Argentina is one of the largest countries in South America and one of those with the greatest variety of landscapes. While in the north there are jungles, deserts and humid and tropical zones in the center there are rich meadows and in the south there are mountains, lakes, glaciers and a vast land without end.
The Argentine Patagonia broadly composes the Argentine south and it is a region that spans five provinces. We can talk about northern Patagonia and southern Patagonia and while in one there are valleys, rivers, bays, coves, beaches, plateaus and capes, in the other the Andes and alpine forests reign.
Today we have to talk about Argentina and everything we can visit in the beautiful south of Argentina between cities, mountain villages and national parks.
Cities of southern Argentina
San Carlos de Bariloche is one of the most important cities in the south and the most popular, populated and touristy. It is 1640 kilometers from Buenos Aires, it was born as a town at the beginning of the XNUMXth century and today it is one of the most prosperous cities in the region.
Rest on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi and it is characteristic for its wood and stone architecture, its chocolate shops, the imposing Cerro Catedral ski center and all the tourist possibilities it offers in winter and summer.
On the Atlantic coast Puerto Madryn is the diving capital of Argentina. It is built on a fence that provides fabulous views of the sea and receives tourists from everywhere who come to spot whales of the southern right species that always arrive between June and December.
The boats leave from Puerto Pirámides, but sometimes it is possible to see them from the beach or from certain natural views that are around.
If there is a synonym for the end of the world it is Ushuaia, the Argentine city closest to the South Pole. In summer there are 18 hours of sunshine but in winter there are very few hours of natural light. It is on the banks of the Beagle Channel and its landscapes are made up of sea, glaciers, mountains and forests. Here there is no alpine architecture but that of the surviving man fighting the climate.
Offer purchases without taxes, interesting and various excursions and cruises leaving to visit the islands of the South Atlantic.
El Calafate is synonymous with the glaciers of Patagonia. It is a city in the province of Santa Cruz that has grown a lot in recent years as it is the gateway to the entire glacier circuit, including the Perito Moreno.
It has hotels, many tourist agencies, cabins and restaurants to taste the typical gastronomic products of the area, including game meats, lamb and regional fruits.
Mountain villages in southern Argentina
San Martín de los Andes is a mountain town located in the province of Neuquén. Receive winter and summer tourism and rest on the shores of Lake Lacar. With a leisurely, quiet atmosphere, with many people walking or biking, it is a charming town wherever you look at it.
San Martín, simply, as its inhabitants say, offers many tourist activities because it is surrounded by mountains and lakes: fishing, kayaking, lake cruises, trekking, horseback riding, boating, etc. It is surrounded by the Lanín National Park and there is a route, the Route of the Seven Lakes, now fully paved, that connects San Martín with Villa La Angostura, another mountain town, after a journey of about 100 kilometers of beautiful lake landscapes.
Villa La Angostura is in the Nahuel Huapi National Park and it is a small and picturesque destination that in summer is decorated with hundreds of blooming rose bushes. It is close to San Martín and Bariloche so it is usual to visit these three cities in the same trip.
It has Cerro Bayo, a small but good ski center, the entrance to Los Arrayanes National Park, and it is a more intimate, familiar and exclusive place than its neighbors. In fact, there is a private neighborhood with spectacular mansions and it is the place where the brother of the Queen of Holland lives and that she and hers often visit. So top.
And finally, it is the turn of Traful, a tourist village small on the shore of the lake of the same name, very close to Villa La Angostura, which live from tourism and fishing.
One of its greatest attractions is Wind Viewpoint, a very high cliff that is climbed by a staircase that has surely seen better times, at the top of which demonic winds blow. In addition, there is a charming tea house for coffee, tea and cakes with chocolate and regional sweets. It is 100 kilometers from San Martín and Bariloche and only 60 from Villa La Angostura.
Road of the Seven Lakes
The Road of the Seven Lakes is a one hundred kilometer stretch of road in the province of Neuquén, in the area of the lakes and mountain towns. For a long time it was a hard dirt road that connected San Martín with Villa La Angostura but recently finished asphalt completely.
This mountain road passes through seven lakes: El Lacar, Machonico, Falkner, Villarino, Lago Escondido, Correntoso, Espejo and Nahuel Huapi. Other lakes appear here and there during the route that in summer becomes super touristy and is popular with young backpackers, people on bicycles and cars.
Paleontology in southern Argentina
The life forms of the Cretaceous, 65 million years ago, did not disappear completely and dinosaurs have left many footprints in southern Argentina. The paleontological treasures are many and there are sites and museums who know how to collect them and turn them into tourist attractions.
In the province of Neuquén is the Lake Barreales deposit, huge excavation that has yielded many discoveries, the museums in Villa El Chocón and the Carmen Funes Museum in Cutral-Có. In Cipoletti, Río Negro, there are two very good paleontology museums, and the same can be said of the Paleontology Museum of Bariloche.
Throughout southern Argentina there are many museums that remember the gigantic inhabitants of this land, including the gigantosaurs Carolini, the largest carnivore in the world, more than the so famous T-Rex: 13 meters long, a weight of 5 kilograms, a head of two meters and a tooth of 9500 meters long.