One month in Argentina. One solitary month without the familiar, without the routines and activities I’ve come to know and take for granted, without the old job weighing down my mind, spirit, and heart. Argentina, the land of…
Argentina, land of…
Hmm. Land of what, exactly? Beef? Gauchos? Tango? Wine? Sure, those are the pop culture descriptions floating around in our heads and gracing travel magazines and guidebooks everywhere, but what captures the essence of the land?
The land itself is more varied than perhaps any other country. Sweltering northern rainforests give way to dry canyons and arid plains while an enormous mountain range and coastline border the country and race to meet each other over glaciers in the south. Defining one of the largest countries in the world as beef, gauchos, tango, wine or even all those things seems a bit too one note, simplistic, and fabricated for my tastes. What followed that feeling was the slamming home of a long overdue revelation: there is no “Argentina.”
But more on that later; now, a little backstory. Since deciding on Argentina as the location for my first one month trip back in April, my mind has been relentlessly worrying at the finer details. Which part of the country will I visit? How will I get my hands dirty in experiential travel? The first order of business was to determine where I plan to spend the month. My tendency on vacations is to try to see every last corner of a country, but this isn’t vacation. This is a purposeful deployment to develop an understanding of Argentine culture. My new definition of work.
Again and again, I was thwarted as I drew near a decision. I couldn’t find the best place to capture Argentine culture. The answer hit me in the midst of an easy ride through my neighborhood – there is no single Argentina, just a mix of cultures and sub-cultures collected in a neat geo-political border. Obvious? Yes, so obvious, but it reminded me of those visual puzzles where you have to cross your eyes to see the 3D image (I should note that I’ve never been able to get those to work). Just as with the United States, or any other country for that matter, you cannot go to New York for a month and declare that you understand Americans.
A great burden was lifted once I divested myself of the task of experiencing the whole of Argentine culture from one month in a single location. I would still spend one month in a single location, but my task would be to understand that local cultural flavor. I quickly narrowed down my options to the three below. Since my mission is a cultural, people-oriented mission, I eliminated Patagonia and nearly all of the country south of Mendoza and Buenos Aires. There are undoubtedly wonderful places to stay in those regions, but given a month and one place to stay I feel there are better options.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is an enormous and lively metropolis with strong cultural ties to Spain and Italy. It is a true melting pot rivaling New York in its melting pot-iness. The vast majority of people I’ve spoken to about the Traveling Savage mission tell me to go to Buenos Aires, but it’s not as strong a favorite as you might think. Buenos Aires is bursting with culture, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: a city’s a city, and it can be difficult to cut through the homogenous city layers to get to the unique cultural layers. Is the Argentine city culture the culture I want to explore for a month?
Mendoza and the Andes
The city of Mendoza lies on an arid plain in the shadow of Aconcagua and the Andes. I’m sure you think about the same thing that I do when I hear Mendoza: red wine. Malbec, sweet Malbec. It’s my favorite red. Now I’m a wine guy, but my problem with Mendoza is that it seems to be just about the viticulture. If I were on vacation, I’d spend a lot of time in Mendoza exploring the vineyards and my own wine tolerance. From a cultural investigation/immersion point of view, I’m just not sure it’s the right choice.
Salta and the Northwest
Salta, a colonial city situated in the warm, dry northwestern region of Argentina, reflects the influences of Bolivia and Peru in the culture and people. I’m fascinated by the landscape, which reminds me of the American southwest, and the area is known for some incredible geographical features and Incan ruins. This is not your typical perception of Argentina, but the area has entranced me.
Should I stay in a city or a smaller town? Modern or rustic? Buenos Aires, Mendoza, or Salta? Oh the decisions. You might say I’m over-thinking this whole thing, but when you consider what I’m giving up to follow this dream you’ll see why I really want this first trip to set a positive and successful tone. But my tendencies are changing. I know that wherever I choose to go, if it’s not right I can always go somewhere else.
What’s your opinion? Got any tips for me?
Original photos by lu6fpj, Brian Negin, Johnny Shaw, and vtveen, respectively via Flickr under Creative Commons
Ah Buenos Aires.. My other home. Missing it like crazy.
Hey Michael. Where did you stay in Bs As. and for how long? I’d love to hear some stories and tips.
