Argentina

Most of the big cities in Argentina have LGBTQ+ scenes, particularly Buenos Aires. Smaller cities like Cordoba and Mendoza are also popular with LGBTQ+ travelers, with Mendoza hosting an LGBTQ+ grape harvesting festival called Vendimia Para Todos in March. Puerto Madryn attracts LGBTQ+ travelers because of the fast track same-sex marriage ceremonies (the “Casamiento Express”) where everyone, resident or not, can get married in just five days. While some homophobia may prevail outside or even within the big cities, overall Argentina is considered an LGBTQ+-friendly destination.

Why Visit & When to Go?

Winter: June, July, August
Spring: September, October, November
Summer: December, January, February
Autumn: March, April, May

Argentina is a vast country and is the 8th largest in the world by landmass. It has landscapes that range from the sub-tropical where the Iguazu Falls lie to desert around Mendoza to mountainous Andean climates. Extreme cold impacts southern Patagonia, which includes Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world. The most popular months for tourism in Argentina are during the winter months of June, July and August and the summer months of December, January and February.

Interesting Cities to Visit in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires has a varied LGBTQ+ scene to discover, particularly around the Palermo and Recoleta neighborhoods. The capital is also home to the tango and several queer milongas (tango halls). San Telmo is the cool, tango-inspired neighborhood with many boutique shops and an excellent Sunday market, a must for all visitors. Buenos Aires is also famous for its parillas (steak houses), which are some of the best in the country. One of the best months to visit is in November because this is when the LGBTQ+ pride parade takes place.

Mendoza

Mendoza is where some of the top wines in the world are produced, in particular the Malbec. The most famous bodegas (wineries) are located here, which you can visit for wine tastings. Some of the best boutique hotels in Mendoza are located within or next to a bodega and make the perfect base to explore the area by bike or guided tour. The ideal time to visit is toward the end of the Argentinian summer in February or early March, which is also the time when the vendimia (wine harvesting) festivals take place. Look out for the LGBTQ+ Vendimia festival during this time as well.

Córdoba

Córdoba is located right in the heart of the country. It is famous for being a young city, with students making up 20% of its 1.4 million residents. As well as having a small LGBTQ+ scene in its Güemes neighborhood, it is surrounded by picturesque valleys and the Sierras de Córdoba mountains, which are best explored as a road trip. Highlights include trekking in Los Terrones National Park and spotting condors at the Quebrada del Condorito National Park. Cordoba can be visited throughout the year, with July the coldest, driest month and January and February the warmest and wettest.

Esquel

The small town of Esquel in the Chubut region of Argentina is the base for hiking trips to the UNESCO Los Alerces National Park. Here you can visit the second-oldest living species on Earth: the Alerces tree. At 2,600 years old, this ancient species is only outlived by the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine in the western United States, which are almost 5,000 years old. Other highlights of Esquel include the fun La Tronchita railway train ride, visiting wineries like the gay-owned Viñas de Nant y Fall and learning about the large Welsh Argentinian community at one of the Welsh tea houses.

Interesting Attractions to Visit in Argentina

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls is one of the most-visited tourist attractions in Argentina. It is located in Argentina’s northeastern Misiones province, on the border with Paraguay and Brazil. It is hot and humid here for most of the year. It rains the most in December, January and February, so some of the trails may be closed during these months, but the upside of this is the falls will have a greater volume of water and will be more impressive. April to June is the dry season, so the best chance for clear, blue skies.

Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier is another popular tourist highlight. This huge ice formation is 35km (22 miles) in length—the size of Buenos Aires city—with a depth of up to 180m (590ft). You can hike across Perito Moreno as part of a tour. Peak time for visiting is during the summer months, from December to February.

Esteros del Ibera

The Esteros del Iberá is the second largest wetland in the world after the Pantanal in Brazil. It is located in the province of Corrientes in Northeast Argentina, covering over 13,700 square km (5,200 square miles). This large, biologically diverse wilderness is comprised of lakes, marshland, lagoons and islands based largely around the Parana River. The area is also rich with wildlife with over 350 species of birds, plus monkeys, capybara (the world’s largest rodent) and caiman.

Playing polo at a traditional estancia

Estancias is where the Argentinian cowboys (called gauchos) used to herd their cattle. Today in the Argentinian countryside most estancias have been converted into beautiful hotels, restaurants and polo retreats. In Argentina, polo is a very popular sport—just as much as football. Visiting one of the many excellent estancias in the Argentinian countryside as a day trip from Buenos Aires is a great way to get a feel of rural life and try out polo. Most estancias will also offer a bountiful asado meal (Argentinian barbecue party), which will include plenty of locally made Malbec.

Trekking in El Chaltén

El Chaltén is one of the top places in the country for trekking. El Chaltén itself is a small town in the Santa Cruz region of Argentina, close to the Chilean border. It is surrounded by many trails, which are easily accessible without a guide. One of the most popular treks is the full-day hike to Laguna de Los Tres, which has the most impressive views of the iconic Mount Fitz Roy. The peak time to visit El Chalten is December-February.

Whale Watching in Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn is one of the most famous places to go in Latin America for whale watching. Between June and December, these 40-ton mammals come here to give birth and look after their newly born calves for a few months before migrating to the colder waters of Antarctica for the rest of the year. Near Puerto Madryn in Peninsular Valdes you can also see orcas, particularly January to April, and October to December, when they come to feed on elephant seal pups.

Visting Penguins at Punta Loma

Punta Tombo on the coast of the Chubut province in Argentina is home to the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in Latin America. The Magellanic penguins grow to around 61-76 cm (24-30 inches) and are extremely cute to watch, especially when they're clumsily waddling around on land. The best time to see them is between mid-September and April when there are over 1 million penguins. They come here to nest, mate, breed, molt and then in around March or April migrate to warmer climates in South Brazil.