After four laid-back weeks in Chile, we crossed the Paso Cardenal Antonio Samoré border and entered Argentina on November 15. This was our easiest crossing yet with both sides taking a total of 15 minutes and quite scenic as it was in the north of the Patagonia region. Details on the procedure are on our Border Crossings page.
Our first stop in Argentina was in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Bariloche is located in the north of the Patagonia region of Argentina and is known for its Alpine-style architecture and chocolates. This place is a true paradise for chocolate lovers and I do not say this lightly. The rich, decadent scent of chocolate permeates through the streets due to the sheer density of chocolate shops in the city; almost every second store is a chocolate shop. And yes, we couldn’t help but get chocolate-wasted.
After a few days in Bariloche, insurance shopping and eating chocolates, we hit the road again. Laterally crossing the north of Patagonia gave us some gorgeous views of snow-capped mountains, lush greenery, and vibrant blue lakes that reminded us of Canada.
Gorgeous views along the way
However, once we reached Bahía Blanca and headed north from there, the beautiful scenery was replaced with endless fields that turned out to be hell on Earth for seasonal allergy sufferers like me. My usual Claritin pills could not stand up against the amount of grass pollen in the air so I had to get something much stronger from a local pharmacy to withstand riding through this region. The medication worked and we made it to Rosario, where we stopped for a couple of days. We didn’t find anything particularly exciting about Rosario as it is just another big city, but we liked having different food options.
Rosario city center
After Rosario, we continued to head north until we came to the border of Paraguay and then we skimmed the border towards Puerto Iguazú. Paraguay was not included in our itinerary because Canadians have to pay 150 USD to enter and scouring the Internet for information on it proved that it was not worth paying that much money to visit the country. Skip! Instead, we waved at Paraguay from a viewpoint in Posadas.
View of Paraguay from Posadas
Our last stop for our first round in Argentina (we plan to fly us and our noble steed back to Canada from Buenos Aires) was in Puerto Iguazú to visit the Iguazú Falls from the Argentinian side before crossing into Brazil and seeing it from there.
The Iguazú Falls is comprised of a series of 275 waterfalls crashing over an 80-meter cliff, making it the largest waterfall system in the world. The site itself straddles the border of Argentina and Brazil so visits are possible from both countries. The Argentinian side of this UNESCO World Heritage site allows you to get into direct contact with the falls while the Brazilian side allows you to enjoy an undisturbed panoramic view. Those who have visited both sides pick the Argentinian side as their favourite, but we want to see and confirm for ourselves… you know, for research 🙂
The entry to the site for the two of us plus parking cost a total of 1270 ARS (~46 CAD). A small price for an amazing day at such a spectacular site. The Argentinian side is set up really well with multiple pathways leading to various viewpoints. As you walk along the paths, beautiful colourful butterflies accompany you and curious little creatures come out to greet you. Side note: please do not be a stupid tourist and feed wildlife.
The falls themselves are absolutely amazing. From the thunderous roar of the crashing waterfalls to getting soaked from the dense mists of the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), we were mesmerized. Another one of our favourite sites in South America.
If you plan to visit the Iguazú Falls in Argentina AND Brazil, we recommend doing them on different days because it takes an entire day to fully enjoy the site from each side. We will give our account on the Brazilian side in our next post so stay tuned!
