Posts labeled with Country ' Argentina'
11000 KM South To Antarctica ! See the video above !
On November 29,2022 TotalAdventure and a colleague boarded an Aerolineas jet for Buenos Aires arriving in Ezezia that evening. The next morning , from Aeroparque, we boarded a smaller jet for the 4 hour flight to Ushuaia. Please see the Ushuaia article above, if you have not already.
Above is the dock at Ushuaia, where our ship, the MV Hondius departed to and arrived from, Antarctica.
Buenos Aires By Night.
Dining At The World’s Top Rated Steakhouse – Don Julio ! The 95 degree summer weather was welcome on our return from Antarctica.
Ushuaia – Time to board the ship to cross the Drake ! Read on in the series below !
Good Fortune Ahead From Ushuaia Across The Drake !
A Long Way From Miami !
TotalAdventure Is Currently En Route To Antarctica. We arrived here on Wednesday , November 30th after flying from Miami through Buenos Aries.
It is 600 Miles Across And Will Take 2 Days.
The MV Hondius Is An Icebreaker Class 6 Polar Ship. Built in 2019,It carries 112 Passengers. You can track our voyage HERE
Glaciar Martial. At ehe end of the 12000 mile Rockies and Andes chain that begins in Alaska.
Argentina is 5000 km North To South. A long beautiful drive.
The Malvinas Are An Important Situation Here.
Ushuaia Is Far From Everywhere !
Southernmost Commercial Airport In The World.
Don Bosco Cathedral.
Glacial Stream.
Looking South TO Chile. TotalAdventure will depart tomorrow afternoon throught the Beagle Channel and past Cape Horn.
TotalAdventure returns to Ushuaia Argentina on December 13 . We are extremely unlikely to have any internet or cellular contact while on the expedition, but perhaps a sporadic link. TotalAdventure looks forward to sharing the adventure with everyone !
This past July,2022 I flew from the sultry tropics of Miami to the cool windy streets of Buenos Aires and on up to Salta, where I met a very good friend from São Paulo. Above are winter vineyards – resting from the warm months of producing amazing Malbec.
Different from most of TotalAdventure’s expeditions, this was a leisurely return to a region I had visited before – Cafayate in San Juan Province in the desert north of Argentina. In this area the winters are relatively mild . Snow is rare but not unheard of. We experienced highs in the 60s F 16-20 C though overnight lows were at freezing 29F to 32 F -2 to 0 C. The mornings were frosty ,but quickly warmed up.
We met in Salta and spent the night there. As it was winter vacation, the city was packed with tourists from colder parts of Argentina, though it was pretty cold there on the day of arrival.
The High Desert. Just over the Andes from the Chilean Atacama, it’s a very dry part of the world. See the video above for the real experience.
Downtown Cafayate.
In addition to excellent Malbec, grappa is produced by fermenting whole grapes.
I dipped a ladle in the jar to sample. Real firewater !
Cafayate Town.
Then back to relax at Estancia Patios de Cafayate. Our room was palatial – see it in the video above. Because of the strong dollar – it cost less than when I was here in 2008.
The washrooms are as big as an average New York apartment. With a whirlpool tub to relax after a couple hours on horseback.
A warm evening fire – set during wine tasting.
Before returning to Buenos Aires, we drove North to Punamarca in Jujuy Province. High desert at 2500 meters, but hot sunshine with temperatures near 25 C.
Flying South To Aeroparque Buenos Aires.
A classic Argentina scene . Soon to be on the dinner plates of the best steak houses in the world.
For Example, La Brigada in San Telmo , Buenos Aires.
Where the Bife de Chorizo is so tender you can cut it with a spoon.
La Cabaña.
And Don Julio – considered now the Best In The World.
The Dollar is King in Argentina. When I arrived the rate was 260 pesos to the dollar on the Blue Market. ( Official rate was 135) When I left 12 days later it was 340 – a 40% increase in value. The above steak dinners were as low as $ 15 to 20 ( not Don Julio) and taxi rides are about $ 2. The peso has since stabilized, but now is a great time to visit Argentina. You need to pay in cash – credit cards are charged at the official rate.
At La Rural – Annual Cattle Show in Buenos Aires. Photo – Daniele Puharre
La Rural. Photo – Daniele Puharre
We also visited the Evita Peron Museum. I have Argentine friends on both sides of the political divide, so I will not take sides here. However we still live in a world of personality cults and unrivaled power by one ( or two) person – this has no place in a democracy.
Roadside in Salta Province.
Incredible Apartment or Office !
A Beautiful Last Evening Before Heading Up To Paraguay.
Click To See And Book Adventures In Argentina
On a beautiful Southern Hemisphere Spring Monday,October 16, TotalAdventure took part in a Day of Adventure , a prelude to the Adventure Travel World Summit 2017 in the high desert city of Salta in Northwest Argentina. Our host was Salta Rafting – they really create an amazing experience!
