Things to See in Argentina

One of Patagonia's premier traveler magnets, El Chaltén, is a small, homely yet fast-growing village set in a pretty river valley. Travelers come here for the extraordinary snowcapped towers of the Fitz Roy range, which offer plenty of world-class hiking and camping along with some of the most stunning mountain scenery you'll ever see.

Few glaciers on earth can match the activity and excitement of the blue-hued Perito Moreno Glacier, the highlight of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Its 60m (197ft) jagged ice-peaks shear off and crash-land with huge splashes and thunderous rifle-cracks, birthing small tidal waves and large bobbing icebergs - while your neck hairs rise a-tingling.

Lying on Argentina's barren eastern Patagonian coast, this oddly shaped peninsula is home to some of the country's richest wildlife. Elephant seals, Magellanic penguins, right whales, guanacos, armadillos and foxes are almost guaranteed sightings during their high seasons. This is where orcas have been filmed snatching pinnipeds (genus including seals and sea lions) off the beach.

The spacious Andean Parque Nacional Los Alerces protects extensive stands of alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), a large and long-lived conifer of the humid Valdivian forests. Other common trees include cypress, incense cedar, southern beeches and arrayán. The colihue (a bamboo-like plant) undergrowth is almost impenetrable. The receding glaciers of Los Alerces' peaks, which barely reach 2300m (7546ft), have left nearly pristine lakes and streams.

Mountains ablaze with mineral color edge this barren yet stunning canyon, a historic trade route called the Camino Inca. Ancient adobe churches, photogenic traditional villages, crumbling old ruins and a rich indigenous culture provide highlights in the region. To top it off it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.