THE PAMPAS

Beneath seemingly endless horizons, the grassy plains of the pampas were the original gaucho country, now occupied by sprawling cattle ranches that often open their doors to paying guests. In the south, low mountain ranges diversify the landscape before giving way to an inviting Atlantic coastline that’s the prime vacation destination for Argentines themselves.

The country’s most densely populated region, the pampas are also the most productive in terms of agriculture and industry. More than a third of Argentina’s population lives in Gran Buenos Aires (Greater Buenos Aires, including the federal capital); together, the capital and Buenos Aires Province hold nearly half the country’s inhabitants.

Geographically speaking, the pampas divide into the humid pampas (most of Buenos Aires Province along with some parts of Santa Fe and Córdoba) and the arid pampas (the most westerly parts of Buenos Aires Province and the entire province of La Pampa). Coverage in this book includes the two main pampas provinces, Buenos Aires and La Pampa, only.

Museo de Ciencias Naturales: In Buenos Aires Province’s capital city of La Plata, this is Argentina’s premier natural history museum and a great day trip from Buenos Aires. (read more)

Complejo Museográfico: In the pilgrimage city of Luján, this exceptional complex of historical museums is among the best in the country.Fiesta de la Tradición: In the placid pampas west of Luján, Argentina’s “gaucho capital,” San Antonio de Areco, celebrates its gaucho heritage during this November festival. (read more)

Tandil: The most attractive city in southern Buenos Aires Province’s interior is the location of a granite mountain range that’s ideal for mountain biking, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities. (read more)

Sierra de la Ventana: In this sleepy town, Buenos Aires Province’s most mountainous terrain offers its best hiking. As elsewhere in the province, there are outstanding estancias, such as Cerro de la Cruz. (read more)

Mar del Plata: Argentina’s top traditional beach resort has also become one of its biggest tourist traps, but it still shows its elegance and sophistication in its historical neighborhoods and cultural offerings—especially outside the summer months of January and February. (read more)

Museo del Automovilismo Juan Manuel Fangio: More than just a tribute to Argentina’s legendary Formula One champion, this state-of-the-art automotive museum near Mar del Plata takes an expansive view of transportation technology. (read more)

Museo del Puerto: On Bahía Blanca’s outskirts, this whimsical, self-styled “community museum” in Puerto Ingeniero White does a lot with a little to illuminate the Argentine immigrant experience. (read more)

Parque Nacional Lihué Calel: Surrounded by the arid pampas that gradually become Pata-gonian desert toward the southwest, the resistant granite summits and canyons of Lihué Calel are an archipelago of biodiversity. (read more)