Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KAYAKING
Thanks to the steep eastern slopes of the
Andes, there are many fun rivers with bub-
bling rapids to enter tain enthusiasts her e.
The M endoza and A tuel riv ers, in M en-
doza P rovince, and the J uramento Riv er,
in Salta, are important spots. I n the Lake
District, the main riv er for rafting and
kayaking is the Manso, south of Bariloche,
although there are dozens of nearby rivers
to keep a river rat happy.
MOUNTAINEERING &
ROCK CLIMBING
Alpine climbers ar e drawn to a fe w hot
spots in Argentina: to the mighty summit
of Mt. Aconcagua in Mendoza, the tallest
mountain in the world outside the H ima-
laya; to glaciated v olcanoes, such as Mt.
Tronador or Volcán Lanín, in the Lake
District; and to the famous granite spir es
near El Chaltén.
SCUBA DIVING
The A tlantic Coast of Argentina offers
some good scuba diving at Puerto Madryn,
where experienced div ers can get close up
with marine wildlife. There ar e also a
number of places in the Lake D istrict for
freshwater diving.
SKIING/SNOWBOARDING
Alpine skiing and snowboarding in Argen-
tina offer plenty of choices for for eigners.
The biggest resort, Las Leñas, is nestled in
a high altitude v alley 5 hours south of
Mendoza city. F arther south, the biggest
ski r esort is at B ariloche's Catedral; and
such gems as Chapelco in S an Martín or
Cerro B ayo in Villa La Angostura ar e
nearby, allowing travelers to visit a few dif-
ferent resorts over the period of one visit.
Finally, Cerr o Castor in U shuaia is the
southernmost ski resort in the world. The
Austral ski season r uns fr om late J une to
September. Nordic or cross-country skiing
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seldom-traveled dirt roads, a good suspen-
sion bike will cer tainly come in handy
here. The most popular ar ea for r ecrea-
tional mountain biking is the Lake D is-
trict, wher e y ou can cr oss the Andes to
Chile and back, or pedal the stunning
(albeit dusty) Seven Lakes Route, camping
lakeside each night. M ountain biking is
also popular in the Nahuel Huapi National
Park area near B ariloche, as w ell as in the
northern pr ovince of S alta, wher e tours
take y ou fr om the clouds to the jungle.
Biking in the wine countr y near Mendoza
is also fun. And such cities as Cór doba
have established bike r outes. Virtually
every to wn has a local bike shop , wher e
you can rent a bike and ask locals for trail
ideas.
FISHING
Argentine Patagonia is one of the world 's
premier destinations for fishing, par ticu-
larly for fly-fishing. Trout and salmon
populate the pictur esque and isolated
rivers and lakes fr om Junín de los Andes
south to Esquel. Tierra del F uego also
draws fly-fishing fanatics. The fishing sea-
son r uns fr om N ovember thr ough A pril,
generally, and strict catch-and-release poli-
cies are in place in cer tain locales. Fishing
on the Atlantic Coast is popular anywhere
there is a dock, and the giant dorado fish
in Entre Rios province is legendary.
HORSEBACK RIDING
Argentina has one of the world 's gr eat
horse cultur es, fr om the polo fields of
Buenos Aires to the gauchos r oaming the
Pampas and P atagonia, and the terrain is
ideal for horseback riding. Horses are well
cared for and v ery common. H our-long
trail rides are offered at
estancias
through-
out the country. In the wilder areas of the
Northwest, the M endozan Andes, and
Patagonia, visitors can sign up for multi-
day pack trips.
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