activities
Culture and etiquette
Travel essentials
THE GUIDE
1 Buenos Aires
2 Buenos Aires Province
3 Córdoba and the Central Sierras
4 The Litoral and the Gran Chaco
5 The Northwest
6 Mendoza and El Cuyo
7 The Lake District
8 Patagonia
9 Tierra del Fuego
CONTEXTS
History
Environment and wildlife
Music
Books
Language
Argentine idiom and slang
A glossary of Argentine terms and acronyms
SMALL PRINT
Alamy
Introduction to
Argentina
Studded with outstanding natural wonders and endowed with one of the world’s most stylish capital cities, Argentina is a vast and varied land. Tapering from the Tropic of Capricorn towards the tip of Antarctica, it encompasses a staggering diversity of terrains, from the lush wetlands of the Litoral to the bone-dry Andean plateau of the northwest to the end-of-the-world archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. Its most emblematic landscapes are the verdant flatlands of the Pampas and the dramatic steppe of Patagonia, whose very name evokes windswept plains inhabited by hardy pioneers.
At first glance, Argentina may seem less “exotic” than the rest of South America, and its inhabitants will readily, and rightly, tell you how powerful an influence Europe has been on their nation. It has been quipped that Argentina is the most American of all European countries and the most European of all American countries, but it actually has a very special character all of its own, distilled into the national ideal of Argentinidad , characterized by proud, defiant passion. While there is a lot of truth in the clichés – Argentine society really is dominated by football , politics and living life in the fast lane (literally, when it comes to driving) – not everyone dances the tango or is obsessed with Evita or gallops around on a horse. Wherever you go, though, you’re bound to be wowed by Argentines’ zeal for so many aspects of their own culture and curiosity about the outside world.
One of Argentina’s top attractions is the sprawling metropolis of Buenos Aires , the most fascinating of all South American capitals. It’s a riveting place just to wander about, people-watching, shopping or simply soaking up the distinct atmosphere. Its many barrios (neighbourhoods) are remarkably varied – some are atmospherically historic, others strikingly modern – but all of them ooze character. The other main cities worth visiting are colonial Salta in the northwest, beguiling Rosario – birthplace of Che Guevara and Lionel Messi – and Ushuaia , which, in addition to being the world’s most southerly city, enjoys a fabulous waterfront setting on the Beagle Channel.

FACT FILE Argentina is the world’s eighth-largest country by area, though with a population of around 45 million – a third of whom live in Greater Buenos Aires – it is one of the least densely populated countries on the planet. Some 97 percent of Argentines are of European origin, largely of Spanish or Italian descent. Most are nominally Catholic, but under a fifth are practising. Although access to abortion is still heavily restricted, Argentina has some of Latin America’s most progressive laws on matters like same-sex marriage and dying with dignity. Best known for its beef, Argentina is also a leading producer of wine, wheat, fruits and vegetables. In recent years much of the country’s land has been turned over to soya production, while shale oil and gas fields in Patagonia offer huge economic opportunities – but deeply troubling environmental consequences. Argentines have twice been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Carlos de Saavedra Lamas, in 1936, for his peace efforts in South America, and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, in 1980, for his defence of human rights in the 1970s. The remains of the largest-known dinosaur – the Patagotitan mayorum, which weighed a whopping 69 tonnes – were discovered by chance by a farm worker in Patagonia in 2008. Argentina has a vibrant film industry and has twice carried off an Oscar for best foreign language film: La historia oficial (The Official Story) in 1985 and El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) in 2010; both movies deal with the “Dirty War” and its aftermath .
But the country’s real trump cards outside the capital are the sheer size of the land and the diverse wildlife inhabiting it. In theory, by hopping on a plane or two you could spot howler monkeys and toucans in northern jungles in the morning, then watch the antics of penguins tobogganing into the icy South Atlantic in the afternoon. Argentina hosts hundreds of bird species – including the Andean condor and three varieties of flamingo – plus pumas, armadillos, llamas, foxes and tapirs roaming the country’s forests and mountainsides and the dizzying heights of the altiplano, or puna . Lush tea plantations and parched salt flats, palm groves and vast ice fields, plus the world’s mightiest set of waterfalls, are just a few of the scenes that will catch you unawares if you were expecting Argentina to be one big cattle ranch. Dozens of these biosystems are protected by an extensive network of parks and reserves .
For getting around and seeing these marvels, you can generally rely on a well-developed infrastructure inherited from decades of domestic tourism. Thanks in part to an increasing number of boutique hotels, the range and quality of accommodation has improved no end in the last 15 years or so. Among the best lodgings are the beautiful ranches known as estancias – or fincas in the north – that generally function as luxury resorts. In most places, you’ll be able to rely on the services of top-notch tour operators, who will not only show you the sights but also fix you up with a staggering range of outdoor adventures : horseriding, trekking, white-water rafting, kayaking, skiing, climbing and hang-gliding, along with more relaxing pursuits such as wine tasting or birdwatching. Argentina offers such variety that it’s impossible to take it all in on one trip – you‘ll find yourself longing to return to explore the bits you didn’t get to see the first time around.
Where to go
Argentina has many attractions that could claim the title of natural wonders of the world: the prodigious waterfalls of Iguazú ; the spectacular Glaciar Perito Moreno ; unforgettable whale-watching off Península Valdés ; the handsome lakes and mountains around Bariloche – indeed, Patagonia in general. Yet many of the country’s most rewarding destinations are also its least known, such as the Esteros del Iberá , a huge reserve of lily-carpeted lagoons offering close-up encounters with cormorants and caymans; or Antofagasta de la Sierra , a remote village set amid frozen lakes mottled pink with flamingos; or Laguna Diamante , a high-altitude mirror of sapphire water reflecting a wondrous volcano. In any case, climate and distance will rule out any attempt to see every corner; it’s more sensible and rewarding to concentrate on one or two sections of the country.
Unless you’re visiting Argentina as part of a wider South American tour, Buenos Aires is likely to be your point of entry, as it has the country’s main international airport, Ezeiza. It is exciting, vibrant city, with an intriguing blend of European architecture and a vernacular flair that includes houses painted in the colours of legendary football team Boca Juniors. Meanwhile, Buenos Aires’ museums and galleries are eclectic enough to suit all interests – classic and modern Latin American art, colonial silverware, dinosaurs and ethnography are just a few of the subjects on offer – and you can round off a day’s sightseeing with a tango show, a dinner at one of the dozens of fabulous restaurants, or a hedonistic night out.

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VALLEY OF THE MOON

CRIOLLO CULTURE
Most closely translated as “creole”, criollo refers to a way of life born in the Americas, but with Old World roots. In Argentina, it is a byword for that which is absolutely Argentine – the culture of the countryside and the gaucho. Key aspects of this include the food – asado barbecues, of course, but also maize-based stews like locro ; clothing – such as baggy riding trousers called bombachas and the espadrille-like alpargatas ; horses – be they for rounding up cattle or playing polo; and a decidedly anti-authoritarian streak in the national character. Even the wealthiest city-dweller is usually keen to prove that he or she is fundamentally a criollo , never happier than when sipping a mate by the fire.

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Due north lies the Litoral , an expanse of subtropical watery landscapes that shares borders with Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Here are the photogenic Iguazú waterfalls and several Jesuit missions, whose once-noble ruins are crumbling into the jungle – with the exception of well-groomed San Ignacio Miní . Immediately west of the Litoral extends the Chaco , one of Argentina’s most infrequently visited regions, reserved for those with an ardent interest in wildlife , so be prepared for fierce summer heat and limited infrastructure. A highlight in the country’s landlocked northwest is the Quebrada de Humahuaca , a f