Argentina is one of the most extraordinary and diverse countries on earth — a nation of 2.8 million square kilometres stretching from the subtropical jungles of the north to the wind-scoured tip of Patagonia, from the Andean peaks of the west to the vast pampas grasslands of the east. It is a country of extraordinary natural beauty, world-class food and wine, passionate culture and some of the warmest and most welcoming people in South America.

Buenos Aires, the capital, is one of the great cities of the world — a European-influenced metropolis of 15 million people where tango was born, where the world's finest beef is grilled over open fires, where the Recoleta cemetery rivals Paris's Père Lachaise for architectural grandeur, and where the nightlife doesn't start until midnight. Patagonia, in the south, is one of the last great wildernesses on earth — the jagged granite towers of Torres del Paine, the vast Perito Moreno Glacier, the penguin colonies of the Valdés Peninsula and the end-of-the-world atmosphere of Ushuaia.

Argentina is 13–14 hours from the UK (direct flights from London Heathrow with Aerolíneas Argentinas and British Airways to Buenos Aires Ezeiza). The best time to visit is October–April (southern hemisphere spring and summer). Patagonia is best November–March; Buenos Aires is pleasant year-round.