Argentina never ceases to amaze. One day you’re watching butterflies in the spray of Iguazú Falls, the next you’re on the surface of a city-sized iceberg or browsing the boutiques of fashionable Buenos Aires. And, wherever your holiday takes you, you can expect the very best in South American food and wine, from the award-winning malbec to the most mouthwatering steaks imaginable. 

Argentina's urban buzz

Argentina’s captivating capital city is perhaps Latin America’s most enchanting; its wide tree-lined avenues and picutresque plazas, at once European, connect a series of barrios (neighbourhoods) – gritty La Boca, trendy Palermo, historic Recoleta – that are alive with colour and Latin American ambience. From the sensuality of its famous tango shows to the sizzling, succulent steaks served in its backstreet paradillas, Buenos Aires is the perfect introduction to a country of remarkable variety and vibrancy.

A spectacular natural world

Move away from the capital and you could find yourself mulling over views of distant Andean peaks as you sip a glass of malbec in the vineyards of Mendoza, riding like a gaucho on a working estancia, or seeking inspiration in the foothills of the Fitzroy Massif. There are the palm-filled plazas of colonial Salta to explore, and the multi-coloured mountains and ancient Inca ruins of the rugged northwest. To experience nature at its most powerful, head to Iguazú Falls, or explore the Iberá Wetlands, a network of creeks and lagoons twice the size of the Florida Everglades where you’ll see everything from caiman to capybara. Alternatively, the remote Peninsula Valdés is a popular spot for southern right whales and Magellan penguins. And, at the end of it all, is lonely Ushuaia, a jumble of urbanity at the foot of the Martial Range in the windswept wilds of Tierra del Fuego where the Andes fall into the Southern Ocean. This is the world’s southernmost city and the departure point for most cruises to Antarctica.  

Argentina's food & wine

Whether you're in the countryside or the city, up in the mountains or by the coast, Argentina's food and wine is always excellent. Famed for its full-bodied malbec, the Andean town of Mendoza is ever-popular, with visitors keen to explore the region's sprawling vineyards, fed by the melting snow of some of the continent's highest peaks. But, Mendoza isn't Argentina's only wine region. In the north, Salta's cool mountain climate is perfect for producing delightfully aromatic torrontés, while to the south, in and around the central lake district, you'll find delicious sauvignons, merlots and pinot noirs.

And, for many, these wines serve as the perfect accompaniment to another of Argentina's great passions – steak. Whether cooked on an asado barbecue at a gaucho's ranch or served in a back-street parrilla in Buenos Aires, expect butter-soft beef that ranks as some of the world's best.