Argentina
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TOPDEST
(IATA / LATA) |
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COUNTRY MAP
(Map by kind permission of the CIA Official Website)
General Information
| Government |
Republic |
| Capital |
Buenos Aires |
| GMT |
- 3 hours |
| Online Weekly Weather |
www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day/argentina |
| Yearly Weather Climate |
www.weather.msn.com/argentina |
| Airports |
The main international airport in Buenos Aires is called Ezeiza (EZE) and is situated 40-45 minutes form the downtown and hotel area.
There is also a domestic airport - Aeroparque Jorge Newberry (AEP) which is about 20 minutes from the downtown and hotel area. This is used for all domestic flights within Argentina and some international flights to Chile and Montevideo. |
| Average Flying Time from London |
13 hours |
| Passport & Visas |
www.worldtravelguide.net/country/14/passport_visa/South-America/Argentina.html |
| Health and Medical information |
www.worldtravelguide.net/country/14/health/South-America/Argentina.html |
| Public Holidays |
www.worldtravelguide.net/country/14/public_holidays/South-America/Argentina.html |
| Currency |
Argentine Peso (ARS) |
| Currency Converter |
www.oanda.com/convert/classic |
| Language |
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French |
| Electricity |
220-240v, 50 Hz, AC. |
| Population |
40,677,348 (July 2008 est.) |
| Total Land Area |
2,766,890 sq km |
| Coastline |
4,989 km |
| Driving |
On the right |
Company
Top Dest is the leading Argentine travel company handling both incoming and outgoing tourism. Their specialist department for groups and incentive travel offers a highly specialist and professional service. The department is headed by Marco Palacios, who has a vast experience in all aspects of inbound tourism from Europe into Argentina.
The company offers highly individual and personal attention and great care in order to get the details perfect for your groups. Top Dest is already one of the world’s leading incentive and conference houses and has operated programmes for such companies as Glaxo, Saab and Chrysler, amongst others.
Destination
ARGENTINA - LAND OF THE SIX CONTINENTS
Argentina was discovered by Juan de Solis in 1516, followed by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520, before Pedro de Mendoza founded the first Spanish settlement in 1536 in Buenos Aires. Since then Argentina has experienced many political upheavals and conquests from the early settlers to the immigrants of the past century who came looking for riches. Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world with a huge diversity of topography and climate - from jungles in the north and desert, to the great plains around Buenos Aires and from the lake district to the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego, it has so much to offer the overseas visitor. Argentina is the home of the Tango, the home of the highest peak in the Americas (Aconcagua), and has the southern most town in the world in Ushuaia. Beyond the sophisticated metropolis of Buenos Aires, rough-riding gauchos and the wide-open spaces of Patagonia and the pampas, Argentina will surprise you with its fine wines, jungle waterfalls, colonial cities and penguin colonies.
Example Programme
Day 1 - Buenos Aires
Arrival transfer and meet & greet service to your hotel.
Day 2 - Buenos Aires
City tour around South America's most elegant capital. You'll visit the historical complex of Plaza de Mayo (May Square) with the Government House, the historical Cabildo and the Cathedral; the Congress building; the old San Telmo and La Boca quarters; the Obelisk; the Colon Theatre (Opera House); the beautiful parks and gardens in Palermo; the Recoleta area with elegant restaurants, sidewalk cafes and the Cemetery, where famous people are laid to rest.
Lunch at Gardiner's.
Afternoon yacht cruise along the Tigre River.
Evening Dine-around.
Day 3 - Estancia & Tango
Full day tour to an Estancia. Learn to play Polo, watch a gaucho rodeo, ride and walk in the gardens and enjoy a typical Argentine "asado" (barbecue).
Evening - Dinner and Tango Show in Buenos Aires.
Day 4 - Iguazu
Transfer from the hotel for flight to Iguazu, to see one of the greatest natural sights of South America - the Iguazu Falls. On arrival, transfer to the Hotel Sheraton Internacional for overnight accommodation. During your stay at Iguazu, you will visit the Falls, experience a jungle trek, visit Brazil and Paraguay and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Tropics.
Day 5 - Iguazu
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for your onward flight
Suggested Sightseeing
City Tour
This tour includes the main points of interest of the city: The Plaza de Mayo Square (ie not Playa), Government House, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Cabildo, La Boca - the port area where all the galleries and cafes are located - San Telmo (the antiques area) and the Recoleta, where the tomb of Evita Peron can be seen and also the new Museum of Design with its 100 or so interior design boutiques and restaurants, 9 de Julio Avenue (the widest avenue in the world) and the Palermo Park.
