Argentina

The US State Department provides Country Specific Information sheets for every country in the world as well as Travel Alerts and Warnings. For this information, call 888 407 4747 or 202 501 4444 or see travel.state.gov.your destination and discover great tips, tricks, and hacks for maki

• Plan to visit your doctor or local travel clinic at least 4-6 weeks before departure to allow time for any vaccinations to take effect or to fill any prescriptions.
• We strongly suggest purchasing appropriate trip insurance covering medical, baggage, and trip cancellation as needed.
• Before traveling to Argentina or any other destination, we recommend consulting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for up-to-date information on required and recommended vaccines and medications. Visit cdc.gov/travel or call 800 232 4636 for more information.
• Most travelers to Argentina need to have only their routine US-recommended immunizations updated. The one additional recommended vaccine for all travelers is Hepatitis A.
• Yellow Fever is rarely acquired in Argentina, but immunization should be considered for travel throughout the province of Misiones and portions of Corrientes. Immunization is also recommended for travelers visiting Iguazú Falls. Daytime insect precautions are essential for unvaccinated travelers.
• Dengue, a mosquito-borne illness, presents significant risk in urban and rural areas of northern and northeastern Argentina. Lower risk also exists in the city of Buenos Aires; however, transmission does not occur during the cool winter months of July through September. Daytime insect precautions are recommended. Dengue causes fever, chills, severe headache, and body aches. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for dengue and the illness can occasionally be fatal, especially in vulnerable populations such as the young, the elderly, and infirm.
• If you received any vaccinations in preparation for your journey, pack your vaccination certificates in your personal carry-on baggage in case you are asked to show them on arrival.
• For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization (WHO), which contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information.
• Make sure that any medications you require, as well as copies of your prescriptions, are packed in your carry-on luggage and not in your checked baggage.

f you require special meals for health or dietary reasons, please let your J2 operator know at least 60 days prior to your departure.

We strongly recommend that you purchase your own travel insurance. Please discuss land, air, and health insurance options with your insurance provider. Some insurance programs provide more comprehensive coverage when the policy is purchased in close proximity to the initial trip deposit. We therefore recommend that you secure insurance within 14 days of your initial deposit payment date.

• The currency in Argentina is Argentine Peso ARS, which are subdivided into 100 centavos.
• Click here to obtain the most current exchange rates.
• ATM machines are widely available in the major cities along this journey.

We recommend that you contact your bank in advance of departing on your journey to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling. When contacting your bank, notify them of your travel dates so that they will anticipate charges being made outside of your hometown and do not suspend your cards for what may appear to them to be “suspicious” charges. We also recommend that you make a photocopy of the front and back sides of your ATM and credit cards to leave behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your cards are misplaced, lost, or stolen.

• In Argentina the power plugs and sockets are of type I. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.
• Electric shavers, traveling irons, phone rechargers, and other small appliances may require adaptors and/or converters, which you can purchase prior to your departure or at the airport.
• For more information, visit worldstandards.eu.

Argentina is three hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). From October/November through February/March, they switch to Daylight Savings Time (DST). To determine the current time in major cities around the world, visit timeanddate.com.

• Approximately 50% of all US and Canadian SIM cards do work in Argentina as do all AT&T and T-Mobile phones as they are GSM and work on the same 1900/850 MHz used in the US. However, please note that in rural areas, 850 MHz is the prevalent band and many T-Mobile phones only use the 1900 frequency.
• Get a local SIM card – Make sure your phone is “unlocked” before purchasing a local SIM card in your destination and using your phone on the local network.

• If you need to speak to someone from the United States for an extended period of time, your best option is to have them call you at a specified time and place, typically at your hotel or apartment.
• For short occasional calls, your best option is to use one of the many locutorios you will find throughout the city. Upon entering a locutorio you will be assigned a numbered booth by the attendant. The booth will have a chair or stool and a door that closes for privacy though they generally are made of plexiglass so you can see and be seen by everyone around you. The booth will typically have a cumulative electronic display on the wall showing the length and cost of your call. You direct-dial the call yourself to your home country. When you are finished you hang up, note the cost of your call, and pay the attendant. During the summer the booths can be a bit stuffy and hot.
• If you wish to call from your hotel or apartment, and you want to avoid their surcharges, you can purchase a pre-paid phone card that allows you to contact a toll-free number in Argentina. These are available online and through some retail locations in the United States. After connecting with the toll-free number and keying in your card’s pin number you can proceed to direct-dial your home country. The rates per minute for these cards are moderate but generally less than the cost of direct dialing through your hotel’s phone system. These cards can also be used with payphones in the event you are in an area not serviced by a locutorio.
• To call United States from Argentina, dial: 00 – 1 – Area Code (Land Phone Number) 00 – 1 – 10 Digit (Mobile Number).

• To enjoy this journey, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surfaces. Some of the most memorable sightseeing can only be accomplished on foot. You will encounter cobblestone streets, narrow passageways, and some steep and winding staircases. For the most part, however, the amount of walking you do at the various sites and towns is at your discretion.
• The decision to participate in one of these tours is at the sole discretion of each participant.
• Airports, public transportation, and many tourist sites are wheelchair-friendly and most hotels have special rooms designed for disabled travelers.
• When making dinner plans, your hotel will be able to recommend restaurants that can accommodate your needs. Should you require specific equipment or facilities, please contact us.
• Should you require handicapped facilities, please contact our Customer Service Center.

At least 40 languages are spoken in Argentina, but the most dominant language is Spanish. The Argentine accent in Spanish is quite different than accents in other Spanish-speaking countries. Basic English is widely spoken in the tourist industry, but not necessarily in the general public. It is always worthwhile to speak a little of the local lingo so we recommend you click here for some useful Spanish words and phrases.

