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Russet-toned vineyard rows beneath the snow-capped Andes in the Uco Valley, Mendoza province

Sample journey · 12–14 days

Tango, the falls and wine beneath the Andes

Buenos Aires, the Iguazú Falls, Mendoza and the Uco Valley

Photo: Murilo Gomes / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Argentina knows how to enjoy life without hurrying. In Buenos Aires dinner starts after nine, time in the cafés is measured in cups, and on Sundays tango is danced in the squares. In the north-east, in the rainforest, the Iguazú Falls thunder so hard that the spray rises like smoke. And in the west, at the foot of the Andes, vineyards climb towards the snow, and the days are measured in tastings, long lunches and sunsets.

This sample route is shaped for couples and honeymooners: three very different places linked by domestic flights, with enough nights in each that nothing feels rushed. To finish, we'd suggest a few nights at a winery in the Uco Valley, a place made less for visiting than for simply being. Treat it as a starting point: we could add Patagonia, an estancia on the pampas or another night by the falls.

The route

The journey

  1. Buenos Aires
  2. Iguazú
  3. Mendoza
  4. The high Andes
  5. Uco Valley
  1. A cyclist rides past a greengrocer's with a yellow façade in Buenos Aires

    01Days 1–4 · Buenos Aires

    A city that keeps late hours

    Four days give you time to fall into the city's rhythm. Mornings in the leafy avenues of Palermo and Recoleta, in historic cafés and bookshops; afternoons among the antique shops of San Telmo, and its market on Sunday. One evening might go to a tango class or a milonga where porteños themselves dance, another to a long dinner at a parrilla, with meat cooked over embers and a Malbec that hints at where the journey ends.

  2. The Iguazú Falls framed by rainforest, seen from the lower trail on the Argentine side

    02Days 5–7 · The Iguazú Falls

    A morning at the Devil's Throat

    A flight to Puerto Iguazú, at the corner where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. On the Argentine side, walkways lead above and below the falls, and a small train runs to the path that ends right at the Devil's Throat. It's best to be in the park as soon as it opens, while it's still quiet and mist hangs over the water. On the second day you could see the falls from the Brazilian side or, for more of a thrill, take a speedboat up close.

  3. Meat grilling over embers: an asado in Mendoza, Argentina

    03Days 8–10 · Mendoza

    Wine and embers

    Flights to Mendoza usually route via Buenos Aires, so this day is mostly spent travelling. Then come days among the wineries of Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, where tastings turn into long lunches on terraces. This is a place where asado is less a dish than a Saturday-afternoon ritual. If you'd like to move, you can cycle between wineries or ride horses in the Andean foothills.

  4. The snow-covered Aconcagua massif above a dry Andean valley, seen from the viewpoint, Mendoza province

    04One day · The high Andes

    To the foot of Aconcagua

    One day is worth giving to the road into the mountains: the old route towards the Chilean border, through the Uspallata valley and past coloured rock, to the viewpoint for Aconcagua, the highest peak outside Asia. It's a long day in the car with a driver, but it shows the scale of the Andes, whose snowmelt feeds the vineyards below. In winter the pass sometimes closes for snow.

  5. Oak barrels lined up in a softly lit winery cellar, Argentina

    05Days 11–14 · Uco Valley

    A few nights at a winery

    Around ninety minutes south lies the Uco Valley, higher, cooler and quieter than the country around Mendoza. Here vineyards climb to 1,500 m and more, and some wineries have only a handful of rooms. Mornings among the vines, afternoons by the pool and evenings at a dinner that lasts until the stars come out. From Mendoza you fly home via Buenos Aires or Santiago.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    A milonga in Buenos Aires

    A lesson, then an evening where tango is danced not on stage but among regulars.

  2. 02

    The Devil's Throat

    A walkway over the Iguazú River that ends where the water falls with the greatest force.

  3. 03

    Lunch at a winery

    A lunch of several courses with wine from the surrounding vineyards and the Andes on the horizon.

  4. 04

    Nights in the Uco Valley

    A few rooms among the vines, quiet mornings and starry nights: an ending you'll want to stretch out.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Add Patagonia

    Four or five nights in El Calafate and El Chaltén for glaciers and the Fitz Roy trails; the journey grows to about three weeks.

  • An estancia on the pampas

    A night or two at an estancia near Buenos Aires for riding, asado and gaucho traditions.

  • Over the Andes to Chile

    From Mendoza the journey could continue into Chile: Santiago, Valparaíso and the Chilean wine valleys.

  • Harvest time

    Travel in March or April and you'll find the harvest under way in Mendoza, with vineyards turning autumn gold.

Practical considerations

  • Argentine domestic flights often connect through Buenos Aires, so it's worth allowing a full day between Iguazú and Mendoza.
  • Spring (September–November) and autumn (March–May) are usually the most pleasant; Iguazú is hot and humid in summer, and the volume of the falls depends on the rains.
  • In the Uco Valley and the mountains around Mendoza days are warm and evenings cool, so pack a warmer layer.
  • The road past Aconcagua towards Chile sometimes closes for snow in winter, so the mountain day is kept flexible.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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