Tigre and Parana River Delta
You will be collected from your hotel and after a leisurely drive through the northern residential suburbs of Buenos Aires, you will board a motor boat for a cruise around the islands of the Delta of the Parana River, with its many clubs, restaurants and weekend homes and its main highlight - the houses on stilts, which are very typical of the area.
Fiesta Gaucha
This is a unique tour which allows the visitor to see the countryside and enjoy a typical "asado" barbecue lunch at a ranch with typical folk music, and dancing displays, as well as gaucho skills on horses. There will be time to stroll in the gardens after lunch or to ride on the Pampas with the gauchos!
Dinner and Show
Dinner is arranged in one of Buenos Aires' many elegant and typical restaurants, or it can be at the restaurant of your choice followed by a tango show in the San Telmo area. (The show finishes around 0130.)
Theme Party Ideas for Incentives
All the major 5 star hotels in Buenos Aires have great facilities to host cocktail receptions, dinner parties and gala nights for groups of all sizes. As specialists in event management and successful themed evenings, we can organise everything for the perfect night by choosing the right venue and finding the best culinary talents and entertainment to suit your group. Argentina Discovery is just one suggestion given below. Other themed evenings include a Jazz night and an Opera night.
Argentina Discovery
This is a great option for a welcome dinner and a fun way for guests to discover the beauty and secrets of a country with so many different cultural influences. An informal and relaxed evening providing the opportunity for guests to mingle on your opening night.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception offering a traditional welcome drink. Each area of the ballroom will be decorated to depict different regions of Argentina: Mesopotamia, Chaco, the Northwest, Cuyo, Patagonia and the Pampas will all be on display. Each region will display their typical arts and crafts as well as pictures of the local scenery and folklore.
Guests will be able to sample local dishes and learn about the different recipes while local entertainers play their regional folk songs and artisans display and create their artwork. Just some of the culinary delicacies may include delicious roast lamb from southern Argentina, tamales from Jujuy and empanadas from Salta in the north, not forgetting the wonderful selection of Argentine cheeses and desserts made with the Argentine caramel “dulce de leche”. As a distinctive and memorable leaving gift, each guest will be given a sample of Argentine traditional craftwork.
A fun evening and a great introduction not only to the diverse city of Buenos Aires but also to the whole of Argentina.
Dinner at the San Isidro Hippodrome
San Isidro Hippodrome is located in the northern residential area of Buenos Aires in the San Isidro district. This fabulous racetrack is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and can only be compared to those in England, Paris and Hong Kong. The course has a grass surface and the surrounding woodland provides a natural and unforgettable setting to admire the horses (most of them Arab thoroughbreds). Races normally take place on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday beginning at 4.30 pm.
Start the evening with an informal drinks reception at the 3rd floor official Club Tribune which can be hired for the exclusive use of your group. This is a great way to enjoy the excitement of the racing whilst relaxing in the elegant and modern surrounds of the Club. The last races are floodlit adding to the glamour of the night and the final race is at 9 pm. The Club Tribune is transformed into an elegant dining room with tables decorated with floral centrepieces, ready for a formal dinner to be served after the racing. Capacity: 400 pax
Opera Pampa Show
A truly spectacular and exciting show depicting the gaucho's epic adventure and his traditions from the arrival of the horse in the Americas to the birth of the nation.
Onstage 50 dancers and horsemen perform the most dazzling and colourful Argentinean dances. The magnificent horses, innovative choreography and fantastic special effects and fireworks make this an outstanding spectacle.
Dinner is served after the show when you can sample the typical Bife de Chorizo - delicious famous Argentinean beef - and discover its rich, tender taste. The beef is grilled in a typical gaucho barbecue pit. Guests can also visit the fine winery where wine sampled during dinner can be purchased in gift-wrapped cases.
Iguazu – dinner in the jungle - Surprise gala dinner in the jungle at Aripuca Tree House
Aripuca Tree House is a replica of a traditional cage used by local native Guaranis for trapping birds. Situated in the middle of the jungle some 20 km from the Sheraton Internacional Hotel, it has been created on a huge scale out of whole tree trunks and truly needs to be seen to appreciate its magnificence.
The group will depart from the hotel after sunset to arrive after dark and maintain the element of surprise. On approach, the grounds will be lit just by torches and the Tree House will remain concealed in the inky darkness of the jungle night.
A choir of native musicians will gently start to play and the Aripuca Tree House will quite literally burst into light in front of the guests.
“Mensu” Dinner
Just as the gauchos come from the Pampas, the mensu are the typical natives from the Argentine province of Misiones where Iguazu is located. During dinner, the waiters will be in typical mensu costume dressed in baggy trousers with a sash around the waist and a knife in the belt, shirt with kerchief round the neck, sandals on their feet and all topped off with a typical straw hat.
