The Rough Guide to Argentina (Rough Guide Travel Guides) PDF
Preview The Rough Guide to Argentina (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
THE ROUGH GUIDE to Argentina Natural wonders • Local cuisine • Wildlife watching ARGENTINA PARAGUAY BOLIVIA Salta BRAZIL Puerto Iguazú Tucumán 5 4 Córdoba Santa Fe Rosario URUGUAY Mendoza 3 1 6 Colonia del Sacramento BUENOS AIRES 2 Mar del Plata N Bahía Blanca Neuquén 7 ATLANTIC OCEAN Bariloche Península Valdés 1 Buenos Aires Puerto Madryn 2 Buenos Aires 8 Province 3 Córdoba & the Central Sierras 4 The Litoral & the Gran Chaco 5 The Northwest El Calafate 6 Mendoza, San Juan & La Rioja Río Gallegos 7 Neuquén & the 9 Falkland Islands Lake District (Islas Malvinas) 8 Patagonia 0 400 km Ushuaia 9 Tierra del Fuego About this book Rough Guides are designed to be good to read and easy to use. The book is divided into the following sections, and you should be able to find whatever you need in one of them. The introductory colour section is designed to give you a feel for Argentina, suggesting when to go and what not to miss, and includes a full list of contents. Then comes basics, for pre-departure information and other practicalities. The guide chapters cover Argentina in depth, each starting with a highlights panel, introduction and a map to help you plan your route. Contexts fills you in on history, environment and wildlife, music and books, while individual colour sections introduce Argentina’s criollo culture and celebrated highway, the Ruta 40. Language gives you an extensive menu reader and enough Spanish to get by. The book concludes with all the small print, including details of how to send in updates and corrections, and a comprehensive index. This fourth edition published October 2010. The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of all the information in The Rough Guide to Argentina, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice contained in the guide. RN-9 RN-7 RN-9 RN-3 PACIFIC OCEAN - R N RN-40 CHILE 0 4 RN-11 RN-3 RN-22 The Rough Guide to Argentina written and researched by Danny Aeberhard, Andrew Benson, Rosalba O’Brien and Lucy Phillips with additional contributions by Ed Stocker and Clemmy Manzo www.roughguides.com Contents 8 Patagonia .......................... 493 Colour section 1 9 Tierra del Fuego ................ 557 Introduction ............................... 5 Where to go ............................... 8 Contexts 583 When to go .............................. 12 Things not to miss ................... 14 History ................................... 585 Environment and wildlife ........ 609 Music ..................................... 617 Basics 25 Books .................................... 624 Getting there ............................ 27 Getting around ......................... 31 Language 629 Accommodation....................... 36 Food and drink ........................ 39 Argentine Spanish .................. 631 The media ................................ 43 Pronunciation ......................... 631 Festivals................................... 45 Useful vocab .......................... 632 Sports ..................................... 47 An Argentine menu reader ..... 634 Outdoor activities .................... 48 Argentine idiom and slang ..... 638 Culture and etiquette ............... 53 Travelling with children............. 54 Travel store 641 Travel essentials ...................... 55 Small print & Index 647 Guide 71 1 Buenos Aires ...................... 73 2 Buenos Aires Province ...... 151 Criollo culture 3 Córdoba and the Central fcoollowuri nsge cpt.i1o6n8 Sierras............................... 199 4 The Litoral and the Gran Chaco ............................... 239 5 The Northwest .................. 313 The legendary Ruta 40 colour section 6 Mendoza, San Juan and following p.312 La Rioja ............................. 373 7 Bariloche and the Lake District ...................... 437 3 왗왗 Tango dancers, Buenos Aires 왗 Iguazú Falls | CONTENTS | BOL I V I A BRAZIL Metres La Quiaca 5000 PA R A G U AY 4000 Jujuy 3000 2000 Salta 1500 Cafayate Puerto Iguazú Formosa Tucumán 1000 Santiago 400 del Estero Resistencia Corrientes Posadas Catamarca 200 0 La Rioja Laguna Mar B R A Z I L Chiquita Córdoba Concordia San Juan Santa Fe U R U G U AY Mendoza San Luis Rosario Gualeguaychú RN-7 San Antonio de Areco Colonia del Sacramento San Rafael BUENOS La Plata AIRES Santa Rosa Mar del Plata RN-22 Bahía Neuquén Blanca San Martín de los Andes N Carmen de Patagones Bariloche El Bolsón Península Valdés Puerto Madryn Esquel Trelew RN-25 A T L A N T I C O C E A N Comodoro Rivadavia Perito Moreno Puerto Deseado Argentine Antarctic Puerto San Julián Territory El Calafate Puerto Santa Cruz Puerto Natales Río Gallegos FALKLAND ISLANDS Punta (ISLAS MALVINAS) Arenas Straits of Magellan Ushuaia 4 0 200 km Cape Horn RN-9 RN-7 RN-3 RP-43 RN-188 RN-16 Río Negro RN-81 RN-3 Río Chubut RN-34 RN-9 RN-40 RN-2 RN-35 | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO P A C I F I C O C E A N L I D R O C E D A R E RN-40 L Río Uruguay N D E A S S RN-40 O C H I L E L R N 0 -4 Río Paraná RN-11 RN-14 RN-12 RN-34 RN-3 RN-3 RN-40 Introduction to Argentina Argentina is a vast land: even without the titanic wedge of Antarctica that the authorities like to include in the national territory, it ranks as one of the world’s largest countries. The mainland points down from the Tropic of Capricorn like a massive stalactite, tapering towards the planet’s most southerly extremities. Consequently, the country encompasses a staggering diversity of landscapes, ranging from the hot and humid jungles of the Northeast and the bone-dry highland steppes of the Northwest, via the fertile Pampas and windswept Patagonia, to the end-of-the-world archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. Argentina is, for the most part, less obviously “exotic” than most of its neighbours to the north, and its inhabitants will readily, and rightly, tell you how great an influence Europe has been on their nation. It was once said that Argentina is actually the most American of all European countries, but even that clever maxim is wide of the mark. It’s a country with a very special character all of its own, distilled into the national ideal of Argentinidad – an elusive identity that the country’s utopian thinkers and practical doers have never really agreed upon. In terms of identity, there are lots of sweeping generalizations about the people of Argentina, who generally get bad press in the rest of the continent for being loud and arrogant. Though such a characterization isn’t entirely without merit, it’s more the exception than the rule – you’re bound to be wowed by Argentines’ zeal for so many aspects of their own culture and 5 curiosity about the outside world. On this score there is a lot of truth in the | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO clichés – their passions are dominated by football, politics and living life in the fast lane (literally, when it comes to driving) – but not everyone dances the tango, or is obsessed with Evita or gallops around on a horse. The locals will help to make any trip to their country memorable. There are loads of other reasons to visit Argentina, not least the great metropolis of Buenos Aires, one of the most fascinating of all Latin American capitals. It’s an immensely enjoyable place just to wander about, people-watching, shopping or simply soaking up the unique atmosphere. Its many barrios, or neighbourhoods, are startlingly diferent – some are decadently old-fashioned, others thrustingly modern – but all of them ooze character. Elsewhere in the country, cities aren’t exactly the main Pre-Columbian Argentina Of all South American countries, superficially, at least, Argentina has the least marked pre-colonial culture. During the nineteenth century in particular, whole indigenous peoples were wiped out by various waves of newcomers, their superior weapons and their deadly diseases. Yet drinking mate – now a quintessentially Argentine custom – was learned from the native peoples, while a good many traditional festivals and prevailing superstitious beliefs were inherited from those who lived on Argentine soil long before the Europeans arrived. Though no Machu Picchu, the pre-Columbian – and mostly pre-Inca – ruins at Quilmes, Tilcara and Shinkal are nevertheless marvellous archeological sites, 6 while fine rock drawings can be admired at accessible locations across the country. 