First our group of 45 adventure company leaders climbed a small mountain in order to reach the first platform – where we flew through the air at 30 mph. ( 55 km) at 150 meters ( 500 feet ) above the river. There were a total of 4 crossings, as seen in the video above.
Afterwards we changed into wetsuits and and rafted the mildly challenging river we had just ziplined across. The rapids were Class 2 and Class 3.
Special Thanks to David Figereau of Ideia Tours in Recife, Brazil for always telling me if the camera ( strapped to TotalAdventure’s head) was rolling. TotalAdventure will soon return to posts from the Bolivia Adventure as soon as we have proper high speed connectivity for video upload.
After a great day of spring skiing on El Colorado in Chile, TotalAdventure boarded a flight from Santiago to Aeroparque – the smaller airport in Palermo.
After a quick stop at the hotel – TotalAdventure was off to a a Midnight feast at Las Nazarenas. The Bife de Chorizo was succulent , as always ! At 15 pesos to the dollar ( Blue Market ) dining is a bargain !
The next day was Columbus Day – Dia de Las Raza in Argentina – so the streets were relatively quiet, with families enjoying the cool early spring weather.
It was only a month before the quasi – Chavista government of Christina Kirchner would be defeated in a historic election.
For TotalAdventure experiences in Argentina- CLICK HERE !
ArcticTropic flies by Cerro Aconcagua, 22841 ft , 6962m, the highest mountain in the Western HemisphereLast Friday,February 3, ArcticTropic was returning to Chile after business meetings in Argentina. The Mendoza to Santiago flight was on a midsummer’s day. One can see the Argentina – Chile border post on the highway below, then Portillo Ski area in Chile, beside the bright blue Lago de Las Incas.
Aeroparque Buenos Aires is one of the world’s most beautiful airports, along with Santos Dumont in Rio. Here is a beautiful, though shaky landing on a fine spring morning. ArcticTropic is actually designed and built in BA.
We were not here long , but here’s a few shots around town, before heading to Uruguay the next day.
The Pampas – home of incredible beef.
House in Palermo.
Puerto Madero
Cristina !
Explora Parques , led by Ramón Ossa Federico took ArcticTropic on an adventurous excursion to Parque Nacional El Leoncito. The first activity was dry land sailing on Barreal Blanco, a dry lake bed located at the foot of the Andes. The video above was taken as we drove at 100 mph ‘160 kph across the lake bed.
The lake bed is parched as it rains or snows only a couple of times a year.
No sound except for the wind.
The wind dies down, so the sailing is a bit slow.
The technique is not much different than water sailing.
Entrance to the giant park.
A valley oasis.
Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO), where we will vist at sunset.
A cooling waterfall. There may well be gold in the rocks.
Will almost no rain,these rocks take eons to form.
Springtime in the oasis.
Some rare clouds.
The park is near the Chilean border – the mountains offer huge mining potential as well.
As darkness fell around 8 PM we arrived at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO). There are three times as many stars to view in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. The high Andean deserts in Chile and Argentina offer the best viewing in the world due to high altitude,clear air and a total lack of light pollution due to being one of the more remote areas of the world. Even with some volcanic dust in the air from Peyhuehe the viewing was incredible. Above is a photo taken with a radioteescope.
Comet Halley in 1986.
Planet Venus in the West.
The radio telescope is for the astronomers only. We were treated to views from a smaller but very powerful telescope outside. The roof above retracts.
ArcticTropic was the guest of Doña Pipa Cabañas in Barreal, Calingasta in western San Juan Province for two nights and a day. The Inn is owned by two brothers , Ramón and Diego Ossa Federico. Ramón runs many eco and adventure tours through Explora Parques – which leads excurions to four National Parks spread out over thousands of square miles – some of the trips last several days. ArcticTropic made use of limited time by going to nearby Parque Nacional Leoncito.
The Posada is comfortable and casual – reminiscent of being in the Western United States, but with delicious Argentine food and wine.
THe rooms are simple and quiet – bu there is wifi !
ArcticTropic took a bike ride up one of the dirt roads in town on a beautiful spring morning.
Riding is also offered – with Western saddles.
A healthy and tasty dinner awaits in the restaurant – welcome protein after a long day trekking and riding. It is open till midnight.
We arrived in Barreal late at night. The next day was for adventure – but first a tour of some wineries and inns, so we could see where adventurers might spend comfortable evenings enjoying gourmet food and wine.
Piedras Bayas , in operation for about 5 years, creates excellent boutique Malbecs and Shiraz.
Only about 25,000 bottles a year are produced and unfortunately not available outside Argentina at this time.
A rich Malbec reflected in the warm desert sunshine.
We went on to a delightful desert inn – Posada Don Ramon.
The adobe hallway.
Satellite internet is available at 256 k .
Posada Los Patos is an excellent getaway.
In winter the entire inn is heated b y fire. In the day it is 15 C , about 59 F , but at night the temperature drops to -15 C or about 8 F.
Incredible views from bed !
FOR ADVENTURES IN ARGENTINA, CLICK HERE