Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for argentina
Argentina’s Oldest Park
By Linda Tancs
Located in Argentina’s fabled Lake District, Nahuel Huapi National Park is the country’s oldest national park. Established in 1934, it’s named for Nahuel Huapi, the park’s largest glacial lake. The expansive environment is ringed by the Andes, featuring Mount Tronador, a dormant volcano. You’ll also find dense forest areas that provide cover for pudu, the world’s smallest deer. January is a popular time for hiking and lake rafting.
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Smoking Mountain
By Linda Tancs
They say that only the most adventurous dare to climb Mount Fitz Roy, the highest peak in Southern Patagonia’s Glacier National Park. At over 11,000 feet above sea level, you can understand why. Due to a fairly consistent atmospheric haze over its peak, it was originally named Chaltén, a word meaning “smoking mountain” in the indigenous Tehuelche tribe’s dialect. The current moniker, Fitz Roy, is a nod to Captain FitzRoy of HMS Beagle, the ship that voyaged around South America with Charles Darwin. Although there’s nothing volcanic about the revered granite walls, you’ll get smokin’ views of Fitz Roy from Laguna de Los Tres, some 1,400 feet from the base camp reserved for mountaineers.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Argentina’s Dead Rock
By Linda Tancs
The third largest national park in Argentina, Lanín National Park is named for the area’s largest peak, Lanín volcano, a word meaning “dead rock” in the native Mapuche language. It is, indeed, a dead rock—an extinct stratovolcano that can be seen for miles on a clear day. Many visitors come to climb the volcano, but the park is also prized as a conservation area for the monkey-puzzle tree, what naturalists call a “living fossil” dating back to the Mesozoic Era. The park is located southwest of Neuquén province.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Glaciers in Patagonia
By Linda Tancs
In the Patagonia region of Argentina there’s no shortage of glaciers. That’s why the area is named Los Glaciares National Park. Located in the southwest of Santa Cruz on the border with Chile, the park includes a large portion of the Andes practically under ice and snow to the west and arid Patagonian steppes to the east. Its name refers to the glaciers that are born on the ice caps – the largest continental ice extension after Antarctica – which occupies almost half its area. In this region you’ll also find some of the world’s richest fossil beds, highest mountains and biggest glacier-fed lakes found anywhere. The park can be accessed from different points of Route No. 40, by bus or by car.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The River of Silver
By Linda Tancs
Río de la Plata (river of silver) is an estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers and forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The major ports and capital cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo grace its shores, one of the most densely populated areas of both Argentina and Uruguay. One of its many charms is the small island of Isla de Flores. It was once named Seal Island by visiting sailors for its vast number of South American fur seals. It’s perhaps better known for the historic lighthouse. Established in 1828, it’s still an active aid to navigation with two white flashes every 16 seconds, visible for 19 nautical miles.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Grand Canyon in Argentina
By Linda Tancs
Argentina has many canyons that are grand. One of them is Atuel Canyon, in the heart of Mendoza Province. Formed millions of years ago from the winds and waters of the Atuel River, it’s a popular tourist attraction near San Rafael, offering activities like river rafting, hiking, climbing, horse riding and mountain biking. At the Valle Grande Dam riverside base you’ll find breathtaking views of the canyon as well as along the Atuel River, south of San Rafael and before Valle Grande Dam.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Aristocracy in Argentina
By Linda Tancs
In the shadow of the bustle of Buenos Aires is the well-to-do suburb of San Isidro. It’s regarded as the capital of rugby because it houses two of the historical clubs of the sport in Argentina: Club Athletic San Isidro and San Isidro Club. You’ll also find the Hipódromo there, one of the largest horse racing tracks in the Americas, flanked by busy restaurants. Art, class and culture merge at Villa Ocampo, the riverside mansion of the late Victoria Ocampo, a prominent Argentinian writer and intellectual. Her estate is one of many in this wealthy enclave, one of the most aristocratic in the country.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Latin American Art
By Linda Tancs
The Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires (MALBA) sports an impressive collection of Latin American art amassed by Argentine real-estate developer, philanthropist and patron of the arts Eduardo Costantini. Its permanent collection features contemporary art from the 20th century and includes artists from across Latin America. Among those represented are Botero, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Xul Solar. Commentary is provided in Spanish and English. Take a few hours to enjoy the galleries, and get there early to avoid potentially long lines.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The End of the World Train
By Linda Tancs
There’s a certain finality to Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego National Park, the southernmost tip of the Andean-Patagonian forest, a place where a particular variety of red fox resides and birch forest predominates. It’s there that you’ll find the final part of the Andes. It’s also where you can catch the End of the World Train (Tren del Fin del Mundo), a historic, narrow-gauge steam railway journey between Ushuaia (commonly regarded as the southernmost city in the world) and the park. The hour-long journey (one way) presents stunning vistas accented by the Pipo River, Macarena cascade, a tree cemetery and the forest. An onboard audio tour is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and the train runs year-round.
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Argentina’s Final Frontier
By Linda Tancs
The southernmost city in the world and the gateway to Antarctica, Ushuaia is Argentina’s final frontier. In the past, the town has been a missionary base, a penal colony and a naval base for the Argentine navy. Perched on a steep hill, it’s surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel, where adventures with penguins and orcas await. It’s also a prime site where “the longest night in the world” is celebrated. Although the festivities continue from June 20 through June 22, the longest night of the year and the winter solstice take place in the Southern Hemisphere on June 21. That’s the focus for the city’s festival, drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists. A key event is a “burning of obstacles and impediments,” wherein participants write down all the difficulties that have prevented them from fulfilling their goals. The papers are then thrown into a large bonfire on the solstice night.
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