Fodors Travel Guides - Fodors Argentina: with the wine country, Uruguay & Chilean Patagonia

The umbrella organization for all regional tourist offices is the Secretara de Turismo (Secretariat of Tourism www.turismo.gov.ar ). The website includes basic information on the country.

Argentina-based travel agents can help you pack a lot into a short trip. The 24-hour support many offer is particularly good when internal flights are delayed, a common occurrence. Argentina Escapes and Buenos Aires Tours are reliable local agencies that can arrange trips all over the country. Limitless Argentina is a U.S.-based company with offices in Argentina.

Argentina Travel Agents
Argentina Escapes. | 11/43224141 | www.argentinaescapes.com .
Buenos Aires Tours. | 11/47852573 | www.buenosaires-tours.com.ar .
Limitless Argentina. | 202/5365812 in U.S., 11/47728700 in Buenos Aires | www.limitlessargentina.com .

Argentina is a fantastic place for a road trip: the vast distances and unique windswept scenery are some of the most driveworthy on the planet. If youre heading to the Lake District or Mendoza or Crdoba province, for example, try to spend at least a little time driving around.

If you dont fancy dealing with driving yourself, you can also hire a remis con chofer (car and driver) in most cities. You can arrange this through hotels or local taxi companies. For trips to and from a specific destination, you pay a pre-agreed-upon flat fare. Otherwise most companies charge an hourly rate of around 150300 pesos (usually with a two- or three-hour minimum) to have a driver at your disposal all day. Rental companies also offer this service, but are more expensive.

Some major highways are maintained by private companies, others by provincial governments; surface conditions vary greatly. Many rutas (national highways) have only one lane in each direction; you get two or three lanes on an autopista (freeway), but these only connect some major cities. Local driving styles range from erratic to downright dangerous, and the road mortality rate is shockingly high. Heavy truck traffic can also make some routes slow, frustrating, and tricky for passing. Dont count on good signage leading to estancias or wineries. Do as the locals do: pull over and ask directions. In towns, intersections without traffic lights or signs function like two-way stops: a car approaching from your right has right of way.

Your rental-car agency should have an emergency help line; the best is usually through the Automvil Club Argentina (ACA), which can dispatch help to nearly anywhere in the country within a reasonable amount of time. In the event of an accident, stay by your car until the police arrive. To report a stolen car, head to the nearest police station.