You will enjoy every second of it… and you better not relax because thats quite a list for just one month.. Argentina is MASSIVE!!! Look forward to seeing you down there
I updated the post to make it clear that I’m planning to choose ONE of the three options above for my one month stay. Knowing that, which spot do you think I should visit?
San Telmo… Recoleta is more upscale and Palermo will remind you more of NYC. San Telmo has the best architecture, great cafes, and a feel of old Argentina. Its also a close walk to all the main sites you want to see as well. Have you decided on renting an apt or staying elsewhere?
I would like to Couchsurf as much as possible, but I need to look into how feasible it is to do that for a month. I assume I would need to change hosts multiple times.
Any idea where your staying yet?
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I’m living in Córdoba now, in my 6th month here, and I love it. Argentina is like my second home. I also lived in Santa Fe, five years ago… gorgeous country.
I almost included Córdoba in the list but I know so little about it. Would you recommend a month there over the other options above?
As an unabashed city girl, I’d do Buenos Aires. I did my first totally solo trip there and loved it. And I do believe that it’s possible to cut through layers of a city and find the undercurrent of a culture, even within a month.
But for you, that might not be the best choice. I was actually going to suggest Cordoba, but Jenny beat me to it! I think Cordoba or Salta are just far enough off the beaten path that you’ll be immersed in a local culture without ending up completely adrift.
Hey Kate, thanks for chiming in with the helpful insight. What draws you to Córdoba?
Decisions, decisions…but what great decisions to have! Personally, I’d lean toward Buenos Aires (I’m a city girl, too), but Salta looks really cute. How far can you travel to take some day or weekend trips out of the city? I imagine that would be a factor, too. Which place is in a better location to serve as a jumping-off point for day trips?
Admittedly, I chose pictures for the above spots that highlighted the location’s awesomeness 🙂 I think they’ve all got good day trip options. From Buenos Aires you can go to Uruguay, San Antonio de Areco, and perhaps some of the towns on the coast in Buenos Aires province.
Mendoza has many vineyards ripe for day trips, and I could venture over the Andes to Santiago, Chile for an extended weekend. From what I understand about Salta, there are many beautiful sites and small towns practicing the “old ways” nearby.
I’m soooo excited for you! Argentina is the greatest country in the world!!! You will not want to leave after a month I can promise you that. I think you’ve picked 3 really good places. Of course I could suggest others, but they are not as cultural. What dates are you going, because I’ll be returning there soon.
Btw, you can hop on a ferry and be to Uruguay in no time at all if you’re interested in seeing another country for a day or two.
Hey Andi, glad to hear such glowing praise for the country. I plan to be in Argentina just before the end of the year. Part of what attracts me to Buenos Aires is the ability to quickly sail over to Colonia Del Sacramento in Uruguay. You know, hang out with Diego Forlán.
I tell ya, keeping up with reading my favourite blogs while traveling is a challenge. I support whatever decision you make, but secretly want you to see Salta.
Hey Jeannie – why Salta??
Hey not solitary, I’ll probably be there! I’ll definitely be asking you itinerary advice as I’ve been slacking on research while on the road and it looks like you have things covered.
I’m really hoping to meet up with you and other folks I’ve met through here and Twitter. It’s the most amazing aspect of social media to me. Definitely feel free to ping me for advice as we get in toward fall (in the northern hemisphere).
A month will go by like nothing. After being in Buenos Aires for over 9-months there is still so much I want to do and see.
In my opinion, I think you should spend 2 weeks in Buenos Aires and 2 weeks in Salta & Jujuy. It will give you a taste of 2 totally different cultures.
All the best.
Gareth, your blog is one I’ve spent a lot of time reading to help provide a sense of Buenos Aires, so thanks for writing! I like the idea you mention, but I really want to spend most if not all of the month in one spot. There will always be another trip to Argentina when I can visit areas I missed on the first pass.
Hey Keith – you’re going to love Argentina. BA is one of my favourite cities in the world. The Recoletta Cemetery will blow your mind with its scale and history. We really enjoyed Mendoza as well, the landscapes are incredible – sunny vineyards with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. It’s all about the Malbec!
Hey Cam – so if you had to pick one, Buenos Aires or Mendoza, which would it be?
My opinion is that no matter where you go, we’re gonna get to read some bad-ass writing. Not very helpful, I know, but just sayin… 🙂
Touche Lauren… Touche. lol
Thanks, needed that 🙂
REALLY enjoyed this. I go on my first month long trip this coming April. A short RTW that will start my longer career of RTW trips. Excited to go and this made me all that much more excited! I’m starting with Spain and France. But Argentina is very much on my list of places to go on a future RTW.
