Top 10 things to do in Argentina

1. Trek over the Perito Moreno glacier

Dust off your crampons and trek over the mighty Perito Moreno glacier in the Los Glaciares National Park. The glacier is arguably the most famous in Patagonia and one of the few which is still advancing (on average 2m per day!)

The best time to visit? October to April is the season for Patagonia and the south of the country. Days are longer, but it is busiest from December to February.

2. Tango in Buenos Aires

Learn how to tango with your own private tango instructor in Buenos Aires, before dancing the night away at a milonga (milongas are informal gatherings where locals come to tango with one another).

3. Walk to the Garganta del Diablo

Walk to the Garganta del Diablo, the ‘Devil’s Throat’ – a 2.3km trail (or short train journey) which takes you deep inside the Iguassu National Park and ends with some incredible close-up views of the waterfalls.

The best time to visit? Year-round, but for a jungle it can be strangely cold in the winter months of June to September.

4. Ride like a gaucho

Embrace your inner gaucho and jump on a horse. Stay at an estancia like Los Potreros, Huechahue or La Bamba de Areco and explore the surrounding pampas or mountains and help round up any lost sheep or cattle.

5. Explore the trails from el Chaltén

Retrieve your walking boots from the attic and explore the trails from el Chaltén, one of the prime trekking destinations in all of South America. Hike to Laguna de los Tres, where you will enjoy impressive panoramic views of Mount Fitz Roy on the way.

The best time to visit? October to April again, but trails are busiest in January and February.

6. Go South!

Make your way to the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia. Explore the Tierra del Fuego National Park, visit some of the oldest estancia’s in South America, set sail for Antarctica or step foot on Cape Horn.

The best time to visit? Cruises start operating in October and run until early April (for Antarctica the cruise season is November to March).

7. Eat a choripán

Eat a traditional Argentine choripán (similar to a hotdog, but infinitely better!) in La Boca. It consists of cooked chorizo sausage in a bread roll and is served with a generous spoonful of chimichurri (a mixture of herbs and olive oil).

8. Sample some fine wines

Explore Argentina’s famous wine-making regions and explore the different grapes which make the area so famous – from full bodied Malbec’s produced in the foothills of the Andes around Mendoza, to crisp and refreshing Torrontes, produced in Salta and the north-west of the country.

The best time to visit? Year-round but harvest is February to April.

9. Try Argentina’s national drink, mate

Ignore your morning coffee and instead embrace Argentina’s national drink, mate. An infusion of dried herbs and hot water, it’s drunk throughout the day and you will rarely see an Argentine (or Uruguayan and Paraguayan) without their flask, cup and bombilla (the straw).

10. Visit the North West

Visit the adobe towns, salt flats, rocky canyons and remote local communities of the country’s north-west. An area which sees far less tourists than any other region, but is home to some of its most unique and beautiful scenery.

The best time to visit? Year-round but it can be wet from December to March.