Getting there

Traveling to Argentina is relatively simple and a painless.

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There are a wide choice of convenient, daily flights from Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and New York. Most flights are direct departing the States in the afternoon or early evening and arriving early the next morning. Airlines that service Buenos Aires daily include American, United, Continental, Delta, LAN Aerolineas Argentinas, Air France, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Lufthansa and Varig.

Flying Times to Buenos Aires from: Los Angeles: 13 hours, Dallas: 11 hours, Houston: 10 hours, Miami: 9 hours New York: 11 hours, Chicago: 11 hours.

Almost all the international flights into Argentina arrive at the Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza) International Airport of Buenos Aires, 35 Km from the Federal Capital. You are required to fill out a customary arrival form, which will be handed out to you on your flight down. First you will clear Immigrations (Passport Control) then you will retrieve your luggage, and clear Customs. The entire arrival process in Buenos Aires should take between 1 and 1 1⁄2 half hours.

Specific flight details for Estancia Despedida Lodge

Typically Friday: Arrive Buenos Aires, Argentina, transfer to hotel of your choice
Arrive Ezeiza International Airport; clear Immigrations (Passport Control); retrieve luggage, and clear Customs. Auto transfer from the Ezeiza International Airport to your downtown Buenos Aires hotel. The rest of the day and evening is at your leisure to explore the old-world city center of Buenos Aires.
Travel Note: Remember, there are two airports in Buenos Aires, Domestic & International. The domestic airport is about 20 minutes from the downtown area, and the International is about 45 minutes. You will need at least two hours for auto transfer between the International Airport “Ezeiza” and the Domestic Airport “Jorge Newbery” Domestic airport taxis are about $25-$30 from your downtown hotel.

Saturday: Arrival Rio Grande or Ushuaia, transfer to Estancia Despedida Lodge:
You have two options for traveling to Estancia Despedida Lodge; flying from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and transferring by auto to the lodge (3 hour drive) or flying to Rio Grande and driving to the lodge a 45 minute ride. There are several daily flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia that make this routing extremely convenient, albeit the 3 hour drive, which traverses some spectacularly beautiful country. The advantages of the Rio Grande routing is the short drive from the airport to the lodge, however this is a once a day flight with a very early departure out of Buenos Aires. Either routing, we will coordinate meet and greet at the airport and auto transfer to the lodge.

After arriving at the lodge, you'll be shown to your private room, given a brief orientation and tour of the facilities, guides will be assigned, and you'll have a chance to organize your tackle for the fishing day planned to start the next morning. There is no fishing on the first day or evening.

Sunday – Friday: The Fishing Week: Each of the angling days is spent fishing in both the morning and evening. The beats are rotated, and normally anglers will not have to repeat any pools during their stay. Fishermen return to the lodge in the heart of the ranch to enjoy a mid-day meal, and have the chance to relax for a few hours. The lodge is only a short distance from the river, no more than half an hour to the most distant beat on the huge ranch.

At the conclusion of the angling day, fishermen return to the lodge for a hot shower, cocktails from the fully stocked bar, hors d'oeuvres, and a wonderful Argentine meal accented by fine Argentine wines and desserts that will add a marvelous finishing touch to each day.

Saturday Return Home:
The Estancia Despedida Lodge will provide auto transfer to Ushuaia or Rio Grande to start your trip home or continue your travels in South America.

Immigration Requirements for entry Into Argentina:

A current passport is required with or without visa depending on your nationality. For all U.S. citizens, passports must be valid for a minimum of three months beyond the visitor's proposed date of departure. U.S. citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism and business. All visitors must be in possession of a return passage to a country for which they have a right of entry.

Customs:

Generally, foreign tourists (especially tourists carrying fly rods) are not bothered by customs officials upon entry. You are allowed to bring personal items such as clothing, footwear, toiletries, etc., as well as; any fishing equipment needed during your stay and personal medications. You are allowed to enter Argentina with 2 liters of alcoholic drinks, 400 cigarettes and 50 cigars. Expensive camera and video equipment should be declared and you will have to bring it out with you when you leave.

Inoculations and Health Concerns:

There are no formal requirements, or recommendations for immunizations and very little risk of infectious disease in Argentina. The risk would be about equivalent to what it would be for a trip to Colorado. You should check with your personal physician if you are concerned. We recommend that anglers be up-to-date on their Tetanus, Hepatitis-A and Hepatitis-B vaccinations.

Political Situation:

Argentina is a safe, pro-American country. Argentineans are overall a very friendly people & welcome foreign tourists. The hospitality of the country people in rural Argentina (where all the fishing takes place) is genuine and warm. Like in Chile the current president of Argentina is a woman, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Make it easy on yourself.

Alicia Regueiro and here expert staff at Holdy Tours (800) 446- 1111 or alicia@holdytours.com are a full service travel agency. They’ve been our first choice for ticketing for years because Holdy professionals are intimately familiar with the intricacies of travel to Chile, Argentina and all South America.

Holdy gets rave reviews from us for arranging reasonably priced flights as well as city tours, hotels, transfers, and optional add-on travel packages to our fly fishing trips. They know the best routes and connections for even the most complicated Patagonia angling destinations and they’ve teamed up with LA to offer the best airfares and service to South America. Make it easy on yourself and contact Holdy Tours for your flight accommodations to, from and within Argentina. www.holdytours.com