- Argentina

Argentina

The road to independence for modern-day Argentina began in 1810 with the May Revolution. In 1808, the Spanish King, Charles IV, was deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Some historians regarded the war that raged following this as an act of loyalty to Spain, while others maintain that this loyalty was only a pretence which masked other more complex agendas of various conflicting groups. Whatever the case, after having been under Spanish rule since the 1500´s, the country was finally freed under the Libertadores (freedom-fighters), and Argentina finally established its own government, the Primera Junta (The First Junta), in Buenos Aires, which is still the country´s capital today. The sun still that decorates the Argentinean flag today is thus known as the Sol De Mayo (Sun of May).

The Andes in Argentina

Much of the war was conducted in the Andes. If you believe in numerology, the numbers that occur and reoccur in this area´s geographical statistics will surely reinforce that belief and, if you don´t, the following may give you pause for thought; The Andres Mountain Range stretches over 7,000 km and passes through 7 countries along the west coast of South America. The highest point, Mt. Aconcagua, is 6,961 m (or almost 7 km) high, making it one of the world´s Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the seven continents in the world. And as if that weren´t enough, Argentina´s lowest point, Laguna del Carbon, at 105 m below sea-level, is the seventh lowest point in the world. And last but not least, there is the Garganta Del Diablo Waterfall in the province of Misiones on the border between Argentina and Brazil. The vapours from the fall are said to be visible from – yes, you guessed it, seven kilometres away. All of these places can be visited and each one represents a unique facet of Argentina´s magnificent scenery, a worthy representative of what South America has to offer as a whole.

football that seduced the world!

But the magic of Argentina doesn´t stop there. The mind-bending geographical”coincidences” are not the only thing that will amaze you about this country. For several decades now, the Argentinean football wizards, in their sky-blue football shirts, have struck fear into the hearts of world-class teams, with football legends such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi at the helm, so to speak, even if Messi does spend most of his time in Europe. The legendary rivalry between the Buenos Aires, Boca Junior and River Plate teams is also an experience not to be missed for any visiting football fans. At the more seductive end of the spectrum, nothing captures the passionate and sensual nature of Latin America more expressively than the tango, the dance that Argentina has made its own all over the globe. Whether you are spending a few days in the capital of Buenos Aires, wandering through the ancient university town of Cordoba, or exploring the wine-growing region of Mendoza, we guarantee you´ll find a chico or chica who´ll be more than happy to teach you a few steps.

Useful to know:

Weather: Varies greatly from area to area; sub-tropical climate with the summer season from December to February and an average temperature of around 25C in Buenos Aires during these months.
Currency: Argentinean Peso
Capital: Buenos Aires
Population: 43.42 million (2015)
Language: Spanish

Worth visiting:

Garganta Del Diablo (Iguazu Falls)
Plaza De Mayo
MALBA
Casa Rosada
Aconcagua

Preferred travel partners:

Airlines:
Iberia
British Airways
Norwegian

Tour Operators:

Marco Polo
Hannibal
Kipling Travel
CC Travel