I'm turning 30 in February, and I want to take a ~3-week-long trip through the Southern Cone in January with a friend. Our plans currently include Chile-Argentina-Uruguay, but I'm more than happy to change my mind.Has anyone done such a trip there? Should we include Paraguay and/or Brasil? We're willing to get on flights, rent a car, take a boat, whatever. We're both from Budapest, with limited knowledge of Spanish and zero knowledge of Portuguese.Any help would be appreciated, if anyone could post his/her own itinerary, I would love him/her forever. Thanks in advance!
>>2817423It completely depends on what you want to do. This can be pretty much anything from city hopping to /out/ or food/wine do you have any idea what you want to do there?See the iguazu falls, time travel around Uruguay, see glacier/volcanos and stunning nature, hit the southern end of the world, stroll around big cities, climb some peaks ...
>>2817423You are going to get murdered.
>>2817423How about this?>Land at Montevideo - 1-2 days>Dine out, go to a pub, see a bit of the city.>Go to Punta del Este - 3 daysSome beach relaxation and amazing nightlife if you go in summertime.>Go back to Montevideo and take the ferry to Buenos Aires>Buenos Aires - 3-5 daysGo clubbing, go barhopping in Plaza Serrano, take the city tour, see the architecture, see the Recoleta Cementery for a bizarre but popular tourist activity (the mausoleums are really fancy), try the steak, try the pizza, do the Costanera ecological reserve, go to the San Telmo crafts/flea market, check out the Palermo restaurant scene, or you could check out the Japanese gardens for some unconventional weeb activity. (There are events like Sumo wrestling or Kabuki theatre). Chinatown could be interesting too if you happen to land for Chinese New Year.>Take a plane or bus to Cordoba>Cordoba city - 3 daysInteresting city with cool nightlife and architecture. If you are feeling outdoorsy you could take a bus to some of the hippie towns in Valle de Punilla... like San Marcos Sierras or Capilla del Monte. The latter town is said to be a hub for UFO activity going back decades. You could climb Cerro Uritorco and see if you can spot some ayyyys.>Take a plane or bus to Mendoza>Mendoza city - 2 daysThis is wine country, so you should totally do a wine tour and check out the bodegas. When I was there, some of those bodegas offered wine-tasting tours for free, not sure if you have to pay for all of them now but they shouldn't be too expensive. I wouldn't linger too much in Mendoza otherwise, it's a bit boring, more pubs and nightlife but that's about it.
>>2817423>>2817437>Go by bus to San Rafael>San Rafael - 2-3 daysQuaint little town with lots of nature activities like rafting, fly-fishing, etc. There are rafting activities for total newbies you don't need to bring any equipment or know anything about it.>Go to Santiago, Chile>Santiago - 2-3 daysGo shopping, see the tallest building in South America, eat some amazing seafood, try the pisco, see the nightlife.>Go to Valparaiso-Viña del Mar-Reñaca>Rest of the journey - 2-3 daysThese are all three cities that are sandwiched together it's like a single city really they are very close. Valparaiso is the quaintest and most interesting, with really cool architecture, good eateries, and Neruda's museum. And Reñaca is a seaside town to finish off your journey with more beach. I have done a trip very similar to the one I described.Except it was driving and not by bus/plane.But I wouldn't drive here as a foreigner, the people drive like retards and you need to be an experienced driver. The buses are *very* comfy (AC, full dinner menus, reclinable seats, but take a very long time to get to one place to another, think 8-10 hours for BA/Cordoba). The low-cost airlines are decent and take 2-3 hours but it's pricier. Depends on what your budget is.
>>2817425Main interests are cities like architecture, art, food, nightlife, people, and some outdoor activities like Iguazu for example.>>2817435I live in Hungary, I think I'll manage>>2817437That's great, thank you! For the Chile part I'm thinking Santiago and Valparaiso. Also thinking about checking out the Iguazu falls, someone said that it's interesting to see it from the 3 different countries.
>>2817437>>2817439Alternatively you could:Skip Uruguay and do Patagonia.The hiking trails around the Nahuel Huapi lake (7 lakes region) are very popular and packed with tourists in Summer, it's a great way to meet people and you've got the added benefit of staying in a single region and not moving around so much. Check out Cajon del Azul it's an amazing hike. You could do the trails and then take a plane to Calafate and see the Perito Moreno glacier and the Fitz Roy mountain.You can also do Chilean Patagonia I hear there are some cool biking trails there as well but I haven't visited. Torres del Paine is a must see on the Chilean side. (Fitz Roy but seen from Chile)Skip Chile and add Iguazú:This is another alternative if you want to see the rainforest, toucans, coaties and other more tropical animals, and the Iguazu falls, which are amazig, but I wouldn't spend more than 2-3 days there. You can also cross into Brazil from there and go to Florianopolis, Curitiba, Rio, etc.
