Ground
Transportation for Argentina
Options for traveling within Argentina for a 21-day period
Outline
- Car
- Train / Bus / Air
- Other Options
- Estimate of total ground travel expenses
Car
Renting a car...
According to my Lonely Planet travel guide on Argentina, renting a car in Argentina is useful, but rather expensive. However, in the case of desiring great travel independence, renting a car is your best bet. In addition, my travel guide clarifies that you must be at least 21 years old to rent a car while in Argentina. You also must have your credit card and a valid driver’s license from your home country. When renting a car, it is also advised that you find out how many kilometers are included with the car. Unlimited-kilometer deals are available but can be extremely expensive, depending on your destination. Finally, when renting a car in Argentina, it is a good idea to reserve with a major international agency in your home country before you leave as this will often get you lower rates (pgs. 21, 617).
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After doing some research, I found that one gallon of gas would cost 208.73 Argentine Pesos. I then converted this amount to US Dollars and came up with an amount of about $3.24 per gallon. I decided to travel 500 miles throughout my entire stay in Argentina. Through doing some further research on the Economy Volkswagen Up that I chose to rent, I found that this car model’s gas mileage can fall anywhere in between 40 and 60mpg. According to my calculation below, driving 500 miles around Argentina during my stay will require 8.2 gallons of gas, which comes to an overall fuel cost of $26.56. This is the case if my car gets around 60mpg at a current price conversion from Argentine Pesos to US Dollars of 208.73AP to $3.24USD.
Argentine Peso to US Dollar conversion performed:
Location of where I found my gas price per gallon given in its original Argentine Peso amount:
Train / Bus / Air
My mass transit options are...
Bus:
In Argentina, the best way to travel throughout the country is by bus. According to my Lonely Planet travel guide on Argentina, buses are generally the best way to get around the country as they’re fast, frequent, comfortable, affordable and cover Argentina bountifully. In addition, buses are the most popular way to get around for Argentines. When taking a long trip through the country, overnight buses are available and can save you a night’s accommodations at a hotel. Most cities and towns in Argentina have a central bus terminal where each company has their own ticket window to purchase tickets for your journey. The majority of bus lines have modern couches with spacious, comfortable seats, large windows, air-conditioning, TVs, toilets (bring toilet paper) and occasionally an attendant that serves drinks like coffee as well as snacks. Finally, bus fares in Argentina vary widely depending on the season, class and company (pgs. 21, 616).
This is the cheapest bus fare I could find leaving Buenos Aires and going to Cordoba, Argentina, for the entire duration of my trip. My bus fare comes to a total of $48 for the whole trip.
Air:
Due to Argentina’s significantly large landmass, flying is a good way to save time. Flights across Argentina are often high in demand, especially during major holidays such as Christmas and Easter in addition to the vacation months of January, February and July. However, flying is not always the best way to travel around the country. Argentina’s domestic flight system is often unreliable as flights are frequently delayed or cancelled. In addition, labor strikes against airline companies can stop visitors’ flights throughout the country (p. 615).
This is the cheapest domestic flight I could find that would provide me with the opportunity to travel around Argentina using the domestic airline system. Although it does not indicate it on my image, I found this flight via a multidirectional flight search from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, to Cordoba, Argentina and back. My plane ticket comes to $56 for the entire duration of my trip.
Trains:
Some train lines can be useful for travelers, but generally speaking, trains are not the most efficient method of transportation. In Argentina, trains only serve most of Buenos Aires along with a few surrounding provinces. Although train fares can be cheaper than comparable bus fares, trains have fewer departure times and destinations throughout the country (pgs. 21, 619).
This is the cheapest train fare I could find for my trip to Argentina. Although it is not specified on the image, my train fare is for a roundtrip from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, to Cordoba, Argentina, and back. When searching for train fares, I put in my travel dates as May 7th to the 26th and my fare came to a total of $21.62 for the entire roundtrip.
Other options
Road/Mountain Bikes:
According to my travel guide, using a road or mountain bike to travel throughout Argentina is a great choice as it gives you more freedom than public transportation and offers an excellent opportunity to meet locals. Road bikes are the best choice when traveling on paved roads but avoid byways as they can be narrow and have rough surfaces. In addition, mountain bikes provide a safe and convenient option that allow you to travel on unpaved shoulders as well as on Argentina’s vast network of gravel roads (pgs. 615-616).
The mountain bike shown above is the cheapest rental bike I could find. It costs three Euros, which is equivalent to about $3.25, per day (see conversion above). I would be using the bike for nineteen days, from May 7th to May 26th. After calculating how much it would cost to rent the mountain bike every day for nineteen days, I come up with a total of $61.75 to rent the bike for the entire time that I am in Argentina.
Boat:
Apart from the regular international services to/from Uruguay and Chile taking the Lake District, boat and river travel in and around Argentina is limited. Further south, from Ushuaia, boat operators offer excursions via the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego. Last of all, the Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre offers multiple boat tours around the delta of the Rio de la Plata (pg. 616).
After some research, I learned that renting my own boat to travel in and around Argentina with would be much more expensive than seeing the country on a day cruise on a river or lake. Thus, I chose to spend a total of only $38.00 on a day cruise that takes me on a tour of the Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre on the Rio de la Plata, as mentioned above.
Estimate of total
ground travel expenses
The total cost of traveling within Argentina for a three week period is...
$473.56 if I travel only using a car (this price includes gas).
$48.00 if I spend all my time traveling by bus from Buenos Aires to Cordoba and spend my trip there.
$56.00 if I fly from Buenos Aires to Cordoba and spend my trip there.
$21.62 if I take a train from Buenos Aires to Cordoba and spend my trip there.
$61.75 if I travel throughout Argentina on a rented mountain bike.
$38.00 if all the traveling I do outside of Buenos Aires is a daytime boat tour from the city to Tigre.
Works Cited:
Albiston, I. Brown, C. Clark, G. Egerton, A. Grosberg, M. Kaminski, A. McCarthy, C. Mutic, A. Skolnick, A. “Lonely Planet: Argentina.” Edition 11. Lonely Planet. August 2018. Printed in Singapore.
Submitted by Spence Bridgman on April 2, 2020.