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Argentina

⭐️ Best for: Hiking, Scenic Views & Wine

⚠️ Difficulty: Moderate

💰 Budget: ££-£££

Itinerary

2 weeks

Rio de Janeiro (5 days)    >>    Buzios (3 days)    >>    Foz do Iguaçu (3 days)

​3 weeks +

Rio de Janeiro (5 days)    >>    Buzios (3 days)    >>    Amazon via Manaus (5+ days)    >>    São Paulo (3 days)

Places

Buenos Aires

Rio was my first stop, during carnival the streets were filled with people at all hours of the day, the atmosphere was lively and it felt safer than I expected!

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Things to do:

  • Carnival (Usually in February/March)

  • Christ the Redeemer Statue - Use a tour company (Rio40) or take public transport and hike up​

  • Beaches (Copacabana, Ipanema)

  • Nightlife (Bloccos & Nightclubs)​

CABJ

🛏️ Where I stayed:

Palace Beach Hostel

  • Good location close to Copacabana & Ipanema beach

  • Hostel was safe and gated

  • Breakfast included (very few veggie options though)

  • Not permitted to use the kitchen

  • Expensive during carnival​

🍴 Where I ate:

  • Lemi (vegan)

  • Doppel Brugger (vegan)

  • Lots of veggie options & completely vegan restaurants on Happy Cow

What to watch out for:​

  • Be aware of your belongings - would recommend a money belt

  • Take Ubers at night

  • Ensure your accommodation is not in a favela

Buenos Aires
El Calafate
El Chaltén
Perito moreno glacier

El Calafate

The city wasn't for me as I felt like there wasn't much to do, but I did enjoy carnival here. Within São Paulo state I attended a 10-day Vipassana course and the centre's location was beautiful and completely immersed in nature. From Rio it took a 7-hour bus to get to São Paulo City.

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Things to do:​

  • Bars & clubs​

  • Museums​

  • Ibirapuera Park - great for running and the blocco here was really fun

🛏️Where I stayed:

Ô de Casa Hostel

  • Best place to stay during carnival, but quiet otherwise

  • Dorms weren't expensive

  • Social party hostel - everyone goes out together most nights, including staff

  • Has it's own pool, bar & restaurant

  • Security at the door, after 10pm only guests can get in

🍴Where I ate:

  • Camelia Ododo (Vegan) - Expensive but SO good, ate here multiple times.

  • Novos Veganos, Pinherios (Vegan) - Burger restaurant, meh.

  • Tempero Indiano (Veggie Options) - Okay, but would not recommend if you know what Indian food is supposed to taste like. Food was really sweet with no spice.

What to watch out for:​​

  • I met more people who had their phones stolen in São Paulo than in Rio so be mindful of your belongings!

El Chaltén

Floripa was one of my favourite places. A surfer's paradise and a quiet, chill, beach city which was much needed after carnival. It's a 14-hour overnight bus away from São Paulo.

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Things to do:​

  • Surfing for people of all (and no) experience

    • Multiple surf shops along Praia da Lagoa to rent gear or book lessons​

  • Beautiful quiet beaches (Praia da Lagoa, Mole, Joaquina)

  • Hiking trails

Laguna de los Tres

🛏️Where I stayed:

Tucano House Backpackers

  • Easy to socialise as they have communal dinner every night (at a cost) - veggie/vegan options available

  • Safe - needed a code to enter the hostel

  • Good location, lots of restaurants and grocery shops nearby

  • Has a pool, kitchen and an area to chill in hammock

  • Short Uber away from beaches

🍴Where I ate:​

  • KomTodos Restaurante Vegetariano (Vegetarian) - Buffet style, pay by plate weight, lots of delicious veggie & vegan options that change every day

  • Spitfire Lagoa - Good pizzas and cervecer
     

  • Guaquito Taqueria - The veggie tacos were rubbish and there was a piece of plastic inside one.

Helpful Tip:​

  • Keep a driver's number handy for late nights as I struggled to get an Uber after nights out.

Transport

  • GOL and Azul Airlines - low budgets, but I had no issues with either

  • Flights are expensive but save a lot of time

 

  • Booked buses through Busbud for: 1001, Catarinse & Nordeste (recommend all)

  • Cost effective, but longer travel times - expect delays

  • Bus journeys can range from 4 to 20 hours, but includes a stop for food and snacks

  • Bus seats were spacious, comfortable recliners with personal USB ports

  • Checked-in bags were usually tagged and I was given a ticket with the bag number on it for collection

  • Uber was safe, easy and cheap to use

Safety

  • Overall, I felt safe. In Rio during carnival, there was always lots of people out at all times of the day which made it feel safer.

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  • Buzios, Florianópolis and Foz do Iguaçu are touristy but quiet places.

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  • In Manaus I was heckled a lot and also felt on high alert in São Paulo.

  • I didn't personally experience anything bad but I always stayed aware.

Practical Tips

  • Language: Spanish, Currency: Argentine Peso

More To Try

  • Salvador - Especially during carnival

  • Lençóis Maranhenses - Protected national park with picturesque white sand dunes and rainwater lagoons​​

  • Açai

  • Brigadeiro - A dessert made with condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter and chocolate

  • Coxinhas - Savoury snack usually made with a meat filling, however you can find a jackfruit alternative

  • Tapioca - Brazilian crepes with sweet and savoury fillings​

  • Caipirinha - The drink of Brazil made with cachaça (Brazilian white rum made from sugar cane) lime and sugar

  • Beats - Brazilian brand cocktail in a can

  • Mendoza

  • Ushuaia

  • Rosaio?

  • Cordoba?

  • Empenadas

  • Mate

  • Fernet - jagerbomb

  • Instagram
  • TikTok

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