>>2817439Shit I replied to your previous post before seeing this one. But as I see we were thinking similarly, thanks!!! Money is not a problem.
Ohh I got another suggestion, in Potrerillo, Mendoza, there is a resort called Palapas, which has great electronic music festivals. Think Burning Man but in South America. If you happen to land for one of those check it out.
>>2817423>Should we include Paraguay and/or Brasil?No, I even would say that 3 weeks is too short for three South American countries. I would suggest you to spend those three weeks exploring Argentina and Chile, specifically the Patagonia region. Maybe add the capitals and a couple of regions within those countries.
>>2817423Come to Jujuy
>>2817423with just 3 weeks i would skip uruguay and focus on chile and argentina. there's a lot to see
>>2817423Sounds like a nice place.
>>2817443>Main interests are cities like architecture, art, food, nightlife, people, and some outdoor activities like Iguazu for exampleI would prioritize Buenos Aires, Iguazu falls and include Florianopolis since it's the right season. Rio isn't southern cone but there's nowhere else like it and you're already close, if you can handle the security stress. None of the other places are dangerous if you aren't retarded.Here's my thoughts on the other places mentioned>ParaguayNothing to see and hot as an oven>UruguayMore expensive and boring Argentina>ChileOnly worth it if you're going to Patagonia, Valparaiso is interesting for 1 day, Santiago is maybe ok to live but not that interesting as a tourist>CordobaFun city that feels like a giant college town, people are friendlier than Buenos Aires but the architecture isn't as impressive. Would be my next choice to include if you have time.>MendozaVery chill and not a bad place, but would only include if you're into the wine stuff or going between Santiago-Mendoza on the bus through the Andes.
>>2817445>>2817477>>2817443Definitely skip Mendoza and central Argentina.Without a doubt, Valparaíso and Santiago, in Chile, are much better in terms of scenery, landscape, and enjoyment. Mendoza is a desert hole with hellish summers, which is exacerbated by the warm subtropical trade winds that blow down from northern Argentina, causing an unbearable greenhouse effect in all those Argentine provinces. This also affects Rosario, which is a somewhat more picturesque city, but its summers are almost like those in central Paraguay and the Argentine-Paraguayan Chaco: unbearably stifling.Furthermore, only Chile can offer this mountain/valley/Mediterranean coast experience, along with the opportunity to taste the renowned quality of Chilean wines and exquisite seafood from the Pacific Ocean. In fact, every summer thousands of Argentine tourists and beachgoers flood the central coasts and beaches of Chile.>>2817443In Buenos Aires, stick to its tourist center, where the historic and wealthy neighborhoods are located (CABA) and around 2 million people live. Beyond that, there's nothing interesting to see or explore, but a flat, endless, and monotonous landscape with a serious risk of being assaulted, robbed, and, in the worst case, murdered. Nearly 80% of Bs. As's inhabitants live here.
>>2818390>>2817443Although Santiago de Chile does not have the nightlife or cultural offerings of Buenos Aires, it does have a much better geography and climate than the Argentine city: in Santiago, you can go on interesting and enjoyable treks or hikes through its hills and delve deep into its rugged mountain valleys (for example, the Cajón del Maipo, which is very popular and beautiful). Summer in Santiago can be hot, but summers in Buenos Aires can be scorching, sticky, and suffocating due to high relative humidity, especially in the spring when subtropical storms are approaching.You also have to consider that Santiago de Chile has world-famous ski resorts, considered the best in Latin America in terms of both snow quality and quantity. It is no coincidence that international alpine skiing legends and teams unquestionably prefer Chilean ski resorts during the high season in the southern hemisphere/low season in the northern hemisphere, and in recent years there has been an exponential increase in high-end Brazilian tourists. For example, this winter 2025, many Brazilian tourists who regularly visited Argentina opted for Chilean ski resorts due to the low snowfall in Argentine resorts. This is a real achievement for Chile, as Brazil (and the richest states in Brazil) border Argentina, not Chile. Bariloche, for example, was practically a failure in terms of snow; many other Argentine resorts announced early season closures, and one ski resort (La Hoya) closed two months early. Chilean ski resorts, on the other hand, had generous amounts of snow (especially in the central zone - Santiago), although far from their maximum and best seasons.
