Friends of ours are going to Argentina and they're going to hire a private driver/guide. The guy wants $US 250/day(10 hour day), plus meals, accommodation, road tolls, gas and the cost of the car rental. Is this a fair deal?

I have no idea of the going rate for such a person but once you add on all the extras I would say it most definately is not a fair deal. Do they know who they are getting or is it being booked through an agency who may be taking the biggest cut leaving the poor guide/driver with little?

Far better for them to book an all inclusive trip if you ask me.

Agree that this sounds very expensive. Check the Argentina forum; there were some messages about private drivers (e.g. Dante) who seemed reliable and far more reasonable.

Here is the link
http://dantesairporttransfers.hazedaze.com/
I do not know him but several folks have recommended him

I was recently in Buenos Aires and one of the cab companies was charging 300 pesos for a day (8-10 hrs) in the city. That is US$ 95-100. If you are going out of town I would say US$100-150 per day plus expenses is fair.
I would move to the Argentina forum. The experts live there.

I have an idea you would not have posted the question if you didn't suspect that this was a "gringo" price. Contact this guy, I think you can get good direction from him.
http://dantesairporttransfers.hazedaze.com/

sam

Folks... the issue of private guides is a very complex one. For starters, I think its important to remember that guides are almost exclusively hired by visiting tourists.... hence, there is really no "gringo price" per-se.

I get constant requests to refer guides... and this is a very tricky business. I only refer 2 (two) guides that I know very very well, and refuse to recommend anybody outside of this short list because Im not sure I can trust them. Having had two bad experiences in the past, I now adhere very strictly to my rule of not recommending anybody that has not passed my strict due-diligence process.

Guides are a dime-a-dozen, but most are just not trustworthy because they are usually very young and/or are simply desperate to make a few pesos. I of course understand that one needs to make a living, but in the case of the tour guide trade, this (unfortunatetly) means that in most cases they will take try their best to take tourists to places where he/she (ie. the tourguide) will get kickbacks... which means that many times folks get led to places that are far from the best option in their category (restaurant, bar, cafe, tango show, leather shop, car service, travel agent, art gallery, antique dealer, etc.).

In my experience, the good guides that are truly professional are very few... and they are not inexpensive. Also, they are super-busy, because they are soo good that clients are constantly forwarding them friends/associates. This positive word-of-mouth means that the best guides are booked months in advance.

While Im not completely updated as to what my two guides are charging, I will tell you that their services cost at least US$180-200 (net of all other charges) per day. If they have to travel outside of EZE, surcharges apply.

Is this worth the cost....?

IMO, a truly proficient guide that really speaks English fluently (not a Tarzan style but someone that can really communicate), is well connected and can really make things happen (all of which I expect from a top notch guide) is the difference between a good trip and a truly memorable one.

Alas, I also think that each traveler need to do his/her own math and only each individual can assess if the investment is a good one.

Sam, not to contradict you... but IMO this is the crux of some of the problems that arise when looking for a guide.

Not to say anything negative about Dante (Ive actually heard some very positive reviews about his services), but... is he a full time guide or does he run a car service? I think Dante is quite frank about pointing out what his principal activity is.

The point Im trying to make is that if you want the best guide experience, you need to go to a guide, not the driver of a car service. Again, I have nothing against Dante, and if you are easy going about a guide and just want someone to lead you around then this is an option... but if you want the real thing then I suggest folks do some additional homework.

Trying to gauge what the price of a good guide is by comparing it to what someone with another line of work as their principal activity will charge you will most probably lead to comparing apples to oranges.

I was not recommending him as a guide but as someone to ask for recommendations. "I think you can get good direction from him" I was only basing the "gringo" comment on what I pay a remise for a trip to Lobos and then returning to pick me up a few days later and I pay $120 US.
Sam

Sam.... just to make sure Im able to convey the right tone to my posts above, I see us as being on the same team here

I think everybody needs to contribute his/her angle so that the FT Community can have all the sides of the story and then make informed decisions.... ^

Was just trying to clarify
Sam