Argentina - Travel Deals

When asked about the big festivals that take place in South America, most of us would be able to name the famous Carnival celebrations in Brazil, and some of us might be aware of the Semana Santa processions that take place in much of Latin America – but it’s a smaller number who would be familiar with the Inti Raymi celebrations, despite the fact that they’re some of the biggest on the continent.

Inti Raymi, which means Festival of the Sun, is an historic ceremony that was important to the people of the Inca Empire, and it dates back to the 13th century. After the conquest of the Incas by the Spanish, the Inti Raymi celebrations lost their grandeur and then finally were stopped altogether. Then in 1944, the ceremony and celebrations were presented in a theatrical way – eliminating some of the more gruesome aspects of the original ceremonies – based on historic accounts, and they’ve continued each year since then.

Today’s Inti Raymi celebrations are performed by actors representing the Incas, and the festivities have become a major draw not only for people from nearby areas but tourists from all over the world.

>> Inti Raymi marks the winter solstice on June 24th of every year.

Even if you’re not a hard-core soccer fan you’re probably familiar with the World Cup, held every four years to determine which country sits atop the soccer world, but you may not be aware that there’s a similar competition that also happens every four years in South America. The Copa America tournament is contested by the national soccer teams of South America.

Argentina is hosting the 2011 Copa America in eight different cities around the country. The cities hosting games are Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Jujuy, La Plata, Mendoza, Salta, San Juan, and Santa Fe. While these cities are all in the northern half of the country, they’re not all right next to one another – so if you’re planning to see games in more than one city you’ll need to plan for in-country travel as well as your travel getting to Argentina and back.

In 2011, the countries participating in the Copa America tournament are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (the reigning champions), Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. There are also a few countries from outside South America invited to participate each year. One invited guest for 2011 is Mexico – the other invitee, Japan, has withdrawn from the tournament and organizers are working on finding a replacement.

>> In 2011, the Copa America tournament runs from July 1-24

>> Look for cheap tickets to Argentina

Buenos Aires was originally named after the Virgine de Bonaria of Cagliari, Sardinia and it was first established as Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre. Those early settlers apparently liked their city names to be a mouthful!

Gone are the long names and in their place is the simple and elegant Buenos Aires – fair winds. The simple beauty of the name reflects the modern city that holds it. Buenos Aires is one of those places that will capture your heart and hold it captive. In addition to having style and grace, it is a city that has culture. It is a city that has been compared to Paris and in some ways it lives up to that comparison.

If you like your culture in the form of opera, symphonies and art museums, you will like Buenos Aires. If nightclubs and dancing are more your scene, Buenos Aires won’t disappoint. If you are a foodie, you’ll love the internationally-inspired cuisine. If you are a simple backpacker trying to live on the cheap, well, Buenos Aires is more expensive than many parts of South America, but a cheap vacation there is possible.

If you are convinced that Buenos Aires is a travel destination you want to visit, check out the deals on flights to the Argentine capital.