왔 La Boca, Buenos Aires | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO draw, with the exception of beautiful Salta in the Northwest, beguiling Fact file Rosario – the birthplace of Che • Argentina is the world’s eighth- Guevara – and Ushuaia, which, in largest nation by area, with 2.8 addition to being the world’s most million square kilometres, though with a population of just over 40 southerly city, enjoys a fabulous million – one-third of whom live in setting on Tierra del Fuego. Greater Buenos Aires – it is one The vastness of the land and the of the least densely populated varied wildlife inhabiting it are the countries in the world (India’s country’s real attractions outside the density is 26 times greater, Singapore’s over 500 times). capital. In theory, by hopping on a plane or two you could spot howler • Argentina not only produces the finest beef on earth, but monkeys and toucans in northern it also is one of the world’s jungles in the morning, then watch leading producers of lemons, the antics of penguins tobogganing wheat, wine and genetically into the icy South Atlantic in the modified soya. Around half of the afternoon. There are hundreds of country’s arable land is planted with the latter crop. bird species – including the Andean • Five Argentines have been Condor and three varieties of honoured with Nobel Prizes, flamingo – plus pumas, armadillos, including three in the sciences: llamas, foxes and tapirs, to be found Bernardo A. Houssay (Medicine in the country’s forests, mountain- and Physiology, 1947), Luis F. sides and the dizzying heights of the Leloir (Chemistry, 1970) and César Milstein (Medicine and altiplano, or puna. Lush tea plantations Physiology, 1984). Two Argentines have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Carlos Saavedra Lamas (politician, 1936) and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (architect, sculptor and human-rights activist, 1980). • Argentina has one of the world’s most vibrant film industries 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. • Just over two-fifths of Argentina’s lower house of parlia- ment (following 2009 elections) is female – the sixth-highest ratio in the world, according to Inter- 7 Parliamentary Union figures. | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO 왖 Ruins at Quilmes and parched salt-flats, palm groves and icebergs, plus the world’s mightiest waterfalls, are just some of the sights that will catch you unawares if you were expecting Argentina to be one big cattle ranch. Dozens of these biosystems are protected by a network of national and provincial parks and reserves. As for getting around and seeing these wonders, 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 have improved noticeably in recent years. Among the best are the beautiful ranches known as estancias – or fincas in the north – that have been converted into 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 all kinds of outdoor adventures: horse-riding, trekking, white-water rafting, kayaking, skiing, hang-gliding, along with more relaxing pursuits such as wine-tasting, bird-watching or photography safaris. Argentina is so huge and varied it’s hard to take in all in one go – don’t be surprised if you find yourself longing to return to explore the areas you didn’t get to see the first time around. Where to go rgentina has many attractions that could claim the title of natural wonders of the world: the majestic waterfalls of Iguazú; the spectacular Glaciar Perito Moreno; fascinating whale colonies of APenínsula Valdés; or the mountains around the holiday resort of Bariloche – indeed, Patagonia in general. Yet many of the country’s most noteworthy sights are also its least known, such as the Esteros del Iberá, a Tango Tango is not only a dance, or even an art form, but it is also a powerful symbol, perhaps what people associate with Argentina more than anything else. Essentially and intrinsically linked to Buenos Aires and its history, it nonetheless has fans all around the country. Rosario and to a lesser extent, Córdoba, the country’s two biggest cities after the capital, have a strong tango culture, complete with milongas (dance halls) and shops to buy the right footwear. And don’t be surprised to find humble folk in some remote village, hundreds of miles from Buenos Aires, listening to a scratchy recording of Carlos Gardel – still the leading figure of tango as song. Perhaps it is because tango 8 depicts the Argentine psyche so well: a unique blend of nostalgia, resignation and passion. | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO
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