Scenographic spectacularity, geological originality, singularity/relevance, biodiversity/heterogeneity, sustainability, accessibility and potentiality.
These are the attributes that the jury that in 2019 chose the
7 Natural Wonders of Argentina
among dozens of sites from all over the country that competed in a contest organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation, in order to “inspire and raise awareness about the
conservation of the native beauties
of the entire country”, through the choice of seven icons.
A complicated selection in a country with so many amazing corners -some super famous;
others more secret and little traveled-, in which each one has his favorite landscape, his "place in the world", his postcard with a high visual impact.
The contest ran for a year, in stages.
The first was the nomination, in which
more than 400 natural sites were included and
77 pre-finalists
were voted for
.
Declared a "World Wonder", the Iguazú Falls did not participate in the Argentine wonders contest.
Photo EFE / National Parks
In the second stage, a panel of experts -specialists in the areas of science, tourism, photography, journalism and art, among others- selected
28 finalists
, which began the final stage: the vote of the people.
It must be remembered that these distinctions began to be awarded in 2011, when the "New 7 Natural Wonders of the World" were chosen: among them were the Iguazú Falls, and for that reason they did not participate in the local wonders
contest
.
The variety of natural landscapes, from leafy jungles and arid steppes, from high mountains and gently undulating geographies, from sea, river or lagoons, was reflected in a final with
28 sites from 18 provinces
.
So the people voted:
more than a million people chose
the following 7 destinations in the country as “natural wonders”.
Here we tell you
where they are, what they are like and how much it costs to visit them
.
The immensity of the landscape of the Salinas Grandes.
Photo Shutterstock.
Salinas Grandes, Jujuy
This salt desert at the height of the Puna (3,500 masl) was chosen as one of the "17 Wildest and Most Beautiful Places in the World" by National Geographic, which added this amazing white landscape to a series of internationally renowned tourist destinations.
A white plain that creates a dreamlike landscape when it seems to meet the blue sky on the horizon:
the image of immensity
.
This almost dreamlike setting, with long pools with crystal clear water from which salt is extracted for consumption, is perfect for the best postcards.
There, guides who are also
salt
miners - dressed from head to toe to protect themselves from the sun - invite visitors to take creative photos by playing with perspectives and visual effects.
The guides of the Salinas are salt miners.
Photo Telam
How to get there
• Las Salinas is 1,635 km from Buenos Aires, 129 from San Salvador de Jujuy and 64 from Purmamarca.
• From the capital of Jujuy, you can take the RN 9 to Purmamarca, and from there, the RN 52.
• Aerolíneas Argentinas, JetSmart and Flybondi fly to San Salvador from Buenos Aires.
Roundtrip in May, from $17,080.
• Retiro Bus (23 h 30'), from $21,500 one way.
• Andes Bus goes from San Salvador to Salinas Grandes: 3 hours, $1,400.
How much does it cost
• Full day excursion to Salinas Grandes + Purmamarca from San Salvador, from $9,400 (transfer with guide).
Salinas + Purmamarca starting from Salta, from $9,500.
Where to find out
www.turismo.jujuy.gob.ar/item/salinas-grandes
The Perito Moreno Glacier from the footbridges of the national park.
Perito Moreno Glacier
It is the main attraction of
Los Glaciares
, the largest national park in the country, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
This impressive mass of ice, 17 km long by 5 km wide, is one of the many glaciers in the park, which break off from the Southern Ice Field, the
third largest continental ice field on the planet
.
The Perito Moreno ice front rises
between 60 and 70 meters
above the waters of Lake Argentino and
can be seen from about 300 meters
away, from different angles and heights, walking along the park's walkways.
This ease of access explains part of its worldwide fame.
Ice trekking is another way to discover this impressive glacier.
Photo AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko.
Another option is
to see it from the waters of Lake Argentino
, in excursions that run through the Canal de los Témpanos.
And you can also walk on the ice: an incredible experience that proposes trekking on ice -with crampons for shoes- to see its cracks and sinkholes in impressive shades up close.
How to get there
• From Bs. As. to El Calafate it is 2,747 km along RN 3 to Río Gallegos and from there RP 5, RN 40 and RP 11. From Calafate to the glacier, 77 km along RP 11. • Until October to El
Calafate Airlines and Flybondi fly;
roundtrip from $30,069.
Since October, also JetSmart.
• By bus there are three sections: one to Comodoro Rivadavia (25 hours, from $24,000), from there another to Río Gallegos (11 h 30', from $6,840) and a third from Río Gallegos to El Calafate (4 hours, from $5,640).
How much it costs
• Entrance to the national park for Argentines, $1,500;
children from 6 to 16 years old, $750. From El Calafate to the glacier: rental car, regular bus ($8,500) or guided tour ($11,000).
