Tranquillo Argentina: The Quiet One with a Passionate Soul
A braai, a booking, and a Buenos Aires bar I should have walked straight past.
These Argentina travel notes began beside a Johannesburg friendly get together and led to a flight across the Atlantic. From Buenos Aires cafés to the country’s spectacular landscapes, this is a personal introduction to its appeal, its travel costs, and one bar invitation I really should have refused.
By Rob Wheatley – Program Director & traveler.
Published 22 October 2026
It started with a braai
It was a warm summer’s day in Johannesburg, and I was standing around a braai with a few mates.
If you’re not South African, let me explain. A braai is a barbecue, but calling it that is like calling the Springboks “a rugby team”. It’s a ritual. There’s fire, there’s beer, there’s a lot of standing around advising whoever is holding the tongs. And there’s boerewors, our spicy, coiled farmer’s sausage, seasoned with coriander and cooked until the whole street smells of it.
Somewhere between the second beer and the first batch of boerewors, someone mentioned that a lot of South Africans had emigrated to Argentina.
I was curious. Why Argentina?
“Have you been there?” someone asked.
I shook my head. So I listened. A few of the guys had been over, and the anecdotes kept coming while the sausage sizzled. The next morning I was booking the flight.
A flight booked before the enthusiasm wore off
First a hop from Johannesburg down to Cape Town, then a straight shot west across the Atlantic to Buenos Aires, pretty much horizontal on the map. That was my route on that trip, rather than a promise about flights available today.
I flew in January, which is the middle of summer down there, and I’d hardly had time to pack my sunscreen.
No research and no spreadsheet. I just decided. It’s one of those spontaneous moments I live for. This time, it took me somewhere I would come to love.
Mind you, spontaneity is a wonderful way to choose a destination. It is a less reliable way to choose a bar. We’ll get to that.
More than tango and steak
Mention Argentina and most people think of tango and beef. Fair enough, both are fabulous. But there’s a lot more.
Take Iguazú Falls, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, on the border of Argentina and Brazil. This enormous system of cascades is the sort of landscape that makes conversation temporarily pointless. You hear the water long before you get the full view.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the country’s travel possibilities, you don’t have to go to Alaska to see a glacier. At Perito Moreno in Los Glaciares National Park, chunks of blue-white ice can break away and crash into Lake Argentino. It’s easy to understand why everyone waits on the viewing platforms, hoping to catch that moment.
However, the falls and the glacier are separate journeys, not neighbouring stops. Puerto Iguazú is a gateway for the falls; El Calafate serves Perito Moreno. Price the flights and transfers before putting both on the same wish list. And if you cross to the Brazilian side of Iguazú, check Brazil’s entry requirements for your passport too.
Buenos Aires, my kind of city
Buenos Aires is one of my favourite cities in the world. Any South American trip should include it, as far as I’m concerned. That’s enthusiasm speaking, of course; this continent is far too big for any one city to be compulsory.
Argentina’s capital never seemed to switch off, day or night. The architecture felt very European to me: colonial influence dressed up with Latin flair. The food was outstanding, and the café culture had exactly the effect on me that a good café culture should. Why leave when you could order just one more?
Give the city several full days if you can. Choose a neighbourhood walk, a long lunch and something cultural rather than making every day a competition with your guidebook. For ideas you can check against your interests, start with the official Buenos Aires tourism site.
As for eating, a parrilla is an obvious starting point, but don’t make steak your entire research programme. Empanadas, cafés and the simple pleasure of taking time over a meal belong in the plan too. My food tourism guide explains why the table often tells you as much as the landmark.
Unfortunately, Buenos Aires is also where I did one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done as a travel professional.
The “pub” that wasn’t
I was wandering the colourful streets, minding my own business, when a very attractive brunette approached me. She was promoting a “pub”, as she called it.
I’m still not sure why I followed. I wasn’t thirsty, and it was barely past beer o’clock. But I followed. Okay, she was very attractive. So stupid, gullible me walked into a bar that could hardly pass for a pub.
Suddenly I was greeted like a VIP by the owner and his “manager”, a really big guy with a face that had survived a lifetime of MMA. I sat down. The place had no other patrons, and my gut started working overtime.
The beer arrived. It was cold and refreshing, and I began to relax slightly.
Two minutes later, a gaggle of giggling young women came through a door I hadn’t noticed. Surrounded by scantily dressed women, I felt like a very reluctant Hugh Hefner.
“Can you buy me a drink?”
Oh oh. Here we go.
An exit I was very pleased to find
“We go upstairs. It’s more comfortable.”
