Due to Argentina’s vast extension, weather conditions and temperatures vary greatly from destination to destination.
Buenos Aires is a year round destination with mild winters (May – September) and hot summers (November – March) whilst the spring and fall months in between remain warm.
Iguazú falls can be visited year round although the summer months (November – March) can be particularly hot and humid, and the falls have their highest flow at this time of year. The winter months of June through September offer milder temperatures whilst the flow of water is lower than during the summer.
The mountainous Lake District is cool all throughout the year, enjoying a northern European climate. Here, April through June are the months of heaviest rainfall. November through March is considered the best travel time, but is also the time of year that attracts the biggest crowds.
Atlantic Patagonia is mainly cool, with unpredictable changes of weather throughout the year, while the best time to visit the Peninsula Valdés natural reserve depends on the fauna viewing more than on the weather. Whale watching usually takes place between late June and late November while penguin watching is between December and March every year.
Southern Patagonia experiences extremely cold winters (May - September) with much of the infrastructure closed at this time of year. The summers attract the largest crowds as well as the strongest winds whilst the shoulder seasons of spring (September-November) and fall (March – April) see reduced winds as well as colourful landscapes with flora coming into flower.
Central Argentina offers a continental climate and Cordoba and Mendoza can be visited all year round. Winter in both destinations presents cool mornings and evenings with mild afternoons. In the wine country surrounding Mendoza, the harvest takes place in February and March.
Northwest Argentina is best visited during the winter months of April – September when the climate remains predominantly dry and pleasantly warm whilst the summer months of November – March bring hot temperatures and some overcast and rainy days.
Events Calendar
1st-7th January , 2010: Dakar Rally in Chile & Argentina
Born in Africa where its legend was created, the Dakar is by nature attracted towards the unknown. The discovery of territories, one of the event’s reasons to be, has pushed the Dakar to head to new continents. After two editions in South America, the Dakar continues its exploration in 2011 of a this continent which has impressive potential for new discovery. Heading towards the north of Argentina and Chile, the route skims in a cascade of colour the frontiers of neighbouring countries and takes competitors through ever more varied territory.
January: National Folklore Festival
The Folklore National Celebration is held in Cosquín, near Córdoba city. It is a lively and unrivalled tribute to Argentina's long folkloric traditions with music, dancing and lots of traditional food and drink.
February: Carnival
Carnival is celebrated all over Argentina, but halfway between Buenos Aries and Iguazu Falls, the town of Gualeguaychu hosts the largest celebration of Carnaval in Argentina. A 38,000 seat carnival centre or corsodromo hosts Samba clubs with over 700 dancers, musicians and singers, all competing for the title of "Kings of the Carnival". This Argentina tradition is vibrantly displayed in costume, song and dance. In Buenos Aires, each neighbourhood celebrates Carnaval with street musicians, or murgas, and artists.
March: National Harvest Festival
In January and February every year each of the eighty communities that make up the Province of Mendoza and who all have vineyards, wineries, or both, elect their own Harvest Queen. All of these goddesses of wine descend on the Provincial Capital (Mendoza city) in the first week of March and on the Saturday night South America's most lavish and spectacular wine festival is celebrated in a Greek amphitheatre nestling amongst the low hills, inside the magnificent San Martín Park. This basically means it is a great time to sample some of Mendoza's best wine whilst watching the elaborate processions which celebrate this highly treasured beverage.
March: Buenos Aires Tango Festival
Fanatics of Argentine Tango should not miss the annual Buenos Aires Tango Festival which takes place between February and March. Intense, moody and undeniably sexy, tango is the emblematic dance of Buenos Aires and the annual Buenos Aires Tango Festival is a great place to see it at its best. The finest practitioners in the world join the peerless local artistes in a programme of tango concerts, dancing displays, exhibitions, classes and a one-minute film festival. This officially-organised tango-fest recognises the cultural importance of this home grown dance form, and aims to both celebrate and promote this rich component of the city's social scene.
May: Arte Buenos Aires- Contemporary Art Fair
The Contemporary Art Fair opens the cultural season in the Argentine capital with an exhibition designed to bring high quality art closer to the widest possible range of people. Around 85,000 visitors attend the exhibition each year. A Selection Committee chooses from galleries at home and abroad to give visitors a unique opportunity to compare and buy art pieces from a range of regional and local sources. The organisers make every effort to stimulate and spread modern art production, and to bring these artworks closer to the general public. At the same time they are providing a forum where artists, collectors and buyers can meet, discuss and exchange views, and disseminate their thoughts throughout the region.
June: National Snow Celebration
For 10 days, the beautiful ski city of Bariloche (in Argentina's Lake District) celebrates the Fiesta Nacional de la Nieve, a definite must for lovers of the slopes.
August: Tilcara Carnival Festival / Earth Mother Week
This festival is a chance for the villagers of Tilcara to thank the earth for all it has given. It is believed that the devil possesses the souls of people during Carnival and it is at this time that the normally shy people of Northern Argentina come to life. The festival lasts for nine days and ends with nine offerings to the earth, one for each day of the festivities at which point the devil is then put back in his hole and covered with rocks until the next year.
September: Llao Llao Musical Week
This classical musical festival, held in the town of Bariloche, is a celebration of the art of classical music. Concerts are held throughout the town, while musicians from all around the world arrive in Bariloche to give solo and ensemble performances.
November: Day of Tradition
Make sure you are in San Antonio de Areco on the week of the 10th for the Día de la Tradición which is actually a whole week of celebrations and fiesta in honour of Argentina's Gaucho tradition. Expect to see lots of cowboy-esque activities, traditional food and drink, music and dancing all in the heart of Gaucho land, Las Pampas.
