Argentina

For Americans looking to visit Argentina, there’s a big surprise in store: NO JET LAG. Although it’s a hemisphere away, Argentina is only one hour from the Eastern Standard Time zone. So, even from the West Coast, it’s a modest adjustment—especially for such an exotic destination. Argentina has all the geography you’ll ever want. With more than 20 national parks, local markets, amazing scenery and it’s worldwide reputation for lamb, beef and wine, it’s the ideal getaway. Oh and did we mention, it has the tango? Don’t forget about Buenos Aires, either.

Full of wrought-iron balconies, an opera house and the famous café society, Buenos Aires has long been compared to a European city. But having stood at the brink of disaster—the country’s devastating financial collapse in 2001—the city has rebounded with a new vitality. Today, Buenos Aires is bursting with galleries, original fashion boutiques and one fantastic dining experience after another. And best of all, it is still a very affordable destination.

Buenos Aires is an essential part of the Argentina experience, but so is getting out of the city. In the northeast, where Argentina meets Brazil and Paraguay, there’s the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Iguaçu Falls. And to sample Argentina’s newest signature vintage, Malbec, or other award-winning wines, the place to go is Mendoza, where over a thousand wineries and lovely hotels are set to the stunning backdrop of the Andean foothills. In the north, the valleys of Salta and Jujuy are rustic and colorful, dotted with pre-Columbian ruins, hot springs and llama ranches, while far to the south is pristine Patagonia, with its sheep farms and glaciers, and the remote reaches of Tierra Del Fuego. In the “new” Argentina, visitors will find warm hospitality and savory flavors, lively music, enthusiastic soccer fans, Inca fortresses, bustling markets and scenery that defies description.