I smiled awkwardly and politely declined. They insisted. My eyes drifted towards the exit, where Beefy Bob, as I’d started calling him in my head, was standing nearby.
Fffffff… I thought.
I finished the beer, threw down enough cash to buy ten drinks, excused myself and just went for it. Hands grabbed at me and the protests got louder. For a moment, I honestly thought I might not make it through the doorway. But I did. The “manager” stepped aside after checking that I’d paid.
Back on the street I was a wreck. As I walked to the hotel, all I could think was what a dumbass I’d been, and how that could have gone really badly.
Lesson learned.
Rob’s tip: If a stranger on the street invites you into a bar and the place is empty, keep walking. Your gut knows. Mine was screaming at me, and I ignored it for far too long.
Keep the story in perspective, and keep your judgement
That encounter is part of my Argentina travel notes, not a verdict on an entire city. Nor is my dash for the door a tactic I’d recommend copying. I was frightened and relieved to get out.
Choose venues independently, check prices before ordering and leave early if the situation feels wrong. More broadly, keep your phone and valuables discreet and arrange a dependable way back to your accommodation at night.
The UK’s Argentina safety guidance describes theft, armed robbery and drink-spiking risks. It advises against resisting a robbery. Read it alongside your own government’s current advice rather than treating one reassuring holiday account, or one alarming story like mine, as the whole picture.
For US readers, the State Department’s Argentina advice provides the current country assessment. The point is to enjoy the city with your eyes open. I still love Buenos Aires; I would simply choose my next drink with rather more care.
The price of Argentina: don’t cry
Ah yes, the downside. You could easily spend a month or more exploring this country, if you could afford it.
When I went, Argentina felt expensive to me. On paper, parts of it had looked cheap. Hostels and small hotels could make the budget seem manageable, but once I wanted to see more of the country, transport and admission costs started climbing. I thought I’d allowed for enough. Then I got there.
That is my experience of that visit, rather than a reliable ranking of Argentina against the rest of South America today. Prices and exchange arrangements change. Your route, travel dates and payment method can matter as much as the nightly room rate.
So price the big journeys first: domestic flights, airport transfers, park entry and any guided activities. Then add meals, accommodation and a buffer. A cheap bed is only one line in the total, and January is not a month I would assume will produce bargain availability everywhere.
For money basics, consult Buenos Aires Tourism’s payment guidance, then confirm fees and conversion arrangements with your card issuer. Use authorised exchange services, carry some local cash for smaller purchases, and avoid building your budget around an old blog’s exchange-rate trick.
A little planning, even for people like me
My Argentina travel notes begin with a spontaneous booking. Your trip can begin the same way, but a few checks afterwards will make life easier.
- Choose a manageable route. Buenos Aires plus one contrasting region is a sensible starting idea for a shorter visit. Add more when the usable days and transport costs genuinely allow it.
- Match the season to the region. January was summer on my trip, but a warm city afternoon tells you little about conditions in Patagonia. Check the specific places and activities.
- Count transfer days. An internal flight involves airports, luggage and the journey at both ends. Leave a buffer before your international departure.
- Check entry and insurance. Requirements depend on your passport and itinerary, including any border crossing to Brazil. Check official rules before paying.
For the bigger picture, my South America travel guide helps you choose between regions rather than trying to collect a continent. The travel logistics guide helps connect the moving parts.
Argentina travel notes: a few useful questions
Is this a complete Argentina destination guide?
No. These are my personal memories, with practical pointers for planning. For a wider first-trip framework, continue to the linked South America guide and official destination sources.
Is January a good time to visit?
It is summer, and it was when I travelled. Whether it suits you depends on your region, activities and tolerance for heat and busy holiday periods. Plan Patagonia and Iguazú around their own conditions, rather than a single national forecast.
Is Argentina expensive?
It felt that way on my visit, particularly once I included travel between places. Today, price your actual route in your own currency. Domestic flights, remote excursions and entry fees can change the budget substantially.
Should that bar story put me off Buenos Aires?
It hasn’t put me off. It has changed how I respond to invitations from strangers. Use current official safety advice and local guidance, choose venues independently and remember that precautions reduce risk without guaranteeing safety.
Still worth the journey
For all the expense, and despite my spectacular lapse in judgement, Argentina stayed with me. Buenos Aires remains one of my favourite cities, and that combination of café life, food and enormous landscapes is hard to shake.
If you can make the route and budget work, give yourself time to enjoy it. Just keep your wits about you. A passionate soul is an excellent quality in a country; it’s a less useful substitute for common sense in a bar.
Have you ever booked a trip because of one conversation? Tell me where it took you.