Top 10 Viewpoints in Argentina
Argentina stretches from the subtropical falls of Iguazu in the north to the wind- scoured ice of Tierra del Fuego, with the Andes running the entire length of its western border. Its viewpoints take in glaciers calving into milky lakes, granite spires rising above Patagonian steppe, multicoloured desert mountains and the thunder of one of the world's great waterfalls. These ten capture the immense scale and variety of Argentina.
Mirador Fitz Roy, El Chalten
The granite spire of Cerro Fitz Roy, rising to 3,405 metres, is the symbol of Argentine Patagonia. The Laguna de los Tres viewpoint, reached by a demanding day hike from El Chalten, frames the peak above a glacial lake. The final steep climb rewards with a head-on view of the spires; sunrise, when the granite glows red, is the prized moment.
Perito Moreno Glacier
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park is a 5-kilometre-wide wall of ice up to 70 metres high above Lake Argentino. A network of boardwalk viewpoints faces the glacier front, where huge ice towers calve into the water with a roar. It is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world and one of the most accessible great glacier viewpoints anywhere.
Iguazu Falls
The Iguazu Falls on the Brazil-Argentina border form one of the largest waterfall systems in the world, some 275 cascades spread along nearly three kilometres. From the Argentine side, walkways lead to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), an 80-metre horseshoe where the river thunders into mist. The viewpoints frame the falls amid subtropical rainforest.
Cerro Catedral, Bariloche
Above Bariloche in the Lake District, Cerro Catedral at around 2,000 metres is reached by cable car and chairlift. The summit gives a panorama over the Nahuel Huapi lake, the surrounding Andean peaks and the forested shores. It is a major ski area in winter and a fine viewpoint over the lakes and mountains in summer.
Quebrada de Humahuaca
In the north-west, the Quebrada de Humahuaca is a UNESCO-listed valley of multicoloured rock strata. Viewpoints over the Cerro de los Siete Colores at Purmamarca and the Serrania de Hornocal — a jagged ridge of fourteen colours — frame the vivid geology against the high desert sky. The colours are most intense in the low light of morning and afternoon.
Cerro de los Siete Colores, Purmamarca
The "Hill of Seven Colours" rises directly behind the village of Purmamarca, its slopes banded in red, ochre, green and purple from layered mineral deposits. The viewpoint from the village and the short Paseo de los Colorados trail frame the striped hill. The colours glow most vividly in the early morning sun.
Cerro Aconcagua viewpoint
The highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua reaches 6,961 metres in the Andes near Mendoza. Viewpoints along the Ruta 7 and the Laguna de los Horcones in the provincial park frame the immense mountain. Climbing it is a serious high-altitude expedition, but the roadside and trailhead viewpoints give a sense of its colossal scale.
Garganta del Diablo, Tierra del Fuego
In Tierra del Fuego National Park at the southern tip of the continent, viewpoints over the Beagle Channel, Lapataia Bay and the surrounding sub-Antarctic forest mark the end of the Pan-American Highway. The windswept landscape of the "end of the world" gives a unique southern viewpoint over channels and distant peaks.
Cerro Otto, Bariloche
A revolving café crowns Cerro Otto at 1,405 metres above Bariloche, reached by a cable car. The 360-degree panorama takes in the Nahuel Huapi lake, the town and the surrounding Andes. It is one of the most accessible viewpoints in the Lake District, with a comfortable vista over the lakes and peaks year-round.
Salinas Grandes
The Salinas Grandes salt flats in the north-west stretch white to the horizon at around 3,400 metres, ringed by distant mountains. Viewpoints from the access road and the flats themselves frame the dazzling expanse, where the white crust meets the deep blue high-altitude sky. The scale and emptiness make it a striking, otherworldly viewpoint.
Explore on the map
From the spires of Fitz Roy to the ice of Perito Moreno and the falls of Iguazu, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which require a demanding hike or expedition, which are cable-car summits or roadside overlooks, and plan a route across the immense landscapes of Argentina.