Days 1 & 3 - Edmonton to Buenos Aires
Antarctica has been our number one “bucket list” trip for many years. We decided that we needed to go soon while we were both reasonably “young” and active. So when a good deal came up in late 2022, we jumped at the opportunity. Four months later we were on our way to the port town of Ushuaia, Argentina.
The majority of Antarctica expedition trips and cruises originate from Ushuaia. A smaller number of trips sail from Punta Arenas, Chile. Some tour operators will fly you to Antarctica to join your ship, avoiding the fours days at sea crossing the infamous Drake Passage (two days there & two days back).
An adventure of its own
Just getting to the expedition start point in is an adventure of its own. It is a long way to go. In order to minimize the number of aircraft and transfers we had to take, we chose to fly from Edmonton to Montreal and then Montreal to Buenos Aires. The second flight was 15 hours, but that included a 2 hour stop in São Paulo, Brazil for a crew change.
26 hours of travel
We arrived in Buenos Aires 26 hours after departing the house. The 33C temperature was a welcome change from the -9C temperature back home.
Claiming our bags and clearing customs was uneventful. Finding a place to change some US cash in the airport was a bit of a treasure hunt. After a 40 minute taxi ride from Buenos Aires international airport we checked in to the Alvear Art hotel in downtown Buenos Aires.
Our first time in Buenos Aires
We had booked the hotel through our tour operator and were not disappointed. Before dinner we had time for a short but very pleasant walk to Plaza San Martin. The following day we were greeted by a brilliant sunrise while we had an early morning swim in the top-floor hotel pool. After a lazy morning we made our way to the domestic terminal at the main Buenos Aires airport in preparation for our 3 hour flight to Ushuaia on Aerolineas Argentinas.
It was our first time in Buenos Aires and, short as it was, we really enjoyed ourselves. The people were cheerful and helpful, the late-summer weather was a welcoming change from the late-winter temperatures in Canada.
If you go. Here are some things we learned:
1. Be sure to have your hotel information or the address of where you are staying ready when you get to passport control/customs.
2. As always, don’t assume everyone speaks English (the lady at passport control certainly did not). Brush up on your Spanish 101 before you go, but don’t be surprised by the local dialect differences from Spanish spoken in Spain, Mexico or other popular travel destinations. We found that most of the service industry folks in the hotels and restaurants spoke English.
3. Currency. The Argentine Peso is quite volatile so it normally isn't available until you get in country. It is best to travel with US dollars and exchange as you go once you are in country. Shop around for the best rate. One of the big name car rental places in the airport were offering a better exchange rate than the National Bank. In Buenos Aires $100 USD got us $20,000 Argentine Pesos. In Ushuaia we would get $30,000 Argentine Pesos for $100 USD. Some, but not all, of the bank ATMs will accept your bank card and allow you to withdraw directly from your bank account. You will get the government exchange rate and you will be charged a small transaction fee. Credit cards are widely accepted, but it seemed quite common to get a discounted price if you paid cash.
4. Not all taxis accept credit cards - best to know before you get in. If the hotel staff are calling a cab for you, ensure you state that you wish to pay by credit card.
5. Baggage weight limit on Areolineas Argentias is 15 kg for checked luggage (significantly less than the 50 lb limit in Canada and the US). We knew this in advance and redistributed our gear into a previously empty third duffle bag that we had packed along for the domestic flights in Argentina.
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