Following the 30-day backpacking trip from Buenos Aires to Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villas Carlos Paz and General Belgrano.

1st day – Thursday (19/05/2011)

I left from Buenos Aires around 10pm the day before (see more details here) on a bus that only had 2 empty seats when I went to buy the ticket at the bus station – one next to the bathroom and another right in front, just above the driver. I chose the front seat and thought it was great to see everything through the huge window.

After 8 hours of very good sleep thanks to a very reclining chair and a delicious dinner that satisfied me, I woke up as soon as I arrived at the bus station in Cordoba. Since it was a little early and my guidebook map didn't have many details about the city, I decided to take it easy and take a taxi to the hostel. I stayed at Cordoba Hostel, which I found to be well located for the price. I did check-in, I took a shower, left my backpack in the room and went to talk to the receptionist, a very nice guy by the way, who gave me a decent map and several tips on what to do.

Before I talk about my trip, here is a map with the main attractions I visited in Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villa Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano:

I walked around the city and found everything very clean and organized, despite the large number of students walking around. I was told that the city's university is considered one of the best in the country, so that's why the city is considered a university city. I passed by Plaza España, which was next to my hostel, then by Sarmiento Park, very beautiful by the way, and then I entered the Zoo, which despite being less organized than the one in BsAs, has more interesting animals. Update: reading this post after 5 years, I don't understand why I went to so many zoos on this trip to Argentina...Nowadays I'd pay not to go!

After the Zoo, I entered the Provincial Museum of Natural Sciences and I enjoyed the natural history exhibits. There was a field trip for 5 year olds and I thought they were so cute speaking Spanish!

I then entered the museum, Emilio Caraffa, very pretty but with a very bizarre display for my standards. Fifteen minutes after entering, I was already crossing the street relieved…

I walked, walked, walked, walked around everywhere in the city… Plaza Sarmiento, Plaza San Martin, Cabildo, Cordoba Cathedral, Cappuccino Church, Flower Walk etc. Everything is very beautiful, with interesting architecture, and the best part? No Brazilians causing a commotion. Buenos Aires has that in abundance…

I had ice cream at their Freddo, Cold Cry, which for me is as good as the ice cream shop in Buenos Aires. I recommend the dulce de leche ice cream! 🙂

In the middle of the tour, I sat down to have a snack and a beer at Coffee of Peace, very close to the Cathedral, and they brought me a huge Draft beer, I don't know, 500 ml and a sandwich that was quite small compared to the drink. I even asked for a smaller one, but I couldn't exchange it... I had to drink it all so as not to waste it...

I stopped at a bakery recommended by a local and bought some alfajores to help me get over the effects of the alcohol. (I can't remember the name, but I remember it being quite big and in a square.)

I continued walking and getting to know the rest of the city, until I stopped at Good Shepherd's Walk to enjoy the water show that happens every hour, with many people enjoying it too. What a quality of life, people! I had the feeling that people in Córdoba are happier than in Buenos Aires, because the city is less stressful (I didn't hear a single horn the whole day of sightseeing) and everything seems to work better. I stayed there until nightfall, having more snacks and reading the guidebook to plan the next day...it was a delight. I went back to the hostel and fell completely asleep in bed.

 2nd day – Friday (20/05/2011)

I woke up, took a shower and went out to have breakfast outside the hostel (there wasn't any at this one) and buy the bus ticket from the company to High Grace, the city where the Che Guevara lived there during his childhood. He had respiratory problems and the city is known for its clean air, so he moved from Buenos Aires to there when he was still young with his family. I arrived at the bus station in Córdoba and bought the ticket from the company Sarmiento without much difficulty for a bus that was leaving in 10 minutes. If I had planned, it wouldn't have worked out so well...lol.

After almost 1 hour on the road inside this very comfortable bus, I arrived at High Grace. What a peaceful city! Almost no one on the streets or in the gardens of the houses… It seemed to me like a city where the residents of Córdoba have weekend homes, I don't know.

