Throughout my time in Argentina, I have been lucky enough to travel all around the country – to the north, west, east, and south – and these trips have not only been the highlights of my semester, but also have been totally new to me and all completely distinct from each other.
If you didn't know, Argentina is one of the largest countries in the world, with over 1 million square miles of area. And because so much of that land is spread north-to-south and has varying climates, the different regions of the country range from sandy deserts to snow-capped mountains to fertile wine country. I honestly couldn’t even tell you which was the most beautiful!
My first trip outside of Buenos Aires was to Mendoza, a province in western Argentina known for its grapevines and proximity to the Andes. During my time there, I spent an afternoon wine-tasting at different wineries, riding on rented bikes, hiked with my friends up a mountain in the spurs of the Andes, visited natural hot springs just outside the city, and ate some amazing food in the friendly hostel we stayed at. And we even saved some money by taking a long-distance bus (called a micro) instead of flying!
Wine tasting and hiking in Mendoza
In September, I made a trip to the famous Iguazu Falls, on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, where I got to see the largest waterfall system in the world, along with an array of monkeys, toucans, coatis, and, of course, tourists from all over the world. It was a short trip, but it was so worth it, as the province of Misiones (where Iguazu Falls is located) has a humid jungle-like climate unlike anything else I had experienced in Argentina.
The waterfalls and fauna of Iguazu
Toward the end of the semester, I traveled north to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, which are part of an arid desert that extends into Bolivia and contains probably the most beautiful and unbelievable mountains I’ve ever seen.
We visited the well-known salt flats of Salta, but the highlight of the trip, for me, was the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a mountain range that has been carved out by a river, showing the incredible layers of colors hidden below. The best lookout point for the Quebrada is at about 14,300 feet above sea level, and I almost thought I was hallucinating due to the altitude when I saw the colors of the mountain!
Salt flats, mountains, colors, and llamas seen in Jujuy
My final trip of the semester took place only a week ago, when I got to finally visit the Patagonia region of Argentina, an area known for its sharp mountainous peaks and great hiking. I did a 3-day, 43-mile backpacking loop through glaciers, mountain passes, and (luckily!) a few wind shelters. I was glad I spent my nights with two friends all sharing a two-person tent, because the weather was frigid, but the views were well worth it.
We spent a few days hitchhiking from town to town, seeing the sights and meeting new people, before camping underneath an incredible limestone wall to spend the next day climbing. I was well and truly wind-battered when I returned home, but I couldn’t have had a better trip.
Views from Patagonia, including our tent, carefully sheltered in a cave out of the wind
Traveling so much was something I hadn’t expected to come out of my semester in Argentina, but after four trips to the four corners of the country, after mountains, waterfalls, deserts, and glaciers, after meeting countless people and getting closer with my travel buddies, I can truly say these trips were some of my favorite parts of studying abroad.