WINTER | 2014
43
If you’re looking for somewhere different
to holiday, consider
ONE OF THESE TWO
FASCINATING LATIN COUNTRIES
.
They’ll both steal a little place in your heart.
to its incredible natural scenery - from the mighty
Iguazú Falls in the north to the awe-inspiring
icefields and glacial lakes of the south, from huge
tracts of wetland and forests to deserts, from
impressive mountains to salt flats.
Argentina’s Iguazu National Park, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, is home to the spectacular
Iguazu Falls, which forms the junction between
Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Taller than
Niagara and twice as wide, the falls comprises
275 individual waterfalls in a subtropical jungle.
In stark contrast, Patagonia in the south is an icy,
isolated and magnificently beautiful expanse of
glaciers, lakes, wilderness, mountains, forests,
cliffs, rivers and fjords. Parque Nacional Los
Glaciares – home to the Moreno Glacier (Perito
Moreno) – covers an impressive 1.5 million acres,
although most of this is closed to the public. Perito
Moreno is 30km long and 250 km
2
in area. Like
Iguazú Falls, it has extensive catwalks that allow
tourists to get close to the action, so to speak.
Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego is the gateway to
Antarctica, and Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
has interesting birds and wildlife. Penguin lovers
must not miss Pinto Tombo Nature Reserve,
as around a million Magellan penguins arrive
to mate between September and April. Also on
the Atlantic Coast is Península Valdés, a World
Heritage Site famous for its southern right whales,
dolphins, sea lions and sea elephants.
Off the beaten track is Quebrada de Humahuaca
in the far north-west of the country (near Salta)
– a 150 km ravine with amazing rock formations
and incredible multihued hills, including Cerro de
los Siete Colores (Hill of the Seven Colours). And
if you yearn for the soft rustle of oceans of grass,
the pampas is the place to go.
Buenos Aires, City Scape
Photo: Thinkstock
RCI.co.za