Buenos Aires has a temperate climate (considered as “humid subtropical”) with average temperatures in the afternoon ranging from 83 ºF (28 ºC) in January to 57 ºF (14 ºC) in July. Rain can be expected at any time of year.

The Iguazu Falls are located in a tropical rainforest area, with frequent rain and high humidity. The region has a sub-tropical humid climate divided into two distinct seasons – the hot and wet summer season from October to March and the relatively dry and fresh “winter” season from May to September. Temperatures are quite hot in summer and mild in winter. Rainfall is common throughout the year, but most abundant from October to March.

Use a website such as weather.com to find average temperatures and rainfall during your travel times.

In Buenos Aires:

• January, February, & March have the most rain.
• June-September are the driest months.
• January, February, & December are the hottest months.
• June, July, & August are the coldest months.

In Iguazu Falls:

• October has the most rain.
• July & August are the driest months.
• June & July are the coldest months.
• December, January, & February are the hottest months.

Confirm baggage limitations with your international carrier before packing. Remember that airlines can change their baggage restrictions at any time.

• Be sure to reconfirm your international flights with your airline 24 hours prior to your departure.
• Passengers must check in for international flights from the US/Canada at least three hours prior to departure time.

Security checks are carried out routinely for your protection and safety. Expect to be asked about the contents of your luggage, who packed it, whether anyone asked you to transport items for them, and whether your luggage remained with you before you arrived at the airport. Do not take any mail, packages, or unknown items from anyone either before or after arriving at the airport.

• If your package includes arrival and departure transfers, this will be detailed in your travel documents which will be e-mailed to you up to one week prior to your trip.
• If you deviate from the arrival and/or departure dates and time as specified in your travel documents, you will need to arrange your own transfers. Alternatively, you may request a transfer service up to three working days prior to your arrival and the cost of the transfer service will be added to your invoice.
• When requesting a transfer service, please provide us with your flight information. Your arrival transfer is guaranteed for up to one hour from your scheduled arrival time in order to compensate for minor delays.
• J2 Adventures or the transfer company will not be responsible for delays, for any reason, beyond one hour from your originally scheduled arrival time. In case of a delay, it will be your responsibility to contact us directly and/or to make other transfer arrangements, such as by taxi.
• Transfer costs are not refundable and any additional expenses will be your responsibility.

You can reach almost any destination in Argentina by train or bus, and services are efficient and cheap.

• Travel by Bus: Local Argentine buses, called colectivos, are notorious for charging down the street, gobbling up coins and spewing clouds of black smoke while traveling at breakneck speeds. Riding on one is a good way to see the cities and get around, providing you can sort out the often-complex bus systems. Buses are clearly numbered and usually carry a placard indicating their final destination. Since many identically numbered buses serve slightly different routes (especially in bigger cities), pay attention to these placards. Most city buses operate on coins; you pay as you board. In some cities, you must buy prepaid bus cards or cospeles (tokens). In both cases, they can be bought at any kiosk.
• Subway: Buenos Aires is the only Argentine city with a subway system (known as the Subte), and it’s the quickest way of getting around the city center.
• Traveling by Taxi: To summon a taxi on the street, look for cabs that have the red light turned on that says ‘LIBRE’ in the corner of the windshield. The usual advice is to hail an ‘official’ Radio Taxi, which can be distinguished by the words ‘radio taxi’ on top and logos on the back and front doors. These are taxis that work for a company instead of working independently; meaning if there is any dispute with the driver you can call the company to complain. The fact that they work for a company also makes them less anonymous than ‘freelancers,’ and are thus a safer option. It is even safer to call and order a Radio Taxi, because the cabbie’s number and your pick-up address are registered on a computer.
  Before getting into a taxi you’ll want to make sure that you have small bills to pay your fare. Finding change in Buenos Aires is a big problem and a taxi driver may not have change for a 100 or even 50 pesos note. If you are taking a ride across the city that will cost 40 or 50 pesos, you may be able to get away with paying with a 100 peso note, but make sure you ask the driver if they have change before you get in the cab. Tipping cab drivers is not customary in Buenos Aires, although most passengers round up to the nearest number. Once you get into the cab make sure the taxi driver turns on the meter. In Buenos Aires the meter increases every 200 meters, or 30 seconds of idle waiting time.

If you arrive at your hotel before the customary 3:00 p.m. check-in time, your room may not be available. Store your luggage with the concierge and take the time to walk around and get a feel for your new city.

• Hotel safes are usually provided and can be used to protect valuables such as passports, medications, jewelry, money, and electronics. If you must carry valuables, keep them on your person at all times, be mindful of your surroundings, and take extra caution in crowds.
• We recommend photocopying the personal information pages of your passport and leaving one copy with a family member or friend and packing another in a place separate from the passport itself. You can also scan your passport and email a copy to yourself for easy online access. This will help you to secure a replacement quickly should the need arise.

Where and whether to shop while traveling with J2 Adventures is a personal choice and shopping is never compulsory. If at any point during your journey you feel pressured to shop or make purchases, please immediately discuss the matter with your tour educator.

We recommend the following for tipping (amounts in US dollars):

• Groups of 20 participants or more:
  J2 educator/escort $8, local guide $5, and driver $3 per participant per day
• Recommended restaurant tipping when lunch or dinner is “not included in package”:
  While not mandatory, tipping is desirable. Locals will tell you 10%-15% (or less) is standard and tourists will normally tip more. 15-20% of the service is standard at most spas.
• Porter:
  Included in your package.