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Travel and Tourism in Argentina
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Argentina.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
- Time Difference
- UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 14.92
- Climate
- The vast Pampa region fanning out 500 miles from Buenos Aires has an average annual rainfall range of 20 inches in the west to 40 inches in the east. The Andean region extends from the dry north to the heavily glaciated and ice-covered mountains of Patagonia. Its trajectory includes the dry mountains and desert west of Cordoba and south of Tucuman and embraces the irrigated valleys on the eastern slopes and foothills of the Andes. Annual precipitation ranges from 4 to 24 inches in the arid regions and 20 to 120 inches in the heaviest rainfall areas. Patagonia is a region of arid, windswept plateaus, covering about 300,000 square miles. Except for some irrigated valleys, this is poor, scattered pastureland. Far south, the weather is continuously cold and stormy; the region has no summer, and winters can be severe. The alluvial plain of the Chaco in the north has a subtropical climate with dry winters and humid summers. Rainfall decreases from 60 to 20 inches, and temperatures reach 120 °F. The Argentine Mesopotamia, which consists of the provinces between the Uruguay and Parana Rivers, is made up of floodplains and gently rolling grassy hills The greatest precipitation falls in the extreme north of Misiones Province, where it amounts to about 80 inches yearly. Buenos Aires, located on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata, borders the vast Pampa. The terrain within the city varies from low flatland only inches above the high tide line to slightly rolling countryside with a maximum elevation of 129 feet. The average rainfall in Buenos Aires is 39 inches, distributed evenly throughout the year. Humidity is high year-round (the yearly mean is 76%). High humidity makes winters seem colder and summers hotter. Abrupt temperature changes are experienced throughout the year, bringing relief from summer's heat and winter's cold.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Quechua, Guarani, Mapudungun)
- Ethnic Groups
- European (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and Mestizo (mixed European and Indigenous ancestry) 97.2%, Indigenous 2.4%, African descent 0.4%
- National Holiday
- Revolution Day (May Revolution Day), 25 May (1810)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 34 00 S, 64 00 W
- Location
- Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
- Airports
- 1,149
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Geography and Natural Regions
Argentina's extraordinary geographic diversity is the result of its extraordinary size. Spanning nearly four thousand kilometers from north to south, the country encompasses tropical rainforest, subtropical wetlands, some of the world's highest mountains, vast temperate grasslands, cold desert steppe, and sub-Antarctic island ecosystems. Understanding this geographic range is essential for planning any visit, because Argentina is genuinely not one destination but many, each requiring different preparations, different seasons, and different expectations.
The far northwest, comprising the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, and Catamarca, is dominated by the Andes mountain range and the high-altitude Puna plateau. This is the part of Argentina most closely connected to Andean culture, where colonial towns cling to dramatic gorges, traditional festivals blend Catholic and pre-Columbian elements, and the austere beauty of the high plateau, with its flamingo-filled salt lakes and herds of vicuña, recalls the altiplano of Bolivia and Peru.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
While in Argentina, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States. It is important to note that a specific law mandates access to buildings for persons with disabilities; however, while the federal government has protective laws, many provinces have not adopted the laws and have no mechanisms to ensure enforcement.