>>2818390>>2818393>>2817443Valparaíso is beautiful, picturesque, and scenic, although it is a neglected and dangerous city in certain areas. It is a port city that many foreigners consider to be a “Lisbon” or a San Francisco, as mentioned by American sailors who arrived in the city, due to its geography of coastal hills and “hanging houses.” Valpo is a truly honest city; you either love it or hate it, where you breathe art and poetry and port atmosphere, along with its unique urban landscape that reveals its British, Croatian, and German immigrant past. It is home to the oldest Lutheran church in Latin America. The city of Valparaíso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is not the typical generic heritage city with colonial (Hispanic-Portuguese) architecture and culture that is very common in most of Latin America.But I would definitely recommend Viña del Mar, a city and commune located north of Valparaíso, about 3 kilometers away. The standard of living is much better than in Valparaíso in every sense; you can also enjoy beautiful, relaxing, and intimate coastlines, coves, and beaches, as well as one of the best sunsets on the continent, where you can watch the sun set directly in front of you, both from the lower and upper parts of the city. In fact, both Valparaíso and Viña del Mar are true natural amphitheaters with unique views of the Pacific Ocean. Further north of Viña del Mar, and much further south of the city of Valparaíso, the coastal landscapes, climate, and enjoyment are much better, and the areas are very sparsely populated. Believe me, a plate of fresh Chilean seafood or fish, watching the sunset from above, accompanied by Chilean wine, while the refreshing Mediterranean sea breeze caresses your face and you listen to the enveloping sound of the ever-brave Pacific Ocean, is an experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else in Latin America... except in California ;)
>>2818390>>2818393>>2818394Holy Chilean autism. We were having a comfy thread before you brought up these petty nationalistic rivalries.First of all, there is no reason he should "skip Mendoza and Central Argentina". Argentine wine is just as famous as Chilean wine overseas, both countries have a similar market share in the world exports and compete for the markets both on the lower end and upper end price range. Arguably, the Mendoza wine tours are also much better than those on the Chilean side, if he is interested in wine it's def worth checking out. Climate on Cordoba/Mendoza is also Mediterranean, this is not some "unique experience to Chile".Secondly, I take offense to the fact that you bring up safety for Buenos Aires but you don't for Santiago, when the statistics say Buenos Aires is safer than Santiago by a significant margin. (In 2024, the BA murder rate was 2.5 per 100K, similar to Toronto, Canada, whereas Santiago had a 6.6 murder rate per 100K (three times), similar to Dallas, USA).Buenos Aires is safe to wander about beyond the "tourist center", all the neighbourhoods I suggested to the OP are safe - Recoleta, Palermo, San Telmo, Belgrano, Costanera. The other parts of BA are not a murder zone either, it's just not as safe and not as interesting maybe, although Parque Chas, Colegiales, Villa Crespo, Tigre, are also interesting and safe as well they might be worth check it out if OP has extra time. Lastly, Argentina also has top tier ski resorts (like Las Leñas), and people from the Northern Hemisphere also go there. One lousy snow year doesn't mean anything, and I'm not sure the OP expressed an interest in ski anyway.I gave him a list of things to do so he could make up his mind, I saw no need to shit on Chile like you are doing here for Argentina, you have some insecurity complex or something?
>>2818414Pic rel, "the scorching desert climate of Mendoza". (It is just a bit hotter and dryier than Chile)
>>2818422I'm getting scoorched... ayieeeee
>>2818422>>2818414mendoza is beautiful. but stop relying to to AI slop
>>2818447Neither of those are AI.
>>2817423I spent 1 week in Santiago, Chile this month and there's so much to do there. Almost everyone there speaks english and can understand you, so don't worry. You can stay in hostels, just go for the 4 or 5 star ratings and you'll have a nice time and meet other people who can recommend the do's and don'ts. Also, you can travel around the city using the subway and only if needed rent a car, but I advise against it because rush hour makes it unbearable. Night life is cool but nothing extraordinary. Prices are based in USD, so don't expect to feel like a billionaire, but nothing felt that overpriced. The best part was sightseeing imo.
>>2817435I’ve known 6 people who have done this same trek. Why didn’t they get murdered? My ex gf was from Chile, why wasn’t she murdered?
