Possibilities to travel around the country are many, but it’s possible that a recommender recommending could be helpful when you decide to travel somewhere of the many possibilities around the country… redundant recommender recommending redundantly.
I will begin, as always, from the bottom to the top, and will skip some non-touristy spots in order to make you choose easier and this article shorter.
To Ushuaia, in the province called Tierra del Fuego (land of fire), which could also had been called Land of Ice, and unless you have in mind a long road trip along the Ruta 3 beside the Atlantic (very recommendable by the way), the best way to get there will be by aeroplane. Renting a car in Ushuaia? Though I am fun #1 of road tripping, I must say down there is really not necessary, Taxis or cool tour operators like ‘Cana Fun’ may make your trip a hit and without driving, even more, when half of the things to do are in the channel, and the other half in national parks, even a small part, can be done on an ancient steam train.
The pirate-tour-operator-land of El Calafate, which I must admit is not land of my devotion (because of them), is only reachable by aeroplane too, from Buenos Aires, from Ushuaia, from Trelew (where the whales are) or from Bariloche. Renting a car there might be a good idea if you plan to also go to El Chalten, otherwise, if your goal is to watch the glazed metropolis you may pay an absurd cipher to a taxi driver, or pay for a transfer to the three (amazing) activities in the menu
If the idea is to go to Peninsula Valdes or Puerto Madryn, a car is certainly a great idea, distances are huge, and though there are some cool South American buses from Madryn to Piramides, the option of driving there is worthwhile. You may get there by plane to Trelew or by land in a not so fantastic, but cool, drive.
Lake district, from Esquel to Junín or San Martín de los Andes, you must rent a car, and pay the expensive drop off (when you return a rented car to another place from where you actually get it), the scenario is sublime and the roads are fun. In all Patagonia, non-paved roads are very not fond of speed, go slowly; otherwise you may have to pay more than a simple drop off, or even your embassy will have to take your body home.
I am trying not to sound like a Time Out page or a Michelin guide, that’s why I may offer some black humour as the situation of making you imagine your dead body waiting for a bureaucratic visa to get back home… forever. You may cross the country (the pampas and the desert to reach San Martín de los Andes to Bariloche, or you might just fly to these cities or Esquel. Say yes to a road trip in the lake city.
Mendoza is also friend of cars; otherwise you may get cars with drivers, which after visiting three to five wineries a day may really be a good idea too. The road trip maybe from Mendoza to San Rafael, a little bit southern, all land of grapes and mountains; the flight from Buenos Aires maybe to and from any of these two cities.
Buenos Aires province, and its gaucho traditions definitely must be done by car, if you are from the US, Australia or Canada, you may know what a green flat land means, but if you come from Europe, or the other two continents Asia and Africa, you will be surprised by this pampa.
My beloved Puna, must be done by car, listening to local radios and when frequencies are gone, some Ennio Morricone, or movie themes may work properly…when I personally did that trip in my car, I just had a cassette stereo, and had no tapes, therefore I had to buy some in the gas stations, and the tapes I could find to buy were The Carpenters and the Ramones, apart from some Argentine ‘classics’…eclectic recommender.
Iguazú, is safe without a car, Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán are meaningless without a car, as well as all the other provinces and spots I hadn’t mention, like Santa Fe, Chaco, Formosa, Entre Ríos, Corrientes and its Esteros…
I can’t believe this is my third consecutive column without philosophy or political contents, maybe I am getting older and boring, or possibly my soul is sailing in clear calm and sweet waters after some decades of boiling blood and some smelling daisies.