Argentina Gap Year

Argentina is the second largest country is South America and is immensely varied in terms of landscape and culture. The high Andes mountain range provides a formidable natural barrier between Argentina and Chile on the west side of Argentina. Along the eastern foot of the Andes are Argentina's parched desert regions. In the south of Argentina is the vast area of Patagonia - boasting an impressive mountainous interior, some of Argentina's most unique coastal wildlife and national parks blessed with some of the most unspoilt and untouched nature on the planet. The most populated region of Argentina is the ‘pampa', an area roughly in the middle of the country covering some 650,000 square kilometres and consisting mainly of vast and rich flat plains. Overall, there is an extremely diverse range of places - both urban and rural - to visit in Argentina on your gap year travel. Argentina is also a great place to learn Spanish and get involved with some really rewarding volunteer projects.

Some of Argentina's most unique coastal wildlife can be seen in Patagonia - including elephant seals, penguins and whales. The best area in Patagonia for viewing this wildlife is the Peninsula Valdes. The mountainous interior of Patagonia is home to some of Argentina's most stunning landscapes. If you visit Patagonia's interior then the ‘must-visit' national park is definitely the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, which contains some of the earth's most active ice-fields. The highlight of the park is the Moreno Glacier, a sixty metre high river of ice that can be viewed by visitors from the safety of a series of platforms and catwalks.

At the opposite end of Argentina is another of Argentina's most beautiful sights - the Iguazu Falls. The Falls are situated on the Argentina - Brazil border and are indisputably the most impressive waterfalls in South America. The main falls are twenty metres higher than Niagara and about half as wide again. The water plunges seventy metres from 275 different waterfalls at a rate of 1,750 cubic metres a second. Adding to the overall spectacle is the fact that the Falls are also surrounded by 55,000 hectares of subtropical rainforest, containing all kinds of wildlife and plant species.

If you want to visit a South American country that can provide some lively city life as well as fantastic countryside and scenery on your gap year, then Argentina would be an ideal destination. If you're also looking to do some volunteer work or learn Spanish then, equally, Argentina offers the gap year traveller plenty of excellent options.

Argentina gap year - Gap year programmes in Argentina


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