>>2817423Ameriblob here. Hey el cono surenos!How about this? 2 weeks in the deep south. Ushuaia-El Calafate-Punta Arenas- Chubut then back to BsA
>>2818594Sounds like a lot of plane hopping, but if you are a completionist that wants to see the all the main sights of Patagonia, sure, you can do Ushuaia-Punta Arenas, hop off to Calafate+El Chaltén, cross to Chile to do Torres del Paine, and cross back to Bariloche and see the 7 lakes region.For a single region I suggested the 7 Lakes region since that's basically a full trip already in a single zone, where you can stay on the same area without as much plane hopping, there is a tourist trail that goes from San Martín de los Andes to Bariloche (you can easily spend 10 to 15 days here alone, there is a lot to see), and another trail that goes from Bariloche to El Bolsón-Esquel, in both trails its mostly hiking and camping and the ocassional bus trip between one town to another. Downside is, if you stick to this area you will miss El Chaltén, Perito Moreno glacier and Torres del Paine which are all great Patagonian landmarks that are further south.
>>2818720>and another trail that goes from Bariloche to El Bolsón-EsquelThis leg of the trail is less transited and not as interesting as the SMA-Bariloche upper trail, btw, depends on whether you prefer more laid back and less touristy or crowded with other hikers.
>>2818724That said, Cajon del Azul is on this second leg of the trail and it was my favorite Patagonian hike, imagine hiking for 7 hours through some of the most amazing forests and lakes and ending up in some Heidi-type mountain valley refuge nestled among the Andes. Dunno if that sounds like your cup of tea but it was great.Sorry for the autism in making three posts in a row instead of summarizing the information, I did this trip more than a decade ago and I keep remembering shit.
>>2818720>>2818724>>2818728Also important to keep in mind, it *shouldn't* snow in summer, but you can get the ocassional summer snow in this area which can ruin part of your trip if you are camping. Happened to me. So check the weather and be prepared for that?If you are not into camping just do the plane/bus hopping thing and stay in hotels / hostels / airbnbs
>>2818728The mountain valley at the end of the hike.There is like a ranch with sheep and little mountain lodges it was some Heidi shit.
>>2818422>>2818425Bro, I'm talking about climate, geography, temperature, and general landscape...and you literally uploaded one close-up tourist image - cherry picking. (Even Venezuela could seem like an "alpine" and "temperate" country if I uploaded a selected close-up tourist image of one of its snow-capped peaks at 4,000 meters above sea level)You can't deny that the province of Mendoza is a desert; that it has a desert climate (influenced by the subtropical climate of northern Argentina) and that in the summers it's a stifling "hell on earth" due to the seasonal and geographical circumstances mentioned above.This won't change with one image cherry picking.
>>2818884
>>2818885NTA but if the difference is only 3°C then he is right to mock you for calling it scorching.Doesn't look like a desert to me desu desu. First page on google images didn't cherry pick or even scroll.
>>2818414Naa, bro, I just provided objective climatic, geographical, and social data. Don't take this as a personal attack or play the victim.And of course!!! Santiago de Chile is also dangerous, and I recommend everyone only travel in its upper-middle- and upper-class neighborhoods. The city center is disgusting, literally, where all of Latin America is located.>homicide ratesChile stopped being the country with the lowest crime rates in Latin America due to the excess of negative immigration from other Latin American countries. It has consequences to be the country with the highest proportion or percentage of immigrants in the entire American continent, after Canada and the USIt shows historical statistics from previous years on crime rates in Latin America: Chile was the absolute leader, a cup of milk, an oasis in a turbulent Latin America.
>>2818888>we are not the criminals saaarNormally I would side with these type of arguments but in this case it sounds like cope to me, it isn't even blue.
>>2818884mendoza itself is pretty diverse i would say. the town feels more like a Mediterranean environment but a short drive out of town and you see more of that nice mountain environment (still pretty Mediterranean)
>>2818887Yes, but it's desert-like... with a desert climate.Furthermore, that temperature is the temperature recorded by thermometers. To that temperature, you have to add the “wind chill” (which seasonal thermometers don't register), which in the case of Mendoza is the influence of the trade winds from the subtropical north of the Argentine Chaco + the fact that the province is located on the leeward side of the Cordillera, causing a powerful greenhouse effect, and therefore making it really uncomfortable in the summers. This is the wind chill factor, and it is not recorded by thermometers. So that 3-degree difference is technically and empirically misleading. It's as if you were to claim that any Brazilian city is the same as Chile because they have similar recorded temperatures; there are other variables that make Brazil warmer, for example, its climate.
