Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 42

FROM BOLIVIA
There are three entry points into Argentina
from Bolivia: Villazón, Bermejo and
Yacuiba. You'll need to complete the
requisite formalities at Bolivia's migration
and customs office on the border and then
register on the Argentina side.

1

1955 Perón is overthrown in a military coup and exiled.
1973 Perón returns from exile in Spain and is re-elected.
1974 Perón dies and power defaults to his third wife
“Isabelita”.
1976 Videla leads a military coup against Isabel Perón,
marking the beginning of the “Dirty War”.
1978 Argentina hosts, and wins, the FIFA World Cup in the
middle of a military dictatorship.
1982 A military force invades the Falkland Islands (Islas
Malvinas) and is defeated by the British.
1983 Democracy is restored and radical Raúl Alfonsín is
elected president.
1989 Neoliberal Peronist Carlos Menem begins a decade
as president during which most services are privatized.
2001 President De la Rúa is forced to resign in the midst of
economic collapse and violent rioting.
2008 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is inaugurated as the
country's first elected female president, succeeding her
husband, Néstor.
2010 The country celebrates two centuries of nationhood
with parades and other festivities.
2012 The first year of the second term of Cristina Fernández
as president is marred by corruption scandals, rising inflation,
mass demonstrations and urban riots.

FROM BRAZIL
Most people crossing from Brazil to
Argentina do so at Foz do Iguaçu. If you're
just going for the day you only need to get
your passport stamped on the Argentine
side, but if going for longer you must
pass through both controls. The bus that
takes you across the border stops at the
Brazilian and Argentine passport controls
and waits for passengers to get their
passports stamped.

FROM CHILE
Travellers crossing via the high Andes
should note that the passes sometimes
close in winter. In the north, advance
booking is recommended for the San
Pedro de Atacama-Jujuy and Salta bus
crossing. The most popular border crossing
from Chile to Argentina is the Santiago-
Mendoza route via the Los Libertadores
tunnel. If you're coming from the south,
routes in the Lake District include
Osorno-Bariloche, and Temuco-San
Martín de Los Andes. Further south still
are the Puerto Natales-El Calafate and
Punta Arenas-Río Gallegos crossings.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
The vast majority of visitors to Argentina
arrive at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza
International Airport , although other
major cities also have flight connections
to countries within South America. There
are no direct international rail links, but a
plethora of international bus routes links
Argentina with its neighbours: Chile,
Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay.

FROM PARAGUAY
Visitors can cross the Paraguayan
border into Posadas (Argentina) from
Encarnación (Paraguay). Travellers
crossing here will have to go through
migration control at both sides of
the border, which are open 24 hours.
Another popular option is the
Puerto Falcón (Paraguay) to Clorinda
(Argentina) crossing, but you can
also cross into the Argentine cities
of Formosa, Pocitos, Corrientes,
Barranqueras and Iguazú.

WHEN TO VISIT
Buenos Aires is probably at its best
during spring (October and November),
when purple jacaranda trees are in bloom
all over the city and the weather is
typically sunny and warm. For spectacular
autumnal colours, visit Mendoza
between April and May, or else in early
March to witness its international harvest
festival. Unless heading to Bariloche to
ski, Patagonia is best avoided in the
depths of winter. Instead, plan a visit
between October and April, but if
heading to Peninsula Valdés , be sure
not to miss the whale season, at its peak
in early November.

FROM URUGUAY
From Colonia del Sacramento, the crossing
is easy and quick with the Buquebus ferry
service ( W buquebus.com), with a fast