I'm trying to put together a rough itinerary for a trip to Brazil & Argentina next Easter (BA awards need as much advance booking as possible).

We're flying into Rio for a few (probably 3) days and then heading to Iguazu Falls. We'll have 7 days for the falls and Argentina before flying home from Buenos Aires, so I'm trying to work out if we can squeeze in another stop or whether to just split the time more generously between RdJ, BsA and Iguazu.

Are there any internal flights, other than via BsA to somewhere like Mendoza or somewhere more outdoor focussed than BsA? All I can see is routings throught the capital. Or is there anywhere within driving distance of Iguazu/BsA to aim for?

Any comments on the trip in general - we tend to move around quite quickly to see as much as possible so thought as minimums 3 days for RdJ, 2 for Iguazu and 2.5 for BsA? We could handle connecting on internals in BsA if it's likely to be hassle free.

Thanks in advance!

why??? What is the big rush to "seeing" everything? 2.5 days BsAs. should get you from airport to hotel, dinner and quick walk and return to airport. It amazes me that you would travel so far to see so little, and you want to "see" more. If outdoors is really what you want skip cities and just go to Patagonia, etc. If that is all the time you have I would drop the falls and just do Rio and BsAs. If you are looking for 'hassle free", forget travel within Argentina.

why??? What is the big rush to "seeing" everything? 2.5 days BsAs. should get you from airport to hotel, dinner and quick walk and return to airport.
I think most people could do that in 0.5 days.
It amazes me that you would travel so far to see so little, and you want to "see" more. If outdoors is really what you want skip cities and just go to Patagonia, etc. If that is all the time you have I would drop the falls and just do Rio and BsAs. If you are looking for 'hassle free", forget travel within Argentina.
I guess we have different priorities. I would regard flying to South America and visiting just two cities as seeing "so little". I have 10 days in total, just to be clear. It would be more by choice, but my wife is a teacher so longer trips are restricted to the northern summer.

Domestic flights in Argentina are very heavily concentrated through Buenos Aires (AEP) City Airport... which is really the only airline hub in the country. This is very unfortunate... but its what we have at this point. You may be able to get to Iguazu directly from some Brazilian cities, although since the demise of Varig I cant say for sure how many of these routes have been picked up by TAM and/or Gol. Many services from Brazil are also seasonal... so I suggest you check with Brazilian carriers. Once you get to Iguazu, the rest of your flying inside Argentine will 99% of the time have to involve transiting in AEP or EZE (the international airport at Buenos Aires).

It would be ashame to short-change Buenos Aires. There is much to see and do -- we recently spent 11 days there and didn't come close to exhausting the city. BA is sometimes called "the Paris of South America." It's a great walking city, with lots of charming cafes to sit in and people watch. Different strokes, of course, but I'd budget more time for BA if possible.

On a related note about flights within Argentina, the Aerolineas website still mentions a "Visit Argentina" offer for discounted internal flights for non-Argentines visiting from abroad.

As a US citizen, I called the Miami office and they told me the program is no longer offered.

That said, I've been told that non-Argentines are in fact charged substantially more expensive fares. The solution is to book with a local Argentine travel agent for domestic travel.

Does anyone know if this is the current state of things, and can anyone recommend a reputable agent to book some domestic travel? (I tried the Wow Argentina people and they only seem interested in package tours).

Thanks--

AR are offering an evening option Iguazu-AEP-Cordoba with a 40min transfer in AEP.

I take it this is a big risk (is it legal?) but would having to find a hotel near AEP be difficult - it wouldn't be the end of the world having to take a morning flight if AR would rebook me and if I don't have to trail miles from AEP for a bed.

...You may be able to get to Iguazu directly from some Brazilian cities, although since the demise of Varig I cant say for sure how many of these routes have been picked up by TAM and/or Gol. ...
I'm planning a trip to Rio, Iguazu, Buenos Aires. I believe TAM has 2 nonstops GIG-IGU. GOL did not have a nonstop when I checked, but that could change since they're buying Varig.

Then after the falls, you can fly nonstop to BsAs via LAN or Aerolineas Argentinas.

If you really want another stop without much travel, you could consider a 45 minute flight from BsAs to Punte del Este or Montevideo, Uruguay (check Puna, AA, LAN, Aerolineas). I suppose you could also try for a different open jaw where you return from MVD.

On a related note about flights within Argentina, the Aerolineas website still mentions a "Visit Argentina" offer for discounted internal flights for non-Argentines visiting from abroad.

