Expert: Cintia - 7/12/2003

Question
Dear Cintia,

We're planning a Nov. trip to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls.

We like to walk and explore out-of-the-way places rather than just the usual tourist ones.  Do you have any suggestions for that in BA?

We'd like to hike the trails around the Falls, and I'm wondering how long a stay we should plan.  Is 2-days 1-night enough or should we stay longer to really appreciate the area?

Thank you so much for your help.

Dana

Answer
Dear Dana,
Thank you very much for your email.
First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am a 27 y.o. woman, and together with my husband, we provide assistance to tourists coming to Argentina.  We aim to show Argentina "through the back door" and make people feel as if they were at home.
I would like to make something clear: I am in the travel business but it doesnīt mean to have to hire my services. I volunteer in this website because I love my country and I feel itīs got a great potential to become one of the top destinations in the world. So please feel free to ask me as many questions as you like and I will be glad to answer all of them.

As I was telling you before, we specialize in customized services, and our purpose is to show our guests the real Argentina, which is not necessarily the one you will see by taking a "seat on the bus" tour. The fact that we work with tourists all  the time gives us as great insight and perspective about what tourists want to see.  
Buenos Aires, for example, is a beautiful cosmopolitan city.  Most of the people stay in Recoleta, which could be compared to the upper east end in  New York or Champs Elysees in Paris. It is definitely a lovely area but it doesnīt represent the whole of Buenos Aires. So if you stay just there, and move within the tourist circuit, you will go back home and will think that the rest of the country is like Recoleta.
We believe that tourists have the right to learn more: for example, our city tour is not merely a sightseeing tour. We show places, but we also talk about them and we share our knowledge about daily life, financial problems that argentinians have to face every day, political situation, etc. The best way to learn about a country is by talking to its people.

If you come to Buenos Aires and you want to get off the tourist track, then you have different options:
- the city of Buenos Aires is just a small part of the province of Buenos Aires. The tourist area of the city is located in the eastern coast, from the south to the north. I donīt recommend you go the western part of the city, because itīs not very safe and not even we, local people, go there unless itīs necessary. But you can leave the city and continue up North, go to Tigre (without taking a tour)and maybe stay at a bed and breakfast there. There are also other places worth visiting: San Antonio de Areco is a beautiful gaucho town (authentic, not touristy) located around 70 miles away from the city. The town itself is pretty small but very picturesque, full of old houses, local silversmiths and gaucho atmosphere.  
If you go to the South of Buenos Aires, you can visit Lobos, Monte or Caņuelas. These are also sort of rural towns. In general, for you to understand, towns outside the city are more rural, with a lot of green and warm people.

Without having to leave the city, you can visit non touristy places. The city of Buenos Aires is divided in 47 districts and the ones located in the Eastern coast are the most interesting ones in terms of museums, restaurants, hotels and attractions. But if you want to see a typical "porteņo" neighborhood, then you can go to Saavedra, Belgrano, Coughlan in the North.
There are 5 subway lines in BA, and they donīt take you to all points of the city but they are very useful.

AS for Iguazu, 2 days/1 night is the minimum amount of time you will need, because due to the flight availability itīs impossible to go and return on the same day. If you stay for only 1 night, you have to stay at Sheraton Hotel, as it is the only hotel inside the National Park.
However, I suggest you stay for at least 2 nights if you just want to see the falls, and one more night if you want to cross to the Brazilian side (depending on your nationality, you may need a visa) or visit another attraction such as San Ignacio Jesuit ruins, which is a full day excursion.

The National Park on the argentine side has 5 different circuits, and you will need a minimum of 2 full days to cover all of them.  If you stay at a hotel outside the park, you have to consider around 40 minutes for the transfer service.

I hope you find this information useful and I welcome your comments and questions.
You can also contact me at wow@fibertel.com.ar

Kind regards,
Cintia