Where to find out
www.argentina.gob.ar/parquesnacionales/losglaciares
The reddish walls of Talampaya are almost 150 meters high.
Photo National Parks
Talampaya National Park
Two trips in one: the first, to the impressive landscapes created by the
reddish walls almost 150 meters high
and the curious geoforms carved by rain, wind and time.
The other, to the remote past of the Earth, which is condensed into the
Triassic Trail
, where replicas of the dinosaurs that inhabited these lands millions of years ago are exhibited.
In its more than 2,100 km2, Talampaya houses fossil deposits that make up a unique sample of the fauna that lived in the area almost 200 million years ago.
Together with the neighboring Ischigualasto Provincial Park -also called Valle de la Luna, in San Juan- they make up an impressive continental set of fossils, which was declared a
World Heritage Site
.
The Triassic Trail, with replicas of the dinosaurs that lived in the area 200 million years ago.
Talampaya has two entrances, and all the tours are done
with guides and vehicles from the park
.
One unavoidable is the spectacular Talampaya Canyon, which can be visited by vehicle, by bike or on foot, during the day or in full moonlight, along the Talampaya riverbed.
For the second income, the Talampaya cooperative offers excursions to the Rainbow Canyon and the Lost City.
How to get there
• From Bs As to Talampaya it is 1,155 km by RN9 to Córdoba and from there RN 20, RP 73, RN 38 and RN 150.
• By Airlines to La Rioja, from $27,750 round trip.
From there to the park are 158 km (RN 150 and 38).
• From La Rioja to the main entrance, bus from $2,500, combi for up to 19 people for $139,000 or transfers up to 4 people, $50,000.
How much it costs
• Entrance to the park for Argentines, $1,000;
children from 6 to 16 years old, $500 (includes Triassic Trail and "Nature and Culture" excursion).
• Talampaya Canyon Experience, $7,700 ($3,850 for children between 3 and 12 years of age).
Talampaya Canyon + Shimpa Canyon, $10,000 adults, $5,000 minors.
Talampaya Canyon + Los Balcones, $11,900 and $5,950.
Where to find out
www.argentina.gob.ar/parquesnacionales/talampaya
The Mina Clavero river descends through the Traslasierra valley.
Cordoba Tourism Agency
Mina Clavero River, Cordoba
The union of several streams that come from the Pampa de Achala does not go unnoticed: 28 km east of Mina Clavero along RP 34, or "de las Altas Cumbres", this union gives rise to a 102-meter waterfall,
where
the Mina Clavero River.
From those mountain peaks populated by condors, the cold and limpid waters descend, between rapids, pools and pools, towards the Traslasierra Valley, and in that descent they give rise to beautiful natural scenes.
The river is born in a 102-meter waterfall in the Altas Cumbres.
Cordoba Tourism Agency
And also to
numerous spas
, which every summer summon thousands of visitors in search of refreshment.
Among the most popular: La Toma -about 5 km from the town of Mina Clavero-, with natural slides;
Las Calaveras or Nido de Águila, with fresh water, pots and pools surrounded by high walls.
How to get there
• From Buenos Aires to the source of the river it is 804 km along RN 9, RN 20 and RP 34. To Mina Clavero, 28 km more along RP 34. •
Aerolíneas, JetSmart and Flybondi fly to Córdoba.
Roundtrip in May from $10,980.
From there to the source of the river it is 134 km along RN 20 and RP 34.
• Bus from Retiro to Córdoba (9 hours), from $5,000 to $13,500 (one way).
To Mina Clavero (1:00 p.m.), from $12,900.
How much it costs
• Full day excursion from Córdoba to Altas Cumbres and Mina Clavero, $15,000.
Where to find out
www.cordobaturismo.gov.ar
Mountains, forests, rivers and lakes in the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Nahuel Huapi National Park, Río Negro and Neuquén
On land donated by the expert Moreno, the Parque Nacional del Sud was created in 1922,
the first national park in South America
, which in 1934 was renamed Nahuel Huapi.
In its more than 717,000 hectares of spectacular landscapes of lakes, rivers, mountains and forests, the park protects a sector of the Andean ecosystems of northern Patagonia, as well as important water basins and a cultural heritage product of indigenous peoples (Mapuches) and immigrants from the late 19th century, especially Germans.
These Central European traces are clearly seen in cities like Bariloche or Villa La Angostura, and in traditions that have already become their own in the area, such as the production of chocolates, beers, preserves and smoked products.
The park can also be explored by sailing on the immense Nahuel Huapi lake.
