Our Ultimate Argentina Vacation: A Month of Wonders

Generally, the best time for this trip is March-April and October-December.

If you want to have the best chances of seeing the whales in Valdes, the best time for this trip is from mid-October to the end of November.

However, any time between October and April is the time to catch Patagonia as it moves from late spring through summer and into fall. If you travel in December to April you will have less chance to see the whales in Valdes but the peninsula is still a great place to visit and you will see penguins, elephant seals and sea lions as well as plenty of bird life.

In the Iberá wetlands wildlife can be viewed throughout the year but the animals are less easy to see on the cooler winter days (Jun-Aug).

The Iguazú Falls are spectacular at any time of the year. It is cooler and drier from May to September, August is the clearest and driest month. If you want the most water then rainfall is at its highest in April and December so May and January will see the biggest water flows.

Buenos Aires can be visited all year although January and February can be very hot and humid.

In Salta winter runs from May through September. This is the driest time of year with almost zero precipitation and clear bright skies. It is also the coolest time of year but average daytime highs are still around 20ºc. Nights can be very cold and drop below freezing. Rainfall peaks at around 160mm in January/February. Days are longer with sunrise at around 4am, sunset at around 6pm.

In Patagonia, the weather will be whatever it will be. You are on the same relative latitude as London or Quebec, so on a still summer's day the temperature can be comfortably in the mid 20°s. In theory...in reality, hot, dry, cold, wet, snowing, raining, blowing a gale, flat, calm can all happen in a single day.

Our advice is don't sweat the weather in Patagonia, bring the right clothing and embrace it.

In Iberá you can expect temperatures ranging from a min of 20ºC to 30ºC during the day and around 9 days of rain per month. September and October are the wettest months. But this is the wetlands.

In the north, you can expect warm days of around 20ºC but cold nights.

Mid December through February is the busier period with January as a peak as that's when South Americans are on their summer vacations.

This somewhat depends on when you want to travel but relatively small hotels and lodges in popular destinations mean that 12 months is sensible, assuming you want to travel on specific dates. The more flexibility you have, the better but it's always worth asking us about space. It is true to say that availability usually defines the actual dates of this trip.

As a private trip, you are not joining a group. As such, this isn't the most obvious choice for a solo traveller since the fixed costs are quite high with many days of private vehicle and guide.

Saying that, if you were happy with the extra investment, the experience can be fantastic since you will be with a private guide through most of the trip.