| Pre-Trip Planning In Toronto, I bought the air tickets directly from
Air Canada. Air Canada has a direct flight from Toronto,
leaving at 10 pm and arriving the next day in Buenos Aires around
2:30 pm.. It makes one stop in Santiago, Chile and everyone
has to get out of the plan and go through Chilean customs before
reboarding at another gate.
Within Argentina, Cintia at WOW!
Argentina made all the flights and hotel arrangements.
Money Matters
At
the time of my visit in March 2004, the exchange rate was $1 US =
2.88 Argentina pesos and $1 US = 5500 Chilean pesos. It maybe
difficult to cash travelers
cheques in smaller towns and the commissions are high. ATMs
are common and it is better to withdraw money as needed. There
is often a charge for purchases using credit cards.
Buenos Aires Arrivals/Departures
International flights arrive
at the Ezeiza International Airport and domestic flights at
Aeroparque. The luggage cart in the baggage claim area in
Ezeiza is 2 pesos or if you can give the attendant one US $
instead. Going though Customs is fast and
straightforward.
Travel time between Ezeiza and the city by taxi is approximately 45 minutes, depending on traffic
and costs around 40 pesos. Travel time between the city centre
and Aeroparque Airport by taxi is about 20 minutes and costs
around 10 pesos. It is advised to take taxis from the stands
and not from people soliciting outside the airport.
Manuel
Tienda León Bus
Company (tel 4480-9464 airport/4314-3636 city)
provides shuttle services between the two airports and the city
centre for people who don't have a lot of luggage to carry.
Departure tax is
$18 US or the equivalent in pesos.
Currency Exchange
At Ezeiza airport, there is a
currency exchange booth in the baggage claim area but the
exchange rate is not good. If you need to change money at the
airport, it's better to wait until you exit Customs.
After passing through the sliding doors and to the right, there is
National Bank which offers a much better exchange rate.
Phones and Internet
Calling from the hotel is quite expensive. Telephone cabins (locutorios) are easily
found in every city or town in Argentina and one can make
international calls which are much cheaper than using a phone card.
My calls to Toronto averaged one peso per minute and it ddin't seem
to depend much on where in Argentina I was calling. Most
locutorios also offer internet services and the cost is reasonable.
Language
Although it is helpful to know some Spanish, it is
not necessary if you go to the normal tourist places. In the
airport check-in counters and in the hotels, there is at least one
person who can speak English. I did not have any problems
with my limited Spanish but it can be tricky if you are traveling on
local buses. Iguazu Falls The
Sheraton Hotel is the best hotel in Iguazú and is located inside the
Iguazú National Park on the
Argentina side. It is worth paying the extra money for a room that has a
view of the falls. The view from these rooms is
spectacular. Since the hotel is in the national park, you
are able to get on the trails before the tourist buses come and have
the place to yourself for an hour or so. In the summer where it
gets hot and humid, it is nice to go back to the hotel in mid-day for a
break before hitting the trails again.
It is a short walk from the hotel to the two main
trails - the Lower Circuit Trail and the Upper
Circuit trail. The Upper Circuit trail is an easy half an hour
walk and takes you over the falls, with a view of the jungles.
The Lower Circuit takes an hour and half and requires more
physical effort due to the stairs but there are many observation decks
along the way to rest your feet while enjoying the breathtaking views
of the falls from the bottoms up. The Lower Circuit
goes all the way down to the river where you can catch the ferry to go
to San Martin Island. On San Martin's Island a fairly steep
trail of 172 stepping stones (about 30 minutes walk) takes you
to panaromic views of the San Martín and Devils Throat
falls. The view is well worth the effort and there is a higher
chance of seeing a rainbow in the mornings. To
get to the biggest falls, the Devils Throat (Garganta del
Diablo), it is necessary to take a mini-train. The train station
is located at the end of the path of the Lower and Upper Circuit
trails heads. It is 100 metre from the Garganta del Diablo train
station to the falls, all on boardwalk. There is no shade along
the trail and the sun can get very hot, so bring along some water and
put on sunscreen lotion. Try to go in the afternoons for the
best photo shots. The local bus (El
Practico) makes a stop near the entrance of the Sheraton before
returning to town, stopping in front of St.George's Hotel on Av.
Cordoba. The timetable is posted near the bus stop and the one
way fare is 4.75 pesos. The town is fairly small and easy to
navigate. Internet places are plentiful and cost between 3-5
pesos an hour. One of the attraction is the Border of the Three
Frontiers (Hito Tres Fronteras). It is the confluence of the Iguazú
river and the Paraná river and the geographical limit of the three
countries: Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Few tourists visit
and it is a tranquil way to spend a relaxing afternoon. The walk
from the town centre is about 4 km or take a taxi.
Cost of things
Taxi
from airport to Sheraton Hotel : 32 pesos
Iguazu National Park entrance
fee: 33 pesos
Bus from Sheraton Hotel to town of Iguazú: one way 4.75
pesos Taxi from Sheraton Hotel to town of
Iguazu: 37 pesos
Links
Sheraton International Hotel, Iguazu Falls
Map of Puerto Iguazú and the Park
Map of the Falls
Map of Puerto Iguazú
Ushuaia The
city core is small and quite walkable. Av. San
Martin is the main street. The city is built on a hill and
some of the side streets are really steep. Be prepared for a
climb if your hotel is not located on Av. San
Martin, but taxis are a cheap alternative for the tiring legs. A taxi ride anywhere
in town should cost no more than 3 to 4 pesos. There
is a tourist office on Av. San Martin Av. (corner of Juana Fadul) but
I found the one at the Muelle Turístico (tourist pier) on Av. Maipu
to be the most helpful. They have brochures of tours, bus
schedules, hotel and restaurant recommendations in English. The
staff speaks English and is quite knowlegeable. At
the tourist pier, there are many kiosks which offer Beagle Channel
boat excursions. Itineraries are pretty much the same: half day tours
to see colonies of sea lions/Eclaireurs Lighthouse or the Penguin
rookery and full-day excursions to Estancia Harberton (the oldest farm
in Argentine Tierra Del Fuego) and a penguin rookery. The
difference is the type of boat that is used. The smaller boats
will get closer to the wildlife while the catamarans are faster and
more comfortable.
Cost of things
Taxi
from airport to town : 7 pesos
Taxi around town: 3 to 4 pesos
Tierra del Fuego Park entrance
fee: 12 pesos
Bus to Tierra del Fuego Park:
one way 9 pesos, round trip 15 pesos
Ushuaia
Airport departure tax: 13 pesos
Half-day Beagle Channel Excursions : 80-110 pesos
Links Street Map of
Ushuaia (east end)
Street Map of Ushuaia (west
end)
Bus Schedule to Parque Tierra del Fuego
Bus Schedule to Other Tourist
Attractions
Parque Tierra del Fuego Trail Map
Parque
Tierra del Fuego Trail Descriptions (to be added)
Canal Fun - unconventional tours
El Calafate
From the airport a taxi to town took 45 minutes and
30 pesos. Manuel
Tienda León Bus Company runs a shuttle that costs 12 pesos and
has an office at the airport. The main street is Av. Libertador,
called San Martin by some people. Almost all
the tour companies are located on Av. Libertador. For people
interested in alternative travel or adventure travel, Calafate Hostel
at 1226 Gobernador Moyano Street (42 blocks north of Av. Libertador at
the corner of 9 de Julio) is a good place to start. The hostel
has knowledgeable English speaking staff and will give a discount if
multiple tours are booked by them. I think the tours are
actually run by Chalten Travel, located on the main
street.
Cost of things
Taxi
from airport to town : 30 pesos
Shuttle from airport to town: 12 pesos
Los Glaciares Park entrance fee: 20 pesos
Perito Moreno full day tour: 50 pesos
Perito Moreno boat ride: 20 pesos
Transfer to Puerto Bandera: 29 pesos
Full day Excursion to Torres del Paine: 150 pesos
Bus to Puerto Natales: 45 pesos
Links El
Calafate Street Map
Location of
Los Glaciares Park
Los
Glaciares Park Map
Upsala Explorer
Estancia Alicia
Chalten Travel(in spanish)
losglaciares.com - travel resource for El Calafate and El Chalten
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