Argentina

Iguazú Falls (275 cascades over 2.7 km, UNESCO World Heritage) is one of the world's most powerful waterfall systems — the Garganta del Diablo alone plunges 80 metres. The Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate is a wall of ice 5 km wide and 60 m high that actively calves icebergs into Lago Argentino with a sound like thunder. Península Valdés (UNESCO) is one of the best places on Earth for southern right whale watching (June-December), plus orcas, elephant seals, Magellanic penguins and sea lions. Punta Tombo hosts the largest Magellanic penguin colony outside Antarctica. The Quebrada de Humahuaca (UNESCO) in the northwest stuns with its Hill of Seven Colours and ancient desert canyons.

Argentine tango was born in the port neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century and is now UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Milongas (tango dance halls) in San Telmo and La Boca run until dawn — both for serious dancers and for visitors taking their first lesson. The Sunday antiques market on Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo is a Buenos Aires institution. The Teatro Colón is one of the world's finest opera houses with outstanding acoustics. MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano) showcases Latin American modern art. Recoleta Cemetery — where Evita Perón rests — is an extraordinary open-air gallery of marble mausoleums. Buenos Aires has a literary café tradition (Tortoni, La Biela) and a street art scene that rivals Berlin.

Asado (barbecue) is not just food in Argentina — it is a social ritual, a Sunday institution, and the core of national identity. A thick bife de chorizo or entraña grilled over wood embers at a parrilla costs USD 10-15 and rivals the best steakhouses anywhere. Empanadas vary by region — Salta's are the gold standard. Dulce de leche appears in everything. Mendoza is the Malbec capital of the world: over 1,200 bodegas along the wine routes of Luján de Cuyo, Valle de Uco and Maipú, with snow-capped Andes views from every tasting room. Torrontés white wine from Salta and Cafayate is Argentina's aromatic signature. Buenos Aires' restaurant scene — from closed-door dining (puertas cerradas) to cutting-edge new-wave parrillas — draws food travellers from around the world.

El Chaltén is Argentina's trekking capital: the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs offer world-class day hikes with no permits required — the Laguna de los Tres trail delivers one of Patagonia's most iconic views. Ice trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier with crampons is a bucket-list experience. Ushuaia (the world's southernmost city) sits on the Beagle Channel and serves as the departure point for Antarctic expeditions. The Ruta 40 runs 5,000+ km along the Andes — one of the great road trips. The Lake District around Bariloche offers hiking, kayaking and skiing (Cerro Catedral, June-October). Whale watching from Puerto Madryn and Puerto Pirámides rounds out an extraordinary adventure portfolio.

Buenos Aires is a city of barrios, each with its own soul: Palermo (restaurants, parks, boutiques, nightlife), San Telmo (tango, antiques, cobblestones), La Boca (Caminito's coloured houses, Boca Juniors football), Recoleta (elegant avenues, cemetery, galleries), Puerto Madero (modern waterfront dining). Beyond Buenos Aires: Salta 'la Linda' has colonial architecture, peñas (folk music venues) and the spectacular Train to the Clouds. Córdoba is a university city with sierras for hiking. Bariloche in the Lake District is 'South America's Switzerland' — chocolate shops, alpine scenery and craft beer. Ushuaia offers end-of-the-world atmosphere with Tierra del Fuego National Park.

The Quebrada de Humahuaca (UNESCO) is a dramatic desert canyon with the Hill of Seven Colours at Purmamarca, pre-Columbian ruins at Tilcara's Pucará, and colonial churches in Humahuaca. The Salinas Grandes salt flat at 3,450 m altitude shimmers white against an impossibly blue sky. Salta and Jujuy serve as bases for exploring this culturally rich, off-the-beaten-path region where indigenous Andean traditions, colonial Spanish heritage and spectacular geology converge. The Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) climbs to 4,220 m through jaw-dropping viaducts. Cafayate in the Valles Calchaquíes produces Torrontés wine amid red-rock canyons.