The Iguazú falls are in the border of Argentina and Brazil. Paraguay is also nearby – just over the bridge from Foz do Iguaçu – the nearest town to the falls from the Brazilian side. From Puerto Iguazú in Argentina, where we were stayed while visiting the falls, you can walk down to a viewpoint that overlooks the two rivers that form the borders for the 3 countries. The picture above is taken from Argentina. The landmass on the left…
Drawing a rainbow in the sky In the weeks leading up to our visit to the Iguazú falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, I was worried. There had been massive flooding in the area and the falls had been closed to visitors. When we mentioned our plan to go to the falls to an Argentinian I was speaking to a couple of weeks before we were on our way, he shook his head and said that it was…
The best way to see the towns and the countryside around Córdoba is to hire a car and go exploring! But where to go? Here is our quick guide to the towns and villages in the Sierras. The open road The towns are listed in the order we visited them. We hired a car for 4 days (3 nights). We spent most of the first day in Alta Gracia and the night in Belgrano. The following day we were in La Cumbrecita for the…
Chairlift up the Sugar Loaf Mountain near Cosquin While in Córdoba – Argentina’s second city, we hired a car to explore the surrounding countryside, which is dotted with interesting villages as well as beautiful landscapes. We spent most of our first day in Alta Gracia, exploring the Jesuit Estancia and at the Che Guevara museum. To read more about our time in Alta Gracia see this post. Leaving Alta Gracia, we headed to Villa General Belgrano, stopping on the way to take…
James hanging out with Che We’d heard that the countryside surrounding Cordoba was worth a visit, both for the beautiful landscapes as well as the quirky and interesting villages. We hired a car and headed into the hills. After successfully navigating our way out of Córdoba (which is full of one way streets and bus lanes), our first stop was Alta Gracia, where Che Guevara spent his adolescence. Beautiful walkway inside the Jesuit Estancia We started our day in Alta…
Like many (all?) countries in South America, Argentina has a pretty brutal history. Although we’d had some idea of the events of the late 1970s and early 1980s during the time of the military dictatorship, the guide on our walking tour in Buenos Aires really brought home the brutality of the regime, when he highlighted that from 1976 to 1983 up to 30,000 people were ‘disappeared’ by the military. We were particularly struck by the stories of the estimated 500 children who…
Overview: Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America. Depending on your budget you can find cheaper places to stay than those listed here. Alternatively, you can splash out a little bit and stay in some very nice places. Our choices were largely above complete budget, but were, on the whole, great value for money. Copacabana – Fresh off the bus from Puno, Peru, we headed to La Cúpula to see if they had any rooms, as the hostel had been recommended…
A central error in our destination choices for this trip has been that we are following winter around! We left the UK in early March, at the beginning of Spring and travelled further south in South America as their winter approached. We return to the UK in September, just in time for autumn! We decided to take advantage of this all too obvious schoolboy error and organized a week’s skiing in Las Leñas – reportedly the best ski resort in South America. We…
Pretty walkway in Tres Bocas An hour’s train ride north out of Buenos Aires and you find yourself in a completely different world. Wooden walkway The town of Tigre and the surrounding Parana Delta is a popular getaway for Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) and tourists alike. Waterway, Tres Bocas The area is a web of inter-connecting waterways that take you to small islands lined with wooden walkways that pass pretty houses and guest houses on stilts, restaurants, rowing clubs and even boat…