By Tim Burford for Independent.co.ukAny country that covers an area of almost 2.8 million square kilometres (over 10 times the size of Great Britain) is going to offer a huge variety of landscapes and outdoor activities. Argentina certainly fulfils that expectation, from the arid high plateau of the Altiplano on the Bolivian border to subantarctic Tierra del Fuego. The chain of national parks along the Andes, down the country's western edge, offers fantastic hiking, climbing, mountain-biking, horse-riding, rafting and even paragliding. However, other parts of the country also offer opportunities for outdoor activities – in fact horses and bikes are available for riding almost anywhere and the number of operators providing such options is expanding fast.
It's well worth leaving the urban charms of Buenos Aires for the remoter parts of the country to sample the range of sporty delights on offer. It can be several hours by plane or an overnight bus ride across the Pampas to the wilder extremes of the country, where you can ride stocky criollo horses through the mountains or white-water raft down rivers.
Heading north from the capital, the scenery doesn't start properly to impress until you reach the stunning ..Read full article