I walked around the city with the map in my hand in search of Che Guevara House Museum. I passed by several cute houses until I found it. The museum is in the house where Che lived when he was little and, like any museum, it tells his entire story with lots of photos, letters and objects… super engaging.

I left there towards the bus station and took the opportunity to catch a bus from the same company. Sarmiento to Villa Carlos Paz, because it was still very early. After 40 minutes of traveling, I arrived at most visited tourist city in the Córdoba region, known for its water sports. When I got there, I stopped at the tourist center and asked about the activities in the city, but because it was low season, there was nothing open. I walked around the lake and tried to catch the boat that goes there. tour for him, but since there was no demand, they didn't even open the kiosk to buy tours. There was even a casino on the lake side, but with the sun shining, I wanted to go in search of activities billboard.

I found a tourist bus called Aerosilla Complex that passed through the main points of the city and went to the one complex. There are several activities in this place, such as zip-lining, target shooting, trains, aquariums, quad bikes, etc., lots of fun things, but it was closed because it was low season. I stayed on the bus and the highlight was walking along the lakeshore, close to sunset, stopping to take pictures from every possible angle. What a great trip…

At the end of the tour, I returned to the city bus station and bought a ticket back to Córdoba. Upon arriving in the city, I sat in the Sarmiento Park, very close to Plaza España and I watched the artists doing various juggling acts. Then I went to the hostel and met two girls, an Argentinean and a Dutch one. The Argentinean one was leaving that night, so we decided to go out for pizza until her bus time. Then I went out with the Dutch one to look for a night cordobesa, but our attempt was a failure. We left around 11 pm and managed to enter several nightclubs for free, simply because they were all absolutely empty. The nights start around 2, 3 in the morning and we decided not to wait that long. We sat at a bar in Canada Avenue and we had a few good Quilmes. We walked back to the hostel and slept like rocks.

 3rd day – Saturday (21/05/2011)

I woke up, I did my checkout leaving my backpack in the hostel storage room, we had breakfast on the way to the bus station and went to buy a bus ticket to Villa General Belgrano, the city of Oktoberfest (!!!) Argentina. What a beautiful road! Lakes and mountains with a clear sky…

We arrived in the city, which is entirely German colonized, and we walked along the main street. There were several bars and restaurants, all with beautiful decoration and quite crowded, considering it was low season. We climbed a kind of tower in the city, from where we could see the city from above, which was very pretty by the way.

We visited a brewery and decided to go up the La Virgen Hill, which is right outside the city, on the other side of the road. It's a good climb, with well-defined trails, surrounded by dry vegetation. The view from up there is really cool and the statue of the Virgin is there, with several legends..lol

After the tour, already exhausted, we decided to stop at a restaurant to have lunch and enjoy the local drinks. We stopped at one that I don't remember the name of =\, but it had very good food and a delicious homemade draft beer.

After there, we took the bus back to Córdoba, whichwhose engine caught fire in the middle of the road. Luckily, we stopped at a busy place, so we waited for the next bus to Córdoba. When we got there, we passed by the bus again. Good Shepherd Walk for her to see the water show. We went back to the hostel, I took a shower in a bathroom made for people who do checkout and I went to catch the last bus to Mendoza, which left at 11:30 pm (I bought this ticket at the hostel with the help of the nice receptionist). I wanted to save money on the ticket and bought the SEMI CAMA, which only reclines about 30º, so the 10-hour trip was super uncomfortable. Luckily, there was no one next to me, so I ended up lying down on both seats. The worst part was being cold on the bus, because my backpack with warmer clothes was in the luggage compartment. Lesson learned: Always wear a coat on those long trips! =D

Want to know everything about my 30-day trip through Argentina and Chile? Just click on the links below. links below:

• ARGENTINA – Buenos Aires and Tigre
• ARGENTINA – Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villa Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano
• ARGENTINA – Mendoza, Uspallata and Puente del Inca
• ARGENTINA – Neuquén and San Martin de los Andes
• ARGENTINA – Bariloche
• CHILE – Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas
• CHILE – Pucon
• CHILE – Cálama and San Pedro de Atacama
• CHILE – Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaíso