Argentina Itinerary: 10 Days, 2 Weeks and 3 Weeks

A good Argentina itinerary for a first trip combines three regions: Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls and the glaciers and mountains of Patagonia. With 10 days you can see all three at a comfortable pace; with two weeks you can add hiking around El Chaltén; and with three weeks you can add the north-west, Mendoza wine country or the Lake District around Bariloche.

Below we set out three routes, for 10 days, 15 days and 21 days, each built on trips we already run. They are starting points rather than fixed plans. For background on the country itself, see our Argentina guide.

How to plan an Argentina itinerary

Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, and its highlights sit far apart. Iguazú is in the subtropical north-east, El Calafate is in southern Patagonia, and Salta is in the Andean north-west. Driving between them would take days, so most itineraries fly between regions, usually through Buenos Aires.

• Fly between regions. Domestic flights connect Buenos Aires with Iguazú, El Calafate, Bariloche, Salta and Mendoza. Direct routes between regions exist on some days and in some seasons, but many connections go through the capital.
• Allow three to four nights per region. A flight day rarely leaves time for much else. Two full days in each place, plus the travel days, is a sensible minimum.
• Start and end in Buenos Aires. Most international flights arrive at the capital, and a night or two at either end gives you a buffer for delays.
• Choose fewer regions in a short trip. Three regions fit well in 10 days. Squeezing in a fourth usually means more time at airports than on trails.

Which season suits which route

Argentina covers several climates, so the season shapes the itinerary. Southern Patagonia is best from roughly October to April, with the long, mild days of November to March the busiest. Perito Moreno Glacier can be visited all year, but in winter many services around El Chaltén close or slow down. The north-west, around Salta and Jujuy, works for most of the year and is driest from about April to November; summer rains can affect mountain roads. Buenos Aires and Iguazú can be visited all year, though both are hot and humid in the southern summer.

In practice, spring (about September to November) and autumn (about March to May) suit a route that mixes the north and the south. Our month-by-month guide to Argentina and best time to visit Patagonia go into more detail.

Argentina in 10 days: Buenos Aires, Iguazú and Perito Moreno

This is the classic first route and matches our Argentina Essentials (10 days) trip day by day. It gives you a city, a waterfall and a glacier, with three nights in each main region.

Day	Plan	Night
1	Arrive in Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
2	City tour: San Telmo, La Boca, Recoleta and Palermo	Buenos Aires
3	Free day: museums, cafés or a tango show	Buenos Aires
4	Fly to Iguazú	Puerto Iguazú
5	Iguazú Falls: the Argentine side and the Devil’s Throat	Puerto Iguazú
6	Fly to El Calafate	El Calafate
7	Perito Moreno Glacier: walkways and an optional boat trip	El Calafate
8	Lago Argentino by boat, or a day at an estancia	El Calafate
9	Fly back to Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
10	Departure	—

If you would like to see the Brazilian side of the falls as well, add one night in Iguazú. The Brazilian side gives the wide, panoramic view, while the Argentine side takes you close to the water. Our Perito Moreno and El Calafate guide explains the options at the glacier.

Travelling with children? Our Argentina for Families trip (12 days) follows the same three regions with two extra days: a day on a pampas estancia near Buenos Aires and a slower pace in Iguazú and El Calafate.

Argentina in 2 weeks: adding El Chaltén

With 15 days, the most rewarding addition is El Chaltén, the small mountain village beneath Mount Fitz Roy, about three hours’ drive from El Calafate. This route combines the 10-day route above with the El Chaltén days from our Patagonia on Both Sides (12 days) trip, which runs from El Calafate to El Chaltén and then over the border to Torres del Paine in Chile.

Day	Plan	Night
1–3	Buenos Aires: arrival, city tour and a free day	Buenos Aires
4	Fly to Iguazú	Puerto Iguazú
5	Iguazú Falls: the Argentine side	Puerto Iguazú
6	Optional Brazilian side, then fly to El Calafate	El Calafate
7	Perito Moreno Glacier	El Calafate
8	Drive to El Chaltén	El Chaltén
9	Hike towards Fitz Roy	El Chaltén
10	Hike to Laguna Torre, or a gentler walk	El Chaltén
11	Return to El Calafate	El Calafate
12	Lago Argentino by boat, or an estancia	El Calafate
13	Fly to Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
14	A last day in the city or the Tigre Delta	Buenos Aires
15	Departure	—

The hikes from El Chaltén start in the village itself, and you can choose shorter viewpoints instead of the full routes. Patagonian weather changes quickly, so we keep the El Chaltén days flexible and move the longer hike to the clearest day.

Other ways to spend two weeks

• Chilean Patagonia: instead of returning to El Calafate on day 11, cross into Chile for Torres del Paine, as in Patagonia on Both Sides (12 days). Our guide to combining Argentine and Chilean Patagonia explains how the border crossing works.
• The Lake District: swap El Chaltén for four nights around Bariloche, with lakes, forests and the Seven Lakes route. This suits travellers who prefer gentle walks and scenic drives to long hikes.

Argentina in 3 weeks: adding the north-west

Three weeks lets you see the full range of the country, from subtropical forest to Andean desert and ice. This route adds Salta and Jujuy, following the Argentine part of our Northern Argentina and the Atacama Desert (11 days) trip, which continues across the Andes to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

Day	Plan	Night
1–3	Buenos Aires: arrival, city tour and a free day	Buenos Aires
4–5	Fly to Iguazú; the falls	Puerto Iguazú
6	Fly to Salta, often via Buenos Aires	Salta
7	Through the Quebrada de las Conchas to Cafayate	Cafayate
8	Cafayate vineyards and Torrontés tasting	Cafayate
9	Return to Salta through the valleys	Salta
10	Into the Quebrada de Humahuaca	Purmamarca
11	Tilcara, Uquía and Humahuaca villages	Purmamarca
12	Fly to El Calafate, usually a long travel day	El Calafate
13	Perito Moreno Glacier	El Calafate
14	Drive to El Chaltén	El Chaltén
15–16	Hikes towards Fitz Roy and Laguna Torre	El Chaltén
17	Return to El Calafate	El Calafate
18	Lago Argentino or an estancia	El Calafate
19	Fly to Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
20	Free day in Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
21	Departure	—

The north-west sits high in the Andes in places, with Purmamarca at about 2,300 metres and some passes far higher, so the route climbs gradually from Salta. Spring and autumn suit this itinerary best, when both the north and Patagonia are usually in season.

Add-ons: Mendoza, the Lakes and the coast

If the north-west does not appeal, or you have more time, these regions slot into any of the routes above. Each needs a flight, so plan at least three to four nights.

• Mendoza wine country: Malbec vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, with the Andes behind them and a day trip towards Aconcagua. Our Mendoza Wine and the Andes (5 days) trip works on its own or as an extension.
• The Lake District: Bariloche, Lake Nahuel Huapi and the Seven Lakes route to San Martín de los Andes. Our Lakes and Volcanoes (9 days) trip ends with the Andean lake crossing to Puerto Varas in Chile.
• Wildlife and the far south: whales and elephant seals at Península Valdés, penguins at Punta Tombo and the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia. Whale-watching is seasonal, roughly from winter into spring.

Comparing the routes

Length	Regions	Pace	Best months
10 days	Buenos Aires, Iguazú, El Calafate	Comfortable, three nights per region	About October to April
15 days	The above plus El Chaltén	Active, with optional hikes	About November to March
21 days	The above plus Salta and Jujuy	Varied, with one long travel day	About September to November or March to May
Add-on	Mendoza, Bariloche or Península Valdés	Three to five nights each	Depends on the region

How a private trip helps

Because Argentina is so spread out, most of the work in an itinerary is logistics: flight connections, airport transfers and timing the long days. On a private trip we book the domestic flights, transfers and park visits for you, confirm current arrangements when we book, and set the pace around your interests. Local guides meet you in each region, and we can build in a spare day in Patagonia so the weather does not decide your trip.