| Author | Message | ||
     Petr Vaculik New member Username: Petr_vaculik Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2006 |
Hi, can you check our planned itinerary for September in Argentina (21 days): 1. Buenos Aires (2 days) -> flight or bus to Iguazu 2. Iguazu (2 days) -> bus to Salta (1 day) 3. from Salta to Mendoza (Salta, Tucuman, San Juan, Mendoza - total 7 days) -> bus to Puerto Madryn (1 day) 4. Puerto Madryn (2 days) -> bus to BA (1 day) 5. BA - El Calafate - BA (flight, 3 days) 6. BA (2 days) My questions are: - isn't it too fast? - what to reduce / what to add? - is there any BUS from Iguazu to Salta? - if it is too fast, what to sacrifice - Puerto Madryn or El Calafate? - and what to focus on between Salta and Mendoza? Thanx a lot for your help. Petr | ||
| Roberto Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 571 Registered: 12-2004 |
Let me see if I understood... You will stay 2 nts BA 2 nts Iguazu 7 nts Salta, Tucuman, San Juan and Mendoza 2 nts Puerto Madryn 3 nts Calafate 2 nts BA --------- 18 nts and you also assume that you will spend 1 nt bus to Salta 1 nt bus Mendoza - Puerto Madryn 1 nt Pto Madryn - BA ---------- 3 nts For a total of 21 nts. First, buses will make you tired and in most cases you may have a hard time coordinating arrivals to destinations with excursions on site. Remember, a coach will leave you at a terminal, then you must get to the hotel and check in. Even with no delays this will rob you precious minutes. By the time you finish checking in there is a chance tours may have already began. This could be the case with Iguazu for sure. Take into account that tours that last a full day will probably start early in the morning. I am not saying don't use buses, but plan carefully and give yourself ample time for delays and/or mistakes. There is a bus company doing Iguazu-Salta and the information has been posted somewhere on this forum, but these routes have less schedules. Another reason to plan carefully. If I were you, I would contact the Bus Terminal in Buenos Aires (Retiro), find out all possible departure/arrival times, contact a travel agent or your hotels at destination and find out when the most important tours start and see if you can make things fit. If you start such trip with a failure I can guarantee you that you will not be happy the remaining of your vacations. The schedule above looks pretty tight, in my opinion. These places are far away from each other. Seven days for Salta, Tucuman, San Juan and Mendoza, including trip time, is not realistic. For one, I will leave out San Juan, which offers slightly less attractions. Also, Mendoza and Puerto Madryn might require 1 more day each. They are both important destinations with many things to see and in an itinerary like yours they can also act as breakers, where you can take additional time to recharge. If you have a little more money to spend a more efficient itinerary could be: BA > Iguazu (bus) Iguazu > Salta (bus) Salta > BA (bus) BA > Mendoza > Calafate > Puerto Madryn > BA (flight) While in Salta, you could plan a short stay in Tucuman. | ||
| Petr Vaculik New member Username: Petr_vaculik Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2006 |
Roberto, thank you very much for your help. Regarding the flights BA > Mendoza > Calafate > Puerto Madryn > BA I didn't find too much flights and it was also quite expensive (as you wrote) and we are quite limited by money. Is there any direct flight from Mendoza to El Calafate and from El Calafate to Trelew/Puerto Madryn? And regarding our intinerary, we would like to see both the nature and also the culture, cities etc. That's why we wanted to have so tight plans. What about to skip Salta and go from Iguazu to Cordoba and then to Mendoza? I have still feeling that from following main areas I should delete one: BA - Iguazu - Salta - Mendoza - Puerto Madryn - El Calafate. Or what about following itinerary: 1 nt BA 2 nts Iguazu 1 nt Bus to Salta 3 nts Salta 1 nt Bus to Mendoza 3 nts Mendoza 1 nt Bus to Puerto Madryn 3 nts Perto Madryn 1 nt Bus to BA 2 nts El Calafate 3 nts BA Thank you. Petr | ||
| Milagros Miceli New member Username: Milita Post Number: 3 Registered: 6-2006 |
Hi Petr. As Roberto said, buses are a problem. Distances here are really long. But if you can't afford flights buses are your only solution. I recommend leaving out San Juan and Tucumán. Neither of these cities are very interesting or nice. Neither ladscapes nor culture. Mendoza and Salta are beautiful cities to visit. Mendoza is very nice and has a rich culture. If you have time I could recommend a good place to have dinner with tipical food and music from that area: "El Retortuņo" 173 Dorrego St.-Dorrego-Guaymayen-Mendoza. Salta is a very photographic colonial city. It worth the effort of visiting. What a pity you donīt have much time! The whole north of Argentina (including Salta and Tucuman but mostly Jujuy) has beatiful places to visit, but you have to go deep inside those provinces. Between Puerto Madryn or El Calafate: El Calafate (but notice that is more expensive than Puerto Madryn) If you need information about Buenos Aires, just let me know | ||
| Milagros Miceli New member Username: Milita Post Number: 4 Registered: 6-2006 |
Almost forgot! The one thing you canīt leave out from your trip to salta is El Tren a las Nubes (Train to the clouds). I donīt know if itīs working, but if it is, you have to take it. Because of the exchange, it shouldīt be expensive for you. | ||
| Roberto Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 572 Registered: 12-2004 |
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