Hey Kirsten, nice to meet you. You’ve got a lot to be excited about and if you stick around here the next few months you’re likely to learn a lot more about Argentina and other countries I plan to visit. In the meantime, check out the other blogs in the Good Reads section – there are bound to be a few folks dishing solid information on Spain and France.
Hey Keith,
I spent about 3 months in Argentina including 2 months in BA and about a month hiking in Patagonia. I enjoyed almost everything that happened in those 3 months. I think BA is an awesome place and as you said it is an ultimate melting pot. If you get out of the tourist normal areas of BA and explore some local spots you can start to dig more into the varying cultures that exist. Get in touch with some locals to check things out. An awesome city, I would love to go back.
Mark, thanks for stopping by! I’m beginning to lean back toward Buenos Aires. If there’s a crucible of Argentine culture, it’s there.
Wow- tough decision. We are currently planning our SA trip and definitely want to include these places. As for one place for a month… I think I’d have to go City on this one. You’ll be able to take day trips or weekends away if you need to but will also have the vibrant city life too. Either way- sounds fantastic!
Hey Jade, it’s such a compelling case for BA when you say it that way. Hmm.
Thats what i plan on doing Keith, set up a base in BA and then take trips all around. Its a good base you could even get to Brazil and Chile one weekend. For Patagonia you would def have to fly, Iguazu is about 18 hr bus right, Bariloche if Im not mistaken was 23 and patagonia 28. I dont know if I could last on a 28 hour bus ride even though they have plush leather coaches, wifi, music, and a constant stream of videos from your own personal screen
If I had to choose one place to immerse myself, I’d choose Salta. It’s in the north and you get both a feel of Argentine culture and a bit of Bolivian culture (i.e., you can buy offerings to pachamama in the markets in Salta). The countryside around there is really gorgeous. And, you have the bonus of great access to wine since Cafayate is nearby. Also, Leigh from The Future is Red also lives there and is a great resource.
We spent two months in Buenos Aires. While it’s nice, it’s also a HUGE city that takes more than a month to figure out in my opinion.
Mendoza is also really pleasant and we met some expats who had chosen Mendoza over other cities because of the quality of life and access to great food and wine.
If you have more questions on any of these places (or other locations in Argentina), just send me an email. We’d be happy to help.
Audrey, this advice is really invaluable to me. I’m beginning to see the path I should take, but can you really skip Buenos Aires on your first trip to Argentina?
Another great post Keith. Doesn’t help us decide much, as clearly we HAVE to do eeverything. 😉
It must be an exciting feeling to canvas the new world so thoroughly. Love your mission!
Tough choice! We’re planning a stop in each of those three places in the next few months – I’ll be sure to take notes and get back to you!
Thanks Shaun, I’d really appreciate that!
So exciting! I can’t wait for you to start your travels. Never been to Argentina, but BA is very high on our travel list and I can’t wait to read about you experiences there. As far as advice goes, pick one place, like BA, and play it by ear. You’ll talk to people who will give you a better idea of what you want to do while you’re there.
It’s true, I can drift off to wherever feels right. But since this is a work project, it would help to accurately pick the destination and be able to use whatever research I’ve done ahead of time.
Yay, how exciting! I am jealous! As far as Mendoza…we just had some clients return from there and they loved it! I wouldn’t underestimate wine’s ability to reveal true culture! 😛
Actual LOL – good point about wine!
I wold pick either Salta or Buenos Aires.
The city of Mendoza is not very interesting in my opinion, it’s just blah. The vineyards are a 45 minute bus ride away so it’s not like you can walk to them and you will have access to the wines all over the country so Mendoza is definitely out for me.
Buenos Aires is a big city with many parks, museums, international restaurants and great night life. You won’t be bored there, you will enjoy your time but I’m not sure that you will really see the full Argentine culture, mainly just the city culture which for me is not as interesting and the rest of the country.
Salta is also a good size city but the local people are much more accessible and it will be easier to experience not just the city culture but the country life too. The landscape is amazing!! And that is an understatement. But you have to rent a car and drive around for multi-day trips to really see it all. There is also a good nightlife in Salta but I think you will have to make a bit more of an effort to keep busy in Salta than in Buenos Aires. By the way, the picture above is of Cachi a town which is about 4 hours west of Salta where you will find the best empanadas in South America. It’s in that small wine shop just to the right of the church, I can see the place in the picture. Oh, and there is a good couchsurfing community in Salta which as Audrey noted, Leigh from http://www.thefutureisred.com is very active in.
Wow, thanks for the straight talk! Your thoughts are confirming some of my suspicions, but as I said to Audrey above: can you really skip Buenos Aires on your first trip to Argentina?
Thank you for pointing out the image error. I’ve replaced the picture of Cachi with an actual picture of Salta.
Thanks Aracely!
It sounds like you are drawn to Salta in a way that you’re just not drawn to BA or Mendoza. You said you were “fascinated” and “entranced”–those are pretty strong adjectives! It’s always a good idea to go to the place your heart is pulling you towards….even if you can’t nail down a logical reason.
Thanks for pointing that out, Antonia. Most decisions in my life end by following my heart. I could save myself a lot of trouble if I just stopped analyzing everything in such detail. Good reminder.
Hi Keith,
You have a tough decision to make and a very difficult task, too!!! I guess only one month won’t be enought but it’s a good start.
Being an Argentinian myself, I tell you: you CAN’T skip Buenos Aires!!! Salta and Mendoza are beautiful cities and you have lots of places to visit around them but I guess Buenos Aires will be the best choice. Also, you can find people from all over the country in Buenos Aires, so you can cover your cultural thing. 🙂
Other great cities for your task may be Córdoba and Rosario.
You can take short trips from Buenos Aires to any of these other cities. The only problem will be distances. For some of them, buses are just ok, but for others, a plane would be a better choice, unless you want to spend like 18 hours on a bus!
If you need any other information, you can send me an e-mail. I’m glad to help.
Eugenia
Just when I had it solved…:) I really appreciate the input, Eugenia, and it’s nice to hear from an Argentinian, too. You’re right, this is a VERY tough decision.
I’m sorry! hehehehehe… Just let us know when you have a decision ready and if you need any help, just send me an email!
Good luck!
My first thought was Buenos Aires, but now you’ve got me thinking… And it looks like you are more intrigued with Salta.
I haven’t done much research, but I think BA would have so much more in smaller vicinity to experience. Therefore giving you a wider source of Argentinian life. Sure, it’s a city, but there is variation throughout each neighbourhood/barrio that I think you will gain a lot more from. Plus it will save your liver and chirpy morning walks from a daily Malbec overdose.
Are you suggesting I won’t have Malbec overdoses in Buenos Aires? 🙂 It is a tough decision, primarily because both places would be great. It’s a matter of angle: city culture vs. rural culture. Maybe that’s too simplistic, but there will be differences I can’t even predict.
Another thing as well Lauren is that there are A LOT of americans and foreigners in BA. A lot of Europeans are starting to head over because of the situation in Europe. I met at least 5 guys that were opening business in BA. Try to stay away from the American areas
This is one of the primary barriers I see with the city angle – they are inherently multi-cultural. Generally, that’s a great thing, but my particular mission is a focused experience and investigation of the indigenous culture.
Tough choice! We’ve been in BA for almost two months and love it, staying another month and trying to decide on where to shift – Salta, Mendoza or…probably Salta. I think which ever place you choose you will make the most of it. Good luck!
Ditto Marcello.
Hi Kris, what about BA do you love so much? Are you changing locations just to keep things fresh? What are you doing while in BA?
Curiosity!
BA is culturally diverse, artistically colourful, grungy cool, decadently tasty and I believe take months to explore! But I need more nature and cannot find work as yet (every one loves BA it seems) so planning on a quieter space that also might have more jobs on offer. Didn’t want to plug my own words but my lengthy opinion can be found at http://www.2sporks1cup.com
When are you heading this way?
The fact that you said “need more nature” tickles that same apprehensive itch I get everytime I think about BA. I’m more a nature guy than a city guy, and I’m concerned about being stifled in the city for a month (especially when Argentina has such rich natural landscapes). I’m heading there late this year.
You’ve got a really nice blog and I’ve subscribed to your posts. I admit, I somewhat worried it would be like a similarly-named website 🙂
Sounds like you’ve narrowed it down to two choices now! I vote Salta. Hope to see you on the road Senor Savage.
Thanks for the vote of blog confidence too.
