Have questions? We're here.

The Shassian's Excellent Argentinian Adventure

Iguazu Forest sign
Iguazu Forest sign
We traveled to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls to visit with our son, Danny, who is studying in BA for a semester. With side trips to Colonia, Uruguay and the Tigre Delta, we had an action packed week of sightseeing and adventure. Enjoy our trip photos!!
All Photos

Photo Album

Buenos Dias...We've Arrived!!

May 24, 2012
Iguazu Jungle Lodge...gorgeous!
Iguazu Jungle Lodge...gorgeous! (Pam Shassian)
This morning our adventure officially began when the 3 of us (Don, myself and Brian, our oldest son) landed at EZE in Buenos Aires. Unfortunately,our flight landed over an hour late, and consequently we missed our flight out of AEP to Iguazu Falls...a real bummer!! However seeing our son, Danny, waiting for us at the airport for the first time since he left NY in January to backpack in South America before starting his semester abroad in BA certainly softened our disappointment at having to wait for a flight the next morning to Iguazu. We spent a long dinner catching up with Danny, and we quickly learned that he had become completely fluent in Argentinian Spanish based on his interaction with the waitress...so impressive!!

Iguazu Adventure Begins

May 25, 2012
Our Iguazu adventure began with rappelling
Our Iguazu adventure began with rappelling (Pam Shassian)
We were met at the Puerto Iguazu airport by Celia, our wonderful guide for the duration of our visit there. We drove to the Iguazu Jungle Lodge and unpacked in our lovely family suite, including a scenic balcony overlooking the jungle. That afternoon was a trip highlight: rappelling down a rock wall, zip lining through the treetops and hiking through the forest...my sons and husband were in extreme sport heaven...I did it all, too, with my heart in my mouth silently screaming: OMG, OMG, OMG!! That evening we were so tired we decided to eat the the Lodge, and what a great decision that was!!! The food there was delicious(our first taste of Argentinian meat...yummm!) and the ambiance was wonderful. This was followed by a rousing game of Foosball and some Pool in the lodge Rec Room...a fantastic first full day of our trip!

The Incredible Iguazu Falls

May 26, 2012
Look out below...Danny on the way down
Look out below...Danny on the way down (Pam Shassian)
Today we visited the Falls with Celia as our guide. It was a beautiful sunny day, and our first stop was Devil's Throat by way of a Disney-like train ride, then a rather long walk across a 5' wide zig-zagging catwalk. Luckily, the smart people at Adventure Life had suggested we bring ponchos with us to the Falls, because once you get up close to Devil's Throat, you get soaked by the spray! The beauty, raw power and thunderous noise was amazing to see...WOW!! On our way back we saw some Coaties, really odd looking animals, like a raccoon with a long nose. Our next stop was the Upper Trail, and we finally saw what I had read about: lots and lots of beautiful waterfalls, and the rainbows created by the sun and spray...just breathtaking in scope and grandeur. We stopped for a quick lunch in the park (more meat!), and then Celia put us on a truck for a safari ride through the jungle to our next extreme sport: a boat ride into and under the waterfalls...Yikes! We all got totally soaked, especially the boys who decided to rough it without the ponchos (no showers were needed that night for them!) I should mention that before we boarded the boat we saw the most beautiful variety of butterflies sunning on the stone path to the dock. apparently there are 400+ species of butterflies in that area...gorgeous! (see the photos) We ended our day wet and tired back at the Lodge, and unanimously decided to eat dinner there again...another fantastic meal. More post-dinner fun in the Rec room with Foosball and Pool.

Wanda Mines

May 27, 2012
Brian was next
Brian was next (Pam Shassian)
Today we packed up for our late afternoon flight back to BA, but had one more side trip planned: to visit the Wanda Mines, where Amethyst and Quartz are mined. We had a terrific local guide who took us into the mines and explained how the miners chisel out the geodes by hand...very impressive. We saw some beautiful stones, then of course bought some in the gift shop...a fun side trip! We flew back to AEP in the early evening, and Danny left us to go back to his host family, while the 3 of us headed to The Savoy Hotel for the night.

Sightseeing and Tango in Buenos Aires!

