The Travel Chica

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I Finally Left Buenos Aires

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I have finally left Buenos Aires.  Well, not the province or even Greater Buenos Aires but what they call La Capital.  Since I had to move into a hostel for a week between apartments, I decided that this would be my week of day trips.  It was super easy.  Hopped on a train for the same cost as a subway trip, and 45 minutes later I was in Tigre.

I don’t know why it took me so long to do this.

Tigre is situated on the Paraná Delta.

The town is on an island formed by several streams and rivers.  Tigre is a place where Porteños come to relax and get out of the noisy city and breathe clean air.

So what is there to do in Tigre?

This is what I observed:

  1. Casino
  2. Naval museum
  3. Crafts market
  4. Art museum (quite impressive grand building)
  5. Amusement park
  6. Touristy riverside restaurant and bar area.

What was I there to do?

  1. Sit on a boat and take a relaxing ride through the interconnecting waterways.
  2. Give my lungs a break from the city air.
  3. Find some photography inspiration from a natural setting.

First Priority:  Food

I went with my friend Roberto who is from Ecuador.  I was starving when we arrived, so lunch was our first priority.  In a country that loves their carne, I was a little disappointed by the skinniness of this hamburger patty, but the flavor was good.  And the ham was a nice touch.

I think Argentines throw a slice of ham on everything.

Photo of hamburger in Tigre

The Port

After fueling up, it was off to the water.  We first walked around the Puerto de Frutos where the crafts fair is held.  Since it is Winter here, this area is pretty dead during the week.  I prefer it this way.  I am not in the market to buy any handmade wicker furniture.  But others may prefer to go on a weekend to see a bit more bustle.

Photo of handmade wooden crafts

Photo of fishing boat

Tigre is an important timber processing port.

Photo of boat carring timber

Boat Ride

Then we were off to find the cheapest catamaran for our leisurely tour of the river.  At about half the price of the regular tourist boats, we took a colectivo. I don’t know why, but the concept of a colectivo boat seemed strange to me.

Then I realized that people actually live here.  This is how they get from their home to town to buy groceries and send mail.

Photo of our boat

I had so much fun!

The boat stopped whenever a passenger on board wanted to get off or when someone was waiting on a dock to get on the boat.  I also noticed the driver was giving mail to people to deliver.

Photo of inside the boat

Photo of leaves turning orange

This reminded me of the lake where my cousins live.  It is a completely different lifestyle revolving around the water, nature, and living life at a different pace.

There are “lake people” and then there are the rest of us.

Photo of boat ride

Photo of boat ride

Photo of boat ride

The main part of town is also very pretty and pleasant to walk around.  It was nice to spend the day in a place without incessant honking automobiles and pedestrian-clogged sidewalks.

Photo of Tigre

Tigre is a place where life slows down a bit.

The people stroll rather than power walk and dart through crowds.  I really enjoyed my little excursion and am anxious to explore some of the other beautiful towns we passed en route to Tigre.

If anyone has suggestions for other good day trips in Buenos Aires, please share!

Comments

  2. Tigre’s a good starting point for the border crossing by boat to Uruguay. I don’t know of other day trips from Buenos Aires, but if you have the time I’d definitely recommend checking out Uruguay. The beach town of Punta del Diablo close to the Brazilian border was one of my favorite spots!
    Laura recently posted..Travel Snapshot: Fishing Veracruz Style

  5. Sounds like a really nice getaway kind of place. My first priority when I travel somewhere is usually to find food, too! Your lunch looks pretty tasty. Wish I could suggest other day trips from BA, but sadly, I’ve never been there.
    Cathy Sweeney recently posted..A Sniff of Cologne

  7. I agree that the first priority is the food…When I travel, I also consider food as my first priority…I want to eat lots of food in every place where I travel…
    Trish Jones recently posted..Removing Warts

  8. Tigre sounds very interesting and you have great photos to document it. (Although that boat carrying (pushing?) timber looks a bit disturbing). A day trip from BA I really liked was crossing the Rio de la Plata to Colonia in Uruguay.
    Sophie recently posted..Svalbard – polar bear country

  12. What an interesting place!! My first priority is always food as well and then water travel, so this would have been the perfect place for me!

  22. Will you be travelling to Cordoba (the province, not the city) sometime? If you do I would definitely recommend “La Cumbrecita”:) I grew up in a village not too far from there and it is the quaintest little place you could come across in the Sierras!!

    Ahh, so many places to see!! Keep enjoying BsAs.
    Audrey recently posted..Memories of Mumbai

  25. I always choose food first too! unfortunately I might need to start choosing working out first because i’m getting a little round! too many tacos!

  26. I,ve been to Tigre with the Brazilian girl. It was an okay day trip but not that spectacular. Maybe i’m spoiled after 2 years of traveling. we have something similar in Holland. Its called Giethoorn.
    Have you been to the big zoo yet. I went there with Carla. Its about 1.5 hour by bus.
    You can take pictures with lions and tigers there.
    neil.skywalker recently posted..Japan – Climbing Mount Fuji-san

    • If I only had one week in Buenos Aires, I probably wouldn’t take the day trip simply because there is just so much to see and do in the city.

      I haven’t done the zoo. I’m not a big fan of them. Plus, I have no desire to take a photo with a lion or tiger that might eat my face :-)
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Saying Goodbye

  28. La Plata and San Antonio de Areco are both good day trips from BsAs, they take a bit longer to get to by bus from Capital, but are worth it. La Plata is pretty with the cathedral and has some cool bars. San Antonio is more of an insight to gaucho life/history

  29. Nice report from an area that I’ve never been to. I’m glad the zoo wasn’t too bad…most I’ve been to in Latin America are pretty bad.
    Jason

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