Argentina's probably not the first place you’d turn to for wildlife-watching - but the country does have a veritable cocktail of habitats ― and each of these landscapes is teeming with wildlife. There are 3 main areas to visit if you'd like to incorporate wildlife-viewing into your holiday to Argentina.
Peninsula Valdes
Tucked in the furthest northern reaches of Argentinian Patagonia, Península Valdés is arguably the best wildlife destination in the country. You can often see Magellanic penguins setting up camp on the peninsula’s beaches, while black–browed albatrosses streak across the sky and Commerson’s dolphins play in the water. Nearly all the fauna can be spotted from the coastline - and, with many of the region’s lodges scattered along the shore, you can spy huddling penguins and hear barking sea lions on your doorstep. The main draw here is whale-watching boat trips. The peninsula has two natural inlets which provide a sanctuary for breeding southern right whales and orcas, protected from the thrashing waves. Orcas are a lot trickier to track down due to their unpredictable nature, but southern right whales can often be spotted between September and December and orcas have been sighted as late as April. Visit between September and March to catch sight of the widest range of wildlife, different animals are more active at different times of year, and many can be seen all year round.
Ibera Wetlands
Birds, birds and more birds. The Iberá Wetlands, located in the northeast of Argentina, are a birdwatcher’s haven, with over 300 different species inhabiting this vast network of swamps, lagoons and marshland. The wildlife doesn’t stop there, though. Among all the kingfishers, snowy egrets, large-billed terns and golden-breasted woodpeckers are caimans, capybaras, giant river otters and anacondas. The Iberá Wetlands are often regarded as the little brother of Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands — and they’re a much quieter alternative. Fewer visitors, coupled with the small, sparse human population surrounding Argentina’s swathe of protected wetlands has allowed native flora and fauna to thrive. You’ll need a boat and a guide to take to the spongy green waterways and navigate through the densely packed reeds and irupé (waterlilies). Along the creeks and lagoons, vegetation shifts almost daily, blocking former channels and creating new passages. I was particularly taken with the capybaras when I visited the area recently - these very shy animals are the world's largest rodents - but don't let that put you off- they really are very cute!
Iguazu Falls
Nothing can quite prepare you for the sight of Iguazú Falls. Spanning nearly 3 km, hundreds of waterfalls noisily tear their way through the landscape — some so large they plummet into a permanent cloud of mist. If you can tear yourself away from the Falls, it's worth exploring the thick jungle of the surrounding Atlantic Forest. This eco-region is bursting with over 2,000 species of thick, leafy plants, including several rare and endangered ones. When exploring the trails on foot, it seems like the thunder of the falls is quickly replaced by the chaotic symphony of birds fighting to be heard above the watery din. You might find groups of howler monkeys, capybaras, ocelots, tapirs and giant anteaters lurking in the thick greenery. A few (extremely lucky) people have even reported sightings of a solitary jaguar hiding in the dense forest. One of the most magical moments on my recent trip was watching a toucan glide over the Falls at twilight. I'm not much of a twitcher, but even I recognized its characteristic bill silhouetted against the darkening sky!
Whether you’re looking for a wildlife holiday or would just like to incorporate an element of wildlife into your trip, this can be easily done with good planning. Get in touch and let’s chat about creating an amazing itinerary for your Bucket List trip to Argentina.
5 REASONS TO BOOK YOUR ARGENTINA HOLIDAY WITH ME
Your holiday is protected. Although booking all the different elements of your holiday direct may be less expensive, your holiday won’t be protected if any of the elements fall down. South American airlines are notorious for re-scheduling and cancelling flights late in the day. Booking all your arrangements with one company means your holiday is protected legally and financially because of Package Travel Regulations.
You’ll save time and aggravation. Pulling together a complex itinerary is confusing and time-consuming. You’re going to spend hours online scanning hotel reviews on Trip Advisor and elsewhere from people you don’t know and whose standards may be different from yours. And you’ll need to negotiate the complicated Argentinian network of domestic flights. You can have a 30-minute conversation with me and then sit back and wait for me to come back to you with your perfect itinerary.
You’ll have peace of mind that your arrangements will work. Although Argentina is a sophisticated country with a good infrastructure it’s easy to be seduced by cheap tours. It’s essential that the ground arrangements and logistics are booked through a reputable operator – with transfers that you can feel comfortable will turn up, in vehicles that are roadworthy and with guides that speak good English.
Nothing trumps destination expertise. Although the web is a huge source of information on hotels, tours and places to visit, there’s really no substitute for specialist knowledge, based on up-to-date feedback. I will select the right supplier for your trip dependent on the style of holiday you’re looking for. What’s more, I’ve visited Argentina 7 times now and will bring my own extensive knowledge of the country into the process, to advise and recommend on the best itinerary for your needs – to make sure that the pace and rhythm of your holiday is right. Argentina is a huge country, and it’s quite easy to end up with a multi-centre itinerary where you’ll be spending many days just travelling on a plane from place to place.
One Point of Contact. I provide the highest levels of personal service - you’ll see that all my Google reviews are 5* - and I will look after you from our first phone call until the day you arrive back home in the UK. You can call me direct on my mobile – there’s no waiting on the phone to speak to someone at a call centre when you have a question.
Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a recent review from one of my clients who visited Argentina and Chile earlier this year…
“We have recently returned from a three-week trip to South America, arranged for us by Sue. We wanted to start in Buenos Aires and end in Rio, visiting Patagonia and Iguazú in between. It took a lot of talking, emailing, thinking and planning. Not to mention a ton of patience from Sue in answering questions and coping with our changing thoughts and ideas to get everything perfect for our needs. We cannot fault the arrangements made in any way. At each point we were met by guides and drivers, all of whom were knowledgeable and helpful. Hotels were spot on. Excursions were great. Internal flights to and from Patagonia and Iguazu all booked for us. Car hire in Patagonia sorted. We had a personal issue meaning that we did not get to Rio as planned, but between Sue and the ground agents, they rearranged hotels, guides, flights etc for us. I dread to think how we would have coped without the help we had. It was invaluable and very reassuring. This was the second holiday Sue has arranged for us, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. She has the patience of a saint and is so approachable and available. We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Sue Aitken - Travel Guru.” Fiona Macleay
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