>>2818897>uncomfortable in the summers.is it just hot or muggy?
>>2818888>North America and Western Europe all deep blueGlobohomo is so fucked.
>>2818390I bet the summers are no worse than your typical day in Bangkok, the most visited city on Earth. Used to be, everyone would insist that you stick to the Argentina side of Patagonia because Chile was so much more expensive, but that's not the case in 2025, is it?Seeing as I only want to work 3 1/2 months this year and the next (and last year as well), pricier destinations like Patagonia are sadly off my list of places to visit. Hotel rooms are simply too expensive.
>>2818917It's not. That whole region is on the temperate zone of Earth... it's actually colder than the Med going by this map. Suffocating tropical heat like Thailand would be orange to dark red on this map. It's really just some weird autist splitting hairs. (Welcome to 4chan)Sage cuz I don't want to see this retarded argument on the frontpage anymore.
>Climate on Cordoba/Mendoza is also MediterraneanI forgot these.Mendoza doesn't have a Mediterranean climate, obviously... let alone a coastal Mediterranean for geographical and climate reasons. It's a completely different geographic, orographic, climatological, and physiographic configuration.Córdoba's climate is somewhat worse than Mendoza's in terms of the heat experienced: 1) because it's located in the continental center of the country (a heat island) and 2) because it's located near the intertropical zones.Córdoba actually has a subtropical pampeano climate.Therefore, that city has high temperatures (due to its continental location) + with the high relative humidity typical of these tropical/subtropicalclimates. It also has dry winters, which makes it more "tropical."If you've never been to Mendoza in the summer -and especially to Córdoba- you really don't know what a tortured heatwave isGod, what an obsession!!! I provided objective geographic and climatic data; and the entire Argentine army arrived, furious, trying to refute me with false data and cherry-picked landscape images.>>2818898>is it just hot or muggy?Stifling heat. You sweat without doing anything. The worst part? You feel like the sweat isn't leaving your body. I know it's crazy, and not at all fun or enjoyable: as if you were sweating inwardly.
>>2817423For Brazil just learn the basic phrases like "obrigado" for thank you, or "por favor" for please, and I guarantee you people will become the friendliest motherfuckers you'll ever meet. Brazilians love foreigners
>>2818944>>2818885The correct classification of Mendoza is semi-arid, this is what you will find on every textbook, to be classified as a "desert" a region needs less than 250 mm of rainfall per year, consistently. Mendoza gets 200-400 mm of rainfall depending on the year so it doesn't really fit this definition precisely. Otherwise it wouldn't be a major wine-producing region since forever.If you want to be precise, the climate on Mendoza is very varied, and inside the province you will find both areas with semi-arid steppe climate (BSk), cold mountain climate (Dsb, Dsc), mediterranean climate (Csb), (basically all these areas are where the people live and the major cities are) and yes, desert. (BWk - Cold arid), and (BWh - hot desert) on the northern bit. Take a note of how small the "hot desert environment - Bwh" is, you are depicting the whole province like that. But the proper monte desert environment of Argentina is considered to begin further north in San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca.Calling it a desert is hyperbolic and ridiculous, it's not much hotter than Chile, as your source pointed out it's only 3° C hotter (I love that someone called you out on it already) than Chile at the same latitude, it's significantly dryier but not enough to be consistently defined as desert.I was on Mendoza in January (the hottest month of the year) and I didn't find it "unbearable". It was hot but not stifling. OP could also go at any other time of the year and not have to deal with summer if that's your concern. March should already be much milder. Beyond March it's literally cool-cold and it snows.
>>2818888Argentina was the top immigrant importer for the past 40 years, so um welcome to the club I guess. Though Chile tried to speedrun migrantmaxx and somehow imported a lot of the worst Venezuelan scum in a short span of years I don't know how you guys did it but it's quite an achievement. The Venezuelans here came in an earlier wave and are much more chill. They are certainly not "nuclear engineers, doctors and lawyers" but they have a more middle class profile. You guys imported the Cartel de Aragua dudes, Piñeyra shoud be hanged.
>>2818944Now, calling Cordoba tropical is just ridiculous anon. There are no tropical areas in the entire territory of Argentina. Maybe the northern bits of Misiones where Iguazú is, depending on the classification used, could be called tropical-like, there the climate really is hot, humid and suffocating. But Cordoba has a firmly temperate climate. Hot summers, yes, but not stifling.