Reception with Open Bar
A glowing bonfire provides a charming setting for the welcome cocktail. The open bar will offer beer, wines, whisky, Caipirinha, soft drinks and juices and trays of canapés will be served. During the reception a children’s native choir will sing accompanied by guitar and the children will present typical guarani necklaces to their guests.
Dinner in the Tree House
Following the cocktail party, guests will be invited to make their way along the lit pathway. The children from the choir accompanied by the guitarists will lead the way to the Aripuca Tree House where a delicious 3-course dinner will be served. The Tree House is decorated in keeping with its natural surrounds using hessian cloth and tulle and table-centres of dry flowers and candles. Tropical plants, palm tree leaves and buds will be backlit against the rustic wood surrounds.
There is plenty of space for a stage for the musical show or if any speeches are planned and there will also be a small dance floor.
Once seated in the Tree House, the group will hear guitar and harp music and will be able to spot the Paraguayan musicians seated amongst the wooden beams and tree trunks who will play during dinner.
To continue the festivities after dinner we recommend a Latin American musical show complete with sound system to play lively music and get their guests dancing.
A Few Extra Touches
Tango classes at Dandi Royal
Mansion Dandi Royal is located in the heart of San Telmo, the birthplace of Argentine Tango. The Mansion offers those interested in this captivating dance an opportunity to learn more about it. Specialised English-speaking teachers will introduce guests to the first steps of typical Buenos Aires music. Participants will also learn about the changing styles of dance through the decades and about its development in time. Tango: a feeling to be danced!!
Argentine wine tasting tour at La Cava El Querandi
Situated in the colonial old house of El Querandi, the wine cellar boasts a fabulous selection of wines of different vintages from Bodegas from all over the country. Just some of the highlights for you to taste include fruity Syrah wines, subtle Torrontés and Cabernet de Salta, superb Malbec and unbeatable Pinot Noir from Patagonia.
Horse riding
Horse riding for experienced riders or for beginners can be organised with escorted instructors within the Palermo woods. The country’s enthusiasm for horses can be seen here too in polo tournaments or "Pato" matches both played on the Polo field.
Convention Centres
Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel and Convention Centre
The largest conference facility is found at the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel and Convention Centre. With 15 meeting rooms and 6500 sq m of space, the centre can accommodate up to 9000 pax. Most international conferences are held at this venue.
Hiton Buenos Aires
This hotel can offer meeting space of up to 6500 sq ft.
Other hotels have meeting space and facilites. Pleae check with us for further details.
Welcome Gifts
- Leather bottleholders
- Leather wallets
- Leather Picture Frames
- Alpaca photo frames
- Alpaca tea Boxes
- Bottles of wine
- Alpaca paper holder
- Alpaca box with set of dice
- Alpaca box with table games
- Alpaca card case
Specialist Groups
- Sports Tours – football, cricket, rugby, bowls, skiing, golf, sailing, rowing
- Horse Racing
- Farming and Agricultural
- Aviation Historians
- Welsh groups for Eisteddfod
- Film production companies
- Nature and bird-watching
- Museum and art-lovers tours
- Product launches
- Charity Groups
- CSR groups
Must Do's
Buenos Aires: Visit La Boca and San Telmo quarters, have a coffee in a typical bar in Recoleta, enjoy a private Tango show in an elegant venue after a gala dinner, an exclusive transfer by vintage cars, a day at a typical estancia (Ranch) eating the typical "asado" (barbecue) and enjoying the gaucho life.
Iguazu: The Great Adventure tour combining transfers in the jungle and trip in zodiacs until the very heart of the waterfalls, an unforgettable dinner in the middle of the jungle where you can arrive by 4 x 4 vehicles, helicopter ride over the Falls.
Bariloche: White water rafting on the Manso River, Horseback riding followed by a delicious barbecue, golf, trekking .
El Calafate: A champagne or whisky toast with millenary ice at Perito Moreno glacier Trekking, Nautical safari in the Perito Moreno Glacier area.
Puerto Madryn: Whale-watching.
Ushuaia: Beagle Channel navigation, Lapataia National Park visit.
Mendoza: Wine tasting at a wine cellar.
Recent Programmes
Amongst others, 9 groups from PEUGEOT with 40 people in each group, combining a stay in Buenos Aires city with the enjoyment of the astonishing Iguazu Falls and the glaciers at El Calafate area.
A group of 60 people from One 2 One / Motorola (UK) who had an unforgettable Farewell Dinner in the jungle (Iguazu) and a marvelous stay in Buenos Aires, where they also had a Polo demonstration at a top rate Estancia.
MCI UK/NRM group (45 people) who, although they visited Argentina during one of the greatest storms of the century and we had to alter the programme almost every day, they enjoyed one of the best trips they ever had.