Things to Do in Argentina

Argentina is vast and varied enough to hold subtropical waterfalls, Andean wine country, Patagonian glaciers and one of the world’s great cities. Distances are long, but the bus network is genuinely comfortable and overnight journeys cover a lot of ground.

Our placements are in Córdoba, the country’s second city — a student town with colonial Jesuit architecture, surrounded by the sierras.

The best things to do in Argentina

1. Iguazú Falls

275 individual falls spread across nearly three kilometres of jungle on the Brazilian border, and one of the natural wonders of the world. The Argentine side has the walkways that put you above and beside the water, including the Devil’s Throat; the Brazilian side gives the panorama. Worth the long trip north.

2. Buenos Aires

European architecture, Latin energy. San Telmo’s Sunday antiques market and tango in the street, the coloured houses of La Boca, Recoleta cemetery where Evita is buried, and the bookshop in a converted opera house at El Ateneo. Ten hours by overnight bus or an hour and a half by air from Córdoba.

3. The Sierras de Córdoba

Your local weekend. Rolling hills, rivers and small towns an hour or two from the city: Villa General Belgrano with its Alpine architecture and Oktoberfest, La Cumbrecita’s car-free village, and Alta Gracia with its Jesuit estancia and the house where Che Guevara grew up.

4. Córdoba city

The Manzana Jesuítica — the Jesuit block of church, university and college — is UNESCO-listed, and the university is the oldest in the country. It gives the city a young, music-filled nightlife that runs very late by European standards.

5. Mendoza and the Andes

Argentina’s wine capital sits under Aconcagua, the highest peak outside Asia. Malbec vineyards to cycle between, high-altitude tasting rooms, and the Andes as a permanent backdrop. Around ten hours west of Córdoba by bus.

6. Salta and the northwest

Colonial towns and dramatic desert colour — the Quebrada de Humahuaca’s striped hills, the Salinas Grandes salt flats and the Train to the Clouds. The most distinctively Andean part of Argentina.

When to visit Argentina

Córdoba is mildest in autumn (March-May) and spring (September-November). Summer (December-February) is hot and is when Argentines take their holidays; winter is cool and dry with cold nights. Iguazú is subtropical and warm year-round, with the falls at their most powerful after summer rains. Patagonia is only really accessible in the southern summer.

Getting around

Long-distance buses are the backbone of travel here and the cama and semi-cama classes are genuinely comfortable for overnight journeys. Domestic flights save a full day on the longer routes and are worth it for Iguazú or Patagonia. In Córdoba, city buses need a rechargeable card; ride-hailing and radio taxis cover the rest.

Seeing Argentina as a volunteer

Córdoba placements put the sierras within an hour and Buenos Aires within an overnight bus. Our Argentina placements are based in Córdoba, include accommodation, meals, airport pickup and 24/7 in-country support, and leave evenings and weekends free — which is exactly when most of this list gets ticked off. See volunteer programs in Argentina for live prices and dates, or read our complete guide to volunteering in Argentina for costs, visas and safety.

Argentina travel FAQs

Photo: Horacio Cambeiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)