Hope to see you too! Will you be there toward the end of this year?
[…] One Month in Argentina: Keith from Traveling Savage is planning a month in Argentina and is trying to decide between Buenos Aires, Mendoza and the Andes, and Salta. He makes a great argument for each. You know how much I love Buenos Aires, but I think he should head to Salta or Cordoba! […]
We spent two months in Buenos Aires and about a month so far in Salta. If you have to choose just one I would go for Salta. Buenos Aires is a great city and is the best place to be if you want lots of good restaurants, art galleries, parks and nightlife, but it also has similarities to other big cities – fast food chains etc.
There are some good day trips nearby but the scenery is nothing compared to around Salta. This is the main reason I’d recommend it – it really is beautiful. Plus all the reasons Audrey and Aracely mentioned. You can visit wineries in Cafayate too.
Both cities have good couchsurfing groups so you’ll be able to meet locals in whichever place, but there are definitely less foreigners in Salta.
Can you miss BA? Sure you can. We missed the Taj Mahal despite 3 months in India and we don’t regret it. Or won’t you fly into BA? You can always spend a few days there.
Thanks Erin, your comments are very helpful and seem to echo Audrey and Aracely. Fate is telling me something 🙂 Will you guys still be down there toward the end of this year?
I enjoyed reading the comments since I’m going to Argentina & Chile for 3 weeks around Christmas. I’m giving BA a pass – big cities are fun for a bit but a month is too long time for me, especially when there is so much to see in Argentina. I’d vote for Salta too. Between culture, food, and even some wineries, there is more than enough to keep you happy & busy for a month.
Hey Leigh, glad you’re finding them as useful as me. The truth is I’ve recently made up my mind and perhaps we’re of a like mind 🙂
Nice summary! Malbec, yup.
What are you budgeting for your daily travel costs there?
Approximately $3,000 USD for everything, flight included.
As I have never been to Argentina, I cannot weigh in. I will leave it to the experts above. HOWEVER: it is on my list of places to go in the near future, so I will be scrutinizing your choices very carefully 😉
There will be a follow-up post about my chosen destination 🙂
Keith..PS! You will note that I finally figured out how to use comluv. It only took a month of attempts and various communications with Andy at ComLuv, but I got it. Given my shortcomings in blogging technology, I am intensely proud of myself! So thanks for letting me know about this tool.
Yup, comment luv is working perfectly for you. I’m glad you got it functioning.
[…] boiled down to Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Salta, and you can read all about my thought process here. The outpouring of comments and thoughts was humbling and immensely helpful, and I’m happy to […]
Please don’t miss Iguazu Falls! One of the wonders of the world. I remember every detail of the stunning place like it was yesterday though I was actually there 2 years ago.
Oooh, that might be hard to fit in. We’ll see how plans develop.
It was indeed hard to fit in — because really Iguazu is a 2 day stay, one day for the Brazil side and one day for the Argentina side, but you kind of have to fly or bus there and that takes time. HOWEVER, totally worth it if extreme nature gets you going at all. Breathtaking. Stunning. Also the earlier commenter about Mendoza not being all that. They’re right. If you’re into wine Mendoza will be exciting for the vineyard trips you can take out of town, about 4-5 days worth. Beyond that it’s flat, serene, and not stunning.
[…] not the only indecisive one though. Over at Traveling Savage, Keith was trying to decide where he should spend a month in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Cordoba or Salta). As I read his […]
[…] a much better sense of how Traveling Savage will function in the long run following my sojourn to Salta La Linda.Winter 2011: Australia As winter slams into Wisconsin I’m planning an escape to the land down […]
Hi Keith Savage, Thanks for sharing this interesting important information about Argentina Travel. You know I heard a lot of good things about Argentina. I also did good research about it in the internet and found a lot of beautiful places for vacation. I’ve been dreaming of Argentina vacation too.
Hi Keith Savage,Travel that changes you. That’s what this site is about. Inspiring experiences. I can’t claim myself to be a travel writer just yet but I love to write about traveling! This just made my day.. my whole week even!
Thank you again!
I can totally relate to what was expressed in this article. Thanks for sharing your experience and I will totally recommend watching a Tango Show at Faena Hotel or Centro Cultural Borges. Additionally people, please check the tango lessons at Catedral del Tango, totally worth it for beginners!
I totally enjoyed the polo experience, if you have time, book a tour to the countryside!