Wine harvest 2024 in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
One of my favourite times of year for an Argentina wine tour is the Vendimia, or harvest, when you’re rewarded with the sights and sounds of wine production, not to mention the great smells and tastes. You can also…
Extreme weather batters Argentina
LATEST: AFTER NEARLY TWO WEEKS, THE ROAD TO THE SALINAS GRANDES & SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA RE-OPENED YESTERDAY (Thurs 28th March) As I write this on 22nd March, the main road from Purmamarca to the Salinas Grandes salt flats,…
Best places to go out in Buenos Aires: top bars
Three bars in Buenos Aires have been voted among the best 50 in the world for 2023. The World's 50 best bars ranks Sips in Barcelona as the finest on the globe, while there are five from London, including…
Could this be the death of the blue dollar?
As promised, after the settling in of the new President and his radical approach to governing a broken economy, here are some of my thoughts on what the new regime means for tourism. Crucially, is this the death…
Salta to Lima flights return: and now the bad news...
Direct flights between Salta and Lima returned this month, as (entirely coincidentally?) Argentina’s new President took office and began the process of dismantling the structure of the state and liberating the markets. Perhaps taking advantage of this wind of…
Argentina's national park wardens in the dock
It's fair to say I have, on occasion, had a slightly troubled relationship with the national park authorities during my nigh on 16 years operating private tours in Argentina. Many years ago, guests of ours were strolling down a wash…
New estancia in the heart of the Salta wine region
Many years ago, while squiring guests around the Valles Calchaquies wine region, I met a larger than life Dutchman who instantly recognized a fellow gringo (there weren’t as many of us around in those days). With a wide sweep…
The unstoppable rise of Argentina's blue dollar
I returned to Chile this week as the Argentine peso reached parity with the local currency. Since I first took guests across to San Pedro de Atacama 12 years ago, Chile has recorded 66.7% inflation: Argentina has recorded almost twice…
The high altitude wine region of Tarija, Bolivia
I first discovered Bolivian wine in 2011 when my wife proposed a shopping trip to Tarija, three hours across the border from Argentina. I wasn't entirely keen until she said: "They have wineries. Really? In Bolivia? Who knew? On that…
Religious parades in Argentina and the Milagro of Salta
The middle of September marks the most important religious pilgrimage in Salta and it has nothing to do with Christmas or Easter. In far flung corners of the province close to the Bolivian and Paraguayan borders, this week pilgrims began…