How to get there
• From Buenos Aires to Bariloche it is 1,579 km along route 5 to Santa Rosa and then routes 35, 152, 22 and 237. To Villa La Angostura, 1,608 km along the same route to Dina Huapi and then RN 40. • To Bariloche they
fly Airlines, JetSmart and Flybondi.
Round trip in May, from $18,780.
• Bus from Retiro (10 pm), from $17,000 one way.
How much it costs
• Chico Bariloche Circuit Tour, $4,000;
to Cerro Tronador, $10,800;
Tronador hill and Alerces waterfall, $12,000.
Navigation to Victoria Island and Arrayanes Forest, $17,800 adults, $8,900 children 5 to 12 years old.
To Puerto Blest and Cascada de los Cántaros, $21,000 and $10,500, respectively.
Half-day horseback riding with barbecue, $21,000.
Where to find out
www.nahuelhuapi.gov.ar
Bañado La Estrella: surprising landscapes and a great wealth of flora and fauna.
Bathed The Star, Formosa
The
third largest wetland in South America
- after the Brazilian Pantanal and the Iberá Wetlands, in Corrientes - is the setting for an almost surreal landscape, with huge palm trees, marshes, lagoons, trees covered in vines and an enormous wealth of flora and fauna. .
In north-central Formosa, its 400,000 ha remain flooded for a large part of the year, due to the overflowing of the Pilcomayo River and the rains.
That is why they choose them to live an
important variety of animal species
-from capybaras, otters, river wolves or anteaters- to
more than 300 species of birds
, 30% of the total species registered in Argentina.
The most recommended excursions are made by boat, and in dry areas there are trails to walk.
La Estrella is the third largest wetland in South America.
Photo Shutterstock
The palm groves are a small part of this great ecosystem, in which flooded areas, estuaries, swamps and crystalline lagoons also abound.
And
champales
: beautiful formations of vines, mosses and algae on dead trees.
How to get there
• Aerolíneas flies to Formosa from Buenos Aires; round trip in May, from $35,960.
• From Formosa to Las Lomitas, Godoy buses: $3,320 one way.
In Las Lomitas you can hire private vehicles to Fortín La Soledad.
How much it costs
• Half-day excursion from Las Lomitas (with transfer to Fortín La Soledad), $17,000.
Separate navigation (Carlos Brito, 371 540-1268).
• In Fortín La Soledad there are programs with lodging, full board and excursions.
Two navigations or one navigation and a walk through the mountains, $20,000 (Francisco Ruiz, 370 460-8983).
Where to find out
www.formosahermosa.gob.ar
The spectacular Enchanted waterfall, in the heart of the Misiones jungle.
missionary jungle
A fascinating plant and animal world where life teems in every corner, because despite having suffered -and still suffers- massive felling, the Misiones jungle continues to be one of the
most biodiverse ecosystems in the world
.
The red earth, huge trees such as ibirapitá, lapacho negro or palo rosa, ferns, orchids, thousands of species of birds and animals... the variety of forms and the intensity of life
in
this corner of the country are impressive.
Misiones preserves a precious portion of the Paraná Jungle.
Some figures to give an idea: the Misiones jungle is home to some
two thousand species of vascular plants
(one third of those registered in the country) and 554 species of birds (55% of the thousand in Argentina), 120 species of mammals, 79 of reptiles, 55 of amphibians and 200 of fish.
In total,
almost a thousand animal species
.
And it is
home to large rivers,
such as the Paraná or the Iguazú, streams and
waterfalls
, from the incredible Iguazú Falls to the Moconá Falls or the Enchanted Falls.
A threatened variety, although there is progress: the region today has
67 protected areas
of different categories, which protect around 16% of the surface of Misiones.
A green corridor with
yerbatales
, plantations and
towns and cities of immigrants
that coexist with the original
Guaraní culture
.
The Macuco Trail, in the Iguazú National Park, allows you to enjoy the natural scenery of the jungle.
How to get there
• By car it is 995 km to Posadas by national routes 12, 14 and 105. To Iguazú, 277 km more by RN 12.
• To Posadas and Puerto Iguazú fly Aerolíneas, JetSmart and Flybondi.
Roundtrip in May from $16,600.
To Iguazú, from $14,335.
• Bus to Posadas (12h 30'), from $13,800 to $19,600 one way.
To Iguazú (5:30 p.m.), from $17,500 to $20,700.
How much it costs
• Excursion to the Moconá Falls from Posadas, with Oberá, Uruguay River coastal route, El Soberbio and viewpoints, $60,000 for up to 4 people.
• Great Adventure Navigation in the Falls, $17,000 (20% discount for retirees and children 12 to 16).
• Hike + canopy and rappel from Puerto Iguazú, $9,900.
Where to find out
www.misiones.tur.ar
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