Help me choose weekend trip from Buenos Aires
 

Will be visiting Argentina for the first time in August and may fly in early before a week of business meetings in Buenos Aires. What should I do for the weekend? Considering the following options:

(1) Fly to Pantagonia (probably FTE - El Calafate), visit glacier and ??? This is a bit of a PITA as I prefer to travel with carryon only and would have to pack some cold weather clothes

(2) Fly to Iquazo Falls (IGR), visit the falls from both sides.

(3) Fly to Mendoza and go wine tasting. Personally I'm not a big fan of Argentine wines (at least the exports) as we prefer the Cabs, Pinots and Zins from nearby Napa and Sonoma - so leaning more to the first two options.

(4) Fly to Chile?

Anything else I'm missing? I will have the better part of a week in BA, so I don't see the need to spend the weekend there. Will be heading to Rio after.

I'd also recommend Montevideo/Uruguay. Patagonia is too far to go to for a weekend and as it'll be winter it'll get dark too early anyway.

El Calafate and Ushuaia are too far away for a weekend getaway, and days in August, albeit longer than in July, will still be very short. And, of course, both places will be very cold.

Iguazú for a weekend is tight but doable. Winters in the Northeast are very mild, around 15-25C during the day and ca. 10C during the night.

Mendoza, also tight but doable.

SCL: A weekend is enough for Santiago in my opinion, but there's no way you will manage to squeeze Valparaíso in such a short time period. Bear in mind flights to Chile now leave from EZE or EPA, which adds some time to your journey. It's quite cheap to get there, though -- JetSmart, which flies out of EPA, has had some interesting offers over the last few months.

Uruguay is the traditional weekend escapade for porteños. Colonia you can just visit in a few hours. Montevideo is nice and has enough things to do during 2 days. Plus with the ferry it's just a 2 hour voyage from downtown Buenos Aires to downtown Montevideo.

Otherwise you can arrange a trip to an estancia somewhere in Buenos Aires province. Red meat, wines, horseback-riding -- you know, the whole Gaucho experience. There are some very fine lodges out there.

Indeed. Rather than embark on yet more travel soon as you arrive take profit and use the weekend to relax. Go walking at your leisure....it's the best time of year for it.

Yes. I'd rather walk around bundled up in winter (if it gets too cold) than avoiding summer thunderstorms.

I'd call Hielo y Aventura and if they operate during August I'd fly to El Calafate and walk on the Perito Moreno, especially if you won't be back to Argentina any time soon. The Perito Moreno is amazing and well worth the short 3-hour flight from AEP. It's a wonderful flight on a clear day, lovely views. Lago Argentino is also amazing and you can always go horseback riding in the snow if there is snow. I have been told by locals (from El Calafate) that an advantage of winter over summer is that not as windy. I can't see why you'd need anything more than a carry-on for a couple of days even though it will be fairly cold, good winter clothes don't take up that much space.

Uruguay is ok but I'd never choose Uruguay over Patagonia unless you have some special interest in Uruguay. Iguazú would be my second choice among your options. I'd also look into Salta/Cafayate/Purmamarca, in fact I am considering a trip there myself this (European) summer.

Assuming you're decided on not spending the weekend in BA, I'd vote for Mendoza. We live in San Francisco and visit Napa/Sonoma wineries all the time. We were blown away by some of the wines we tried in the regions around Mendoza. Like other countries, they don't actually export their best wine: those are generally small lots. They export their mass-market wine. We stayed in the city of Mendoza, which is walkable, and hired private cars and drivers to visit wineries which can make for pretty long days. However, it lets you pick from any of the three major wine regions around Mendoza. You could also fly in, and then stay at a lodge in a winery but you have to pick one of the regions to explore.

Another weekend option you don't list is to fly up to Salta and see the Jujuy region. High desert climate, fascinating food and culture (more indigenous, unlike BA and the rest of Argentina). Some of the towns in the Andes are beautiful and the landscape is amazing - Permamarca, Humahuaca, the salt flats, etc. We added a four days up there to a week in BA in August a few years ago and were really glad we did. PS - it was bone-chilling cold in the desert that time of year, as you mention not wanting to bring winter clothes.

Patagonia is too far and too cold and dark in the middle of winter. Santiago is a fun, walkable city and/or Valparaiso is nice, but not worth the additional flying compared to just staying in BA. Have not been to Iguazu Falls.

The other consideration is transportation. You should check flights/ferries for timing to see if you can actually maximize your time if you decide to go somewhere else. While it might seem to work, the flight times might actually make it unworkable if you end up with very little time on the ground.

I'd vote for Iguazu if that works - the falls are amazing!

Another vote for Iguazu Falls !!!!