Buenos Aires brand new exclusive terminal expects 140 cruise calls this season

An estimated 140 cruise vessels will be calling in Buenos Aires this coming 2010/2011 season and on arrival visitors will be greeted at a refurbished terminal which should be ready for inauguration in December.

Docking space for four cruises and facilities to handle 12.000 visitors

The Quinquela Martin Buenos Aires Port terminal once operational will be able to comfortably handle 12.000 passengers per day and will be of exclusive use for the cruise industry.

Terminales Rio de la Plata that has the Buenos Aires port concession has invested 22 million US dollars in the construction of the new terminal’s building with an area of 12.300 square metres, plus extending piers and docking capacity which means that instead of a single 300 metres long vessel, up to four cruises can simultaneously call in the capital of Argentina.

“Now we can say that the port of Buenos Aires has a specific area for cruise vessels, because until now the policy was that this is an enormous container port and occasionally for cruise vessels”, underlined Argentine Transport Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi.

“In the last five years, the arrival of cruises has doubled and we have gone from 70 to the current 140, many of them longer than 300 meters. The arrival of cruise passengers has also doubled: today it stands at around 230.000”, said controller at the General Ports Authority, Oscar Vecslir.

The terminal building has two storeys: in the ground floor arrivals, luggage dispatch, coffee shops and other outlets. In the first floor Interpol, Customs, Migration (with 20 booths), General Ports Authority, Animal and Plant sanitary office plus 70 check in counters and pre-boarding lounges.

Arriving visitors and who are departing by air or remaining in Buenos Aires will circulate through one lane, while those in transit and returning on board later in the day will have their own exit.

The terminal also has a large esplanade with sufficient space for an orderly circulation of taxis and coaches.

The cruise industry in Argentina, as in the rest of the South Atlantic had had a spectacular development. Buenos Aires received 60.000 tourists in 2001 and last season the number 230.000.

The industry has also expanded regionally with a growing percentage of Latinamericans discovering sea travel and leisure, which has helped to mitigate the impact of the world recession.

Gustavo Figuerola, Terminales Rio de la Plata CEO said the cruise market this coming season can be expected to consolidate, and this is mainly because of the loss of the Chilean leg.

“There were ten vessels doing the Chile-Buenos Aires leg, but now are limited to Buenos Aires with a growing market among Argentines, Brazilians and Uruguayans”, said Figuerola.

He added that the world cruise market moves 12 million people every year, of which 600.000 are Brazilians which makes it “an exponential business, and with the new terminal Buenos Aires is prepared for the challenge”.

Terminales Rio de la Plata is made up of Dubai Port World with 56%; Mitsubi, 5% and the LIFE financial group 40%.

Figuerola revealed that Dubai Port World last week inaugurated a cruise terminal and piers in El Callao, Peru where it invested 500 million US dollars. The company also manages cruise ports in Dominican Republic; Vancouver, Canada and is beginning a similar investment in Santos, Brazil.

Population of Buenos Aires province: 15.2 million according to preliminary census

The province of Buenos Aires has the largest population of Argentina having increased 9.9% in the last nine years and reaching 15.2 million according to the preliminary results form the country’s national census.

The population of Argentina is estimated in over 40 million

The numbers were was released by the province of Buenos Aires census office based on data collected during census day at the end of October.

An interesting revelation of the census is that there are 300.000 more women than men in the province of Buenos Aires.

According to the provincial Deputy Finance Secretary Silvina Batakis only 0.84% of households in the province of Buenos Aires refused to open the door to the census teams, “which means the operation has been 99% complete guaranteeing the information collected”.

The Argentine 2010 population census, the tenth event of this kind in the country’s history, collects data not only related to homes, services, degree of access to internet but other information which enables to update the previous census from 2001.

According to government estimates previous to the official census, the total population of Argentina is over 40 million.

This census day (national holiday) has been quite special since it took place on the same day that former president Nestor Kirchner died of a massive heart attack early morning October 27.

He was waiting for the census team to visit him and wife President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at their home in El Calafate, Patagonia when he had to be rushed urgently to hospital.

The province of Buenos Aires, rich in farmland but also in manufacturing, has been traditionally the stronghold of the ruling Peronist party which tightly controls through the federal treasury an estimated 150 municipalities that help swing the province and is decisive for any presidential contest.

Tips for Visiting Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls, one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world, straddles the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. We visited the falls from the Argentine side, so this post will focus on exploring this national park from that side. We did try to see them from Brazil, but were turned away at the border (more on that later).




Cost

Entry to the park is about $25US. If you want to visit the park on consecutive days, the entrance fee is cut in half the next day with your previous day’s ticket. Boat trips can be taken once inside the park for a fee. A tram carts passengers around to different parts of the park and is free of charge. There are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat and something to drink inside the park.

Getting there and back
Bus- If staying in the town of Puerto Iguazu, just head to the bus station in the center of town. For about $2US, you can catch a bus to the Falls. Buses leave daily starting at 6:30am and continuing every 45 minutes until 7pm. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the park from the bus station. There is a bus stop right outside the gates that takes travelers back to the bus station which also runs every 45 minutes until about 8:30pm.

Getting around in the park
As stated earlier, a free tram picks up all visitors to the park after entering, leaving every 30 minutes. From there travelers have several options for checking out the falls. If you’ve