Thursday, December 31, 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Argentina South Places & Parks to visit

Argentina 2010 Trip to the South

Cities to stop in and to see, Parks to visit, Hotels / Hostels to stay,
Restaurants / Sites to visit and transportation to take.

Arriving & Leaving
Chicago - Buenos Aires United Airlines January 11, 2009
Buenos Aires - Chicago February 23-24, 2009

Buenos Aires Airport code EZE (Ezeiza) Ministro Pistarini Intern. Airport
Buenos Aires - Jorge Newberry AEP
Bariloche - BRC
Trelow - REL

Resources:
Hostel Trail www.hosteltrail.com
Most reservations and background information for cities to visit came from the Hostel Trail Web Page, it is a great and simple place to find valuable information and places to stay. I stayed at the owners place (Hostel) in Popayan Colombia in 2009, one of the better Hostels, many private rooms and very clean in center of town. Owners are Scottish travelers that got stuck in Colombia and started Hostel Trail , Hostel trail Popayan, Columbia web.

Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
World Travel Guide www.worldtravelguide.net/
IGuide http://iguide.travel/

01 Buenos Aires
1/12 Arrive - 1/15 Flight to Trelow

Notes:
Color Coded Bus stations in Buenos Aires by region
Bus station WEB www.tebasa.com

02 Puerto Madryn

01/15 Arrive - leave 1/20.

Day
1. Puerto Madryn - (stay for 3 nights)

2. Puerto Madryn - Punta Tombo visit

3. Puerto Madryn - Gaiman visit

4. Puerto Madryn - Península Valdés visit

5. Bus to Sarmiento or Comodoro Rivadaria

See in Puerto Madryn

· Reserva Provincial Punta Tombo (penguins) Day Trip from P.M. 2 Hrs South

http://www.destination360.com/south-america/argentina/punta-tombo

http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/i/atlantica/puertomadryn/tombo.php

· Gaiman town visit, other

http://www.ripioturismo.com.ar/epmywelsh.htm

· Reserva Faunística Península Valdés, (Punta Loma and / or Punta Norte (Seals, Sea Lions))

www.enjoy-patagonia.org/puerto-madryn-destinations-puerto-madryn-peninsula-valdes.php

www.patagonia-argentina.com/i/atlantica/puertomadryn/valdes.php

· Ecocentro Museum Puerto Madryn

Stay:
www.posadadelcatalejo.com.ar/inicio_in.html
www.laviejaaldea.com/inicio.html

Notes:

· Full Day tour of Peninsula Valdes

· Punta Tombo Full Day $75 Trip

www.flamencotours.org.ar

www.peninsulavaldes.org.ar

03 Sarmiento or CR?

1/20 Arrive - Sarmiento or Comodoro Rivadaria - leave 1/22 to Perito Moreno

See:

· Bosque Petrificado Jose Ormachea (near Sarmiento)

Stay:

· Sarmiento maybe? www.agrotourpatagonia.itgo.com/english.htm

04 Los Antiguos Perito Moreno

1/22 Arriving (from Sarmiento area) may stop in Los Antiguos

Take separate Bus to Los Antiguos

See:

· Cueva De Las Manos (Caves) from Petito Moreno

www.patagonia.com.ar/santacruz/cuevamanos.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cueva_de_las_Manos

· Parque Nacional Perito Moreno (Glacier) P.N.L.G. (South)?

· Cherry Farms

Stay:

05 Perito Moreno

1/26 Bus from Los Antiguos to Perito Moreno then to El Chalten, 13 Hrs Bus ride.

Bus: From Bariloche to El Chalten on EVEN Days, stops only in Perito Moreno!

See:
Stay:

06 El Chalten
01/26 Arriving from Perito Moreno 2/02 Leaving

http://www.chaltentravel.com/

See:

· Day Trip to Lago del Desierto (Fitz Roy Expedition)

· Day Trip -Viedma Trek Boat and Ice walking on Glaciar (Patagonia Adventure)

· Half Day Hikes from Town Laguna Torre, .....

· Full Day Hikes from Town Laguna Los Tres

· Lago Del Sierto (23KM from El Chalten) Glacier Huemul

The most popular activities are the Laguna Los Tres and Laguna Torre day treks reaching altitudes of up to 3,400 metres and affording breath-taking views of Mount Fitz Roy.

Stay:
1 Inlandsis
www.inlandsis.com.ar/
2 Los Ñires
www.losnireschalten.com.ar/

Notes:

Perito Moreno Park Glacier

Hielo Y Adventura Perito Moreno Glacier Tours

Hike to Cerro Torre Lookout Fitz roy - El Chalten

El Chalten Rio Electrico Hike & Climb (Laguna Capri Day trip)
www.interpatagonia.com
Gigantes Patagones,
Caltour
www.caltour.com.ar , P M Glacier Tours

07 El Calafate

2/02 Arriving - 3 Hours from El Chalten by Bus - 2/05 Leaving by Plane to Bariloche

See:

· Glacier Trip Perito Moreno - 30 Miles from Town entrance to Glaciar

· Torres del Pane - Day trip (Jam packed)

· Lago Roca Hike (3 Hours) ??

· Sheep sharing, Folk dancing in town

Perched on the southern banks of Lago Argentino, the town of El Calafate has few sites to offer the visitor. It does however, provide a gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park five hours out of town and El Perito Moreno Glacier two hours outside.

Stay:
1
http://www.patagoniahostelcalafate.com/
2
http://www.glaciar.com/
3 Marco Polo
www.marcopoloinncalafate.com/

08 Bariloche

2/06 Arriving by plane - 2/13 leave by Bus

See:

· El Bolson

· Villa La Angostura

· Hiking

· Parc National Nahuel Huapi - Day Hikes and Trails

· Cerro Otto Gondola (ride up)

· Circuito Chico 60km drive

· Cruce de Lagos (could include night in Chile)

· Rafting in Bariloche - Rio Mauro

www.welcomeargentina.com/bariloche/index_i.html

www.interpatagonia.com/bariloche/index_i.html

www.patagonias.net/Cities/Bariloche.htm

Local buses do a scenic loop of the National Park and for the less energetic amongst us, this is a greatway to see some of the highlights including excelent views of the Nahuel Huapi glacier lake, the Quetrihue Peninsula and Puerto Blest. Climbers, hikers and skiers have a great choice of nearby trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels although always check on weather warnings and official recommendations before hand as conditions are unpredictable all year round.

Stay:
1 La Barraca Suites www.labarracasuites.com
2 Tango Inn (Downtown) http://www.tangoinn.com/

Notes:
Llao Llao Peninsula, also Resort Hotel

Driving Tour Cerro Tronador, Los Alerces Waterfall, Ventisquero Negro - Day tours Bariloche

09 Neuquen
2/13 Arrive by Bus (stop between Bariloche and Mendoza), 2/15 Leave for Mendoza

(Stop to break trip to Mendoza)

See:

· Carmen Funes Museum

www.interpatagonia.com/paseos/carmen_funes/index_i.html

10 Mendoza
2/15 Arrive by Bus - 2/20 plane to Buenos Aires or Bus over Cordoba
See:

· winery tours,
· visits to Villavicencio
· mountaineering excursions
Info:
www.caminoamendoza.com/en/

Stay:

1 Hotel Zamora www.hotelzamora.netfirms.com/
2 Confluencia
www.hostalconfluencia.com.ar/

Notes:
www.tourismouspallata.com Mendoze trips surrounding area
· San Rafael sleepy town away from Mendoza
· Valle de Ucu
· Maipu wine region

11 Cordoba
Cordoba if time allows by Bus from Mendoza, by Bus to Buenos Aires
See:
www.welcomeargentina.com/cordoba/index_i.html

Stay: www.legrandhostel.com

12 Buenos Aires 0220
2/20 Arrive - 2/23 plane to Chicago

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Buenos Aires Notes

Resources:

Buenos Aires WEB Pages
this one has walking tours

The BEST Restaurant for Steaks and a must to visit ($15-20):
J.A. Cabrera 5099 (corner of Thames), Palermo Viejo

The next best and a a must to visit, less $ than Cabrera ($10-15):
http://www.parrillaladorita.com.ar/
Go to the WEB site for the Music!
Humbolt 1911 (@ Costa Rica) Palermo Hollywood

From Ezeiza Airport To The City
Minibus: $26 The Manuel Tienda León Bus Company provides transportation to the center of the city and has reservation booths in the arrival hall. The minibuses depart every hour, are inexpensive and make several stops along the way. Confirm with the operator if your destination is close to their stop.
Remise (car service): $45. See our City Transportation section for information on remises. We recommend that you use this option if you already have a reservation and the driver is waiting for you.
Taxi: $35/$50. Taxis have reservation booths inside the airport. Confirm the price before making the reservation (www.taxiezeiza.com). DO NOT take a taxi from a person who verbally offers the service inside the airport hall; they usually take advantage of tourists, see our Note above.
Public Transportation: $1.35. If you are not carrying large or heavy luggage and want to spend very little money in transportation, this is your best bet. It takes about 1½ hour to get to downtown Buenos Aires. The fare is paid on the bus with coins ONLY, so make sure to have at least $2 in coins. Go to the information booth inside the arrivals hall and ask for the exact location of the bus stop for bus number 86. When getting on the bus you must tell the driver your destination (e.g. Centro or Plaza de Mayo) and put the coins in the ticket machine; wait a few seconds for the machine to print a receipt and to give your change back. Keep the receipt handy because it may be requested during the trip. We suggest that you sit in the front seats, near the driver, so you can ask him where to get off. For more information on public transportation visit our City Transportation section.