Five must-see destinations in the country in autumn

After the summer and Easter, which this year came with a “super weekend”, the tourism low seasonin which, of course, you travel less, but at the same time better opportunities appear, with cheaper rates in tickets and stays, promos special and less people on routes and destinations.

And a special seasoning: fallthe one that brings lower temperatures and a little warming sun, and that dyes the landscapes with incredible colorswhat can only be enjoyed at this time of the year, before all the leaves fall and the snow and intense cold arrive on the gray earth.

Here, from Mendoza to Neuquén, from Córdoba to Santa Cruz or Tierra del Fuego, five places that dress in colors to dazzle autumn visitors.

The autumn colors of the trees that surround them add a special attraction to streams, streams, waterfalls and idyllic corners in the three great valleys of the province, Punilla, Traslasierra y Calamuchita.

And it is even common for the weather to give more than one day tempting enough to give yourself a good dip in some mountain river.

The mountains of Cordoba are painted with the special palette of colors of the time, and the routes along the routes that wind through the mountains acquire a richness that is not seen in summer.

Some ideal destinations to fully enjoy the autumn colors in the Calamuchita Valley are Santa Rosa de Calamuchita -with the nearby La Cascada nature reserve-, Villa General Belgrano or La Cumbrecita, although there are many more, such as Villa Alpina or Villa Berna, in the highest part of the mountains.

In Traslasierra it is worth stopping to admire the colors of San Javier and Yacanto, Los Hornillos and Nono, as well as Villa de Las Rosas or Las Rabonas. And in Punilla they are unmissable The topHuerta Grande -with its spas and waterfalls- and Valle Hermoso, where the Vaqueras Natural Reserve is located.

● City of Córdoba is 690 km from CABA via RN 9 highway.

● Aerolíneas, Jetsmart and Flybondi fly to the Pajas Blancas airport. Round trip in April from $39,998.

● Bus from Retiro (9-10 a.m. average) from $23,000 in semi-bed service to $48,000 in suite (one way).

● Train from Retiro (7:50 p.m., leaves Wednesdays and Sundays), $7,815 in first class, $9,345 in Pullman and $26,605 in a cabin (for two).

“Autumn is not the same in Mendoza, you have to walk with your soul like a child, understand saying goodbye to the leaves, and go to bed in your yellow dream.”.

Just a paragraph from the famous song “Autumn in Mendoza”, by Mendoza’s “Pocho” Sosa -perhaps played like no one else by Mercedes Sosa- is perhaps the best invitation to travel to the province of wine and enjoy that “yellow dream” on the carpets made by the infinite city trees and the approximately 40 thousand specimens that populate the immense General San Martín Parkdesigned by the famous landscape designer Carlos Thays.

Or in those tall yellowish corridors that form those rows of poplars in Maipú, Lujan of Cuyo or Uspallataor in the leaves of the vineyards that turn red, golden, ocher, with the Cordillera and its eternal snows in the background.

● From Buenos Aires to Mendoza there are 1,040 km via Western Access and RN 7.

● Airlines fly to Mendoza capital. Jetsmart and Flybondi. Round trip in April from $45,998.

● Bus from Retiro (2-3 p.m. average), from $17,500 in a semi-bed to $53,390 in a bed (one way).

For many, autumn is the best time to visit the area of ​​lakes, forests and mountains in between San martin de los andes y Villa La Angostura, which is worth traveling along that section of the mythical National Route 40 known as the Route of the Seven Lakes.

In autumn, those who love colors say, Siete Lagos is a totally different route than the summer onefor the palette of unique tones that paint the forests and the softer and more oblique sunlight that warms the air as it delicately filters through the yellowish leaves.

Along the way you can find cabins and campsites – ask beforehand, because some close at this time – and unmissable detours such as the RP 65, which leads to Villa Traful, or the RN 231, which between mountains and waterfalls crosses the border and allows you to visit the PPuyehue National Arch and its hot springs, in Chile.

● From CABA to San Martín de los Andes there are 1,570 km along RN 205, RP 65 and 60 in the province of Buenos Aires; in La Pampa, RP 18, RN 152 and RP 6; and in Neuquén, RN 22, RN 237, RN 234 and RN 40.

● Retiro Bus to Neuquén (7 p.m.), from $59,900 in a semi-bed to $66,600 in an executive bed. From Neuquén to San Martín de los Andes (Albus, 6h 30′), from $31,335.

● Aerolíneas and JetSmart fly to San Martín, from $130,361 round trip in April. To Bariloche (90 km from La Angostura), Flybondi. JestSmart and Airlines. Round trip from $53,998

www.smandes.gov.ar; www.villalaangosturaturismo.gob.ar

About 210 km north of El Calafate, El Chaltén is the northern access to Los Glaciares National Park, and also the “national trekking capital”.

The multiple trails that start from the town, and are followed by thousands of nature lovers, especially in summer, look spectacular in autumn: the reds, ochres, yellows and golds from the lenga and ñire forests turn this area of ​​continental ice into an almost unreal postcard, with the bright red of the leaves contrasting with the white of the snow and ice that crown the imposing figures of the Fitz Roy and Torre hills.

With an extra complement, which is that these colorful forests are populated at this time by a large number of birds that descend from their summer habitats due to the arrival of the first intense cold of the year in high areas. If on one of your walks you hear an insistent tapping, look for it: it is very likely that it is a giant woodpecker or black woodpeckera beautiful bird endemic to these Andean Patagonian forests.

Once in the area, it is worth the trip to Desert Lake30 km north on Route 23 through the colorful forest.

This setting of ocher and red forests can also be enjoyed, of course, on the route from El Calafate to the National Park, and on the walkways that allow you to admire the Perito Moreno glacier.

● From CABA to El Calafate there are 2,688 km along national route 3 to Comandante Luis Piedrabuena and RN 288 (gravel).

● JetSmart and Flybondi Airlines fly to El Calafate airport. In April/May from $115,460 round trip.

elchalten.tur.ar; www.elcalafate.tur.ar

In the mountains that surround the city, and especially in the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, the extraordinary natural settings look like never before with the red and ocher tones that the lengas, ñires and coihues acquire to cover the mountain slopes.

Palette that at this time can well be enriched by some early snowfall that adds a white coverage that enhances the tones.

That is why this is a great time to enjoy the various trekking trails that the park offers, the unique panoramic view of the Lapataia bay, on the banks of the Beagle Channel, or the path that leads to the Acigami Lake viewpoint. Or of End of the World Trainwhich runs through the park along the paths that decades ago took prisoners to cut down trees to heat the city.

These colors, of course, are also present on a tour of the city and its must-sees, such as the navigations along the Beagle Channel to the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, the visit to the Presidium of the End of the World, 4×4 excursions through lakes and forests or the unforgettable helicopter flyover through the city and the mountains.

● From CABA to Ushuaia it is 3,150 km along RN 3 (including a section in Chile to cross the Strait of Magellan).

● Aerolíneas, Jetsmart and Flybondi fly from Aeroparque and Ezeiza, from $91,753 round trip.

turismoushuaia.com; www.findelmundo.tur.ar