May 28, 2012
Then on to Ziplining...practice makes perfect!
Then on to Ziplining...practice makes perfect! (Pam Shassian)
After a fantastic continental breakfast buffet at The Savoy (the croissants were to die for!!), we met our guide, Jose, and he took us by car on a city tour of all the neighborhood highlights, including Recoleta, Palermo, la Boca and San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo and of course the Steel Flower...what a beautiful and diverse city!! Danny was in class all morning, but he knows the city well, so this really helped to orient Don, Brian and me. Jose was a wealth of information with a charming personality and excellent English...he was a perfect guide for us!! After our tour, the 3 of us did a little walking tour on our own (without getting lost!) and found a nice restaurant for lunch. Brian knew some spanish from High School so we managed to get what we thought we ordered (Empanadas...more yum!). It became quite apparent that most locals do NOT speak English, so while Don tried hard to use the few words he knew, I managed only Hola and Gracias (I took French in HS, so cut me a little slack please!) Unfortunately, Brian had to get back to NY, while Don and I met Danny at the hotel after his classes to go to the Tango show and dinner at Esquina Carlos Gardel. Yes, it was campy, but dinner was surprisingly good (more meat...yay!), and the Tango dancers were SUPERB! Don and I love to do Ballroom dancing, but this was waaay out of our league...we'd have to wear shin guards if we ever tried some of those moves!! A great day and night!!

A Little Utopian Paradise called Colonia, Uruguay

May 29, 2012
Zipline at Iguazu
Zipline at Iguazu (Pam Shassian)
Danny had classes all day, so Don and I took the 1 hour Ferry over to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, where we met our guide, Fabian. He grew up in Colonia and gave us the luxury tour of this quaint and historic little gem of a town. We learned the history (both Spanish and Portuguese settled), had a wonderful lunch of local bread, cheeses and wines, and generally enjoyed a leisurely day wandering the town. Lots of green parrots, and dogs roam everywhere. Uruguay is a tiny country with only 2% unemployment and a population of 3Mil. Fabian told us that lots of wealthy Buenos Airians own second homes in Uruguay, and I totally get it...a slice of heaven!!

Walking Tour by Day...Tango Lesson by Night

May 30, 2012
Smiling externally, and saying my prayers internally!
Smiling externally, and saying my prayers internally! (Pam Shassian)
We relaxed this morning and met up with Danny at the hotel. We planned to meet Jose at Theatro Colon, where we hoped to take a tour of this beautiful Opera House, but when we arrived at 1pm, we were the only people there and we were told they need 5 people to run a tour...bummer! Instead, Jose took us to a synagogue nearby, that happens to be the oldest Temple in Argentina. We persuaded the guard to let us take a tour and a lovely local girl took us around the little Jewish Museum and then into the gorgeous sanctuary. It was fascinating to learn about the Jewish history of Argentina. This was a wonderful unplanned surprise, and a highlight of our trip! Danny left us back at the hotel as we had to get all dolled up for our group Tango Lesson at Mansion Dandi Royal that evening. We hopped in a taxi, but when we arrived, we were surprised to learn that we were the only people taking the lesson...yikes, a private Tango lesson!! Claudio and Victoria led us through the beginning steps, all of which was done without verbal communication as neither of them spoke English!! By the end of the lesson we had learned 5 steps, and somehow succeeded in not kicking each other in the shins...a miracle!! Afterwards, Victoria insisted on taking us for a tour of this historic hotel, which we thoroughly enjoyed...what a fun evening!!! TANGO!!!

Kayaking in the Tigre Delta

May 31, 2012
Ziplining above the forest canopy at Iguazu Falls
Ziplining above the forest canopy at Iguazu Falls (Pam Shassian)
Early this morning we were driven to Tigre, where we met one of the 3 owners of El Dorado Kayaking, for a fun day on the water. After a short motorboat ride to their cabin, we were told the history of the Delta and then given a kayaking lesson on land before we set off in our kayaks. For 3+ hours we paddled around the various narrow rivers in the peaceful quiet ambiance inherent to river kayaking. There are no cars on these islands throughout the delta, so boating is the primary mode of travel. Every house we passed had a dock, and most of those docks had a dog or 2 greeting us and following us as we paddled by. Once we returned, we were treated to a sumptuous late afternoon meal of grilled everything: veggies, meat, blood sausage (ugh!), and halved red peppers with a fried egg inside, which easily won the prize for originality and color! We passed around Mate and learned it is impolite to keep saying thank you every time you take a sip and pass it back. We highly recommend the El Dorado experience for anyone looking for a fun fitness filled day trip not too far from Buenos Aires...another highlight for us!!

Argentina Travel Guide

Favorite Argentina Argentina All Trips

Top Argentina Travel Destinations

Argentina Trips by Departure Date

Top Experiences in Argentina

Argentina Trips by Duration

Argentina Trips by Activity

More Reasons

Why Travel With Adventure Life

All News

Recognized By

Talk with an expert
Build your ideal Argentina trip. Call 1.406.541.2677