As a US citizen, I called the Miami office and they told me the program is no longer offered.

That said, I've been told that non-Argentines are in fact charged substantially more expensive fares. The solution is to book with a local Argentine travel agent for domestic travel.

Does anyone know if this is the current state of things, and can anyone recommend a reputable agent to book some domestic travel? (I tried the Wow Argentina people and they only seem interested in package tours).

Thanks--

As far as I know and people who have tried this booking with argentine agent does not get around non argentine fare. You might get the fare when ticketed but you most likely will get hit with higher at airport if you are not a resident.

It would be ashame to short-change Buenos Aires. There is much to see and do -- we recently spent 11 days there and didn't come close to exhausting the city. BA is sometimes called "the Paris of South America." It's a great walking city, with lots of charming cafes to sit in and people watch. Different strokes, of course, but I'd budget more time for BA if possible.

You said this much nicer than I did. Agreed. Too much to do in Buenos Aires to short change it with only 2.5 days. And you will spend more time traveling to and from airport than you think..

Read some of the experiences on various forums such as this one and AA.com etc about spending three hours to leave EZE and and hour to get to the airport

It is Buenos Aires... enjoy it and leave plenty of time to do things.

That said, I've been told that non-Argentines are in fact charged substantially more expensive fares. The solution is to book with a local Argentine travel agent for domestic travel.


This topic has been covered various times, but its good to revisit this again. It is true that there are various restricted fares eligible only to Argentine residents (its not an issue of nationality, rather if you are a permanent resident or not).

Prices can be significantly lower, although the discounts vary from destination to destination and can of course also be significantly affected by seasonality.

It must be said that while these restricted fares may be booked by non qualifying tourists (either online or through a Travel Agent), those choosing to do so are rolling the dice. If you are unlucky and get a difficult agent upon check-in or boarding, you may be requested to present proof of residence. If you fail to do so, you may be up for denied boarding, re-faring of your ticket, fines, etc. etc.

In the interest of full disclosure, it also must be said that enforcement of these rules is very variable... and also varies from carrier to carrier. Aerolineas and Austral are know to be rather lax with enforcement, while LAN has a reputation for being stricter. Its hard to say what your chances of getting caught will be in the end... but I think its important to let everybody know what you are getting into if you book one of these fares.

If you want to roll the dice, then I suggest you either try to book directly with the airlines on their websites, or you can try to get your TA to book these for you. Ive heard that foreign based TAs tend to be more reluctant to book these resident fares, but I have no direct personal experience with this.

Many local (ie. Argentina) based TAs will book these special fares for tourists, and unfortunatetly not all of these advise visitors of the potential pitfalls. I think this is very poor service.... while I dont think a TA needs to lecture anybody on what he/she chooses to do in terms of the rules, I do think that they should offer full disclosure of the terms & conditions. Failure to disclose the facts is a lot more than poor service, it also creates ill-will against third parties that are not to blame for this.... it can be an awful awakening to loose your seat on an oversold domestic flight where alternative connections to your destination may not be plentiful just because a sloppy TA did not give you all the details of your purchased fare.

In the end... the quest to save " X " amount of money can end up costing " Y > X " and on top of that can end up ruining your vacation because of lost time, lost hotel reservations, etc. etc. I think that all these considerations need to be put on the scales, allowing each and every traveler to make his/her own informed decision.

I hope the above helps you with your travel planning.

Cheers,
Alex (Gaucho100K)

Thanks for setting things straight, Gaucho. That's a big help -- I had no idea that trying to buy through a local agent could cause such problems.

Thanks, NY. Good warning.

So, I'm getting the impression that flights may be delayed and it takes quite a lot of time to fly out of BA. If I'm considering traveling from BA to Bariloche to Mendoza and back to BA all in 11 days, is that going to be a real headache with just getting to and from the airport and waiting on delayed planes? Should I try to see about a bus instead -- perhaps longer on the road is better than all the trouble of flying?

Most of the domestic flights seem to go from AEP rather than EZE, which looks to be a lot closer to the centre, especially Recoleta. Is it fair to assume AEP is much quicker to access than EZE?

Most of the domestic flights seem to go from AEP rather than EZE, which looks to be a lot closer to the centre, especially Recoleta. Is it fair to assume AEP is much quicker to access than EZE?

Yes to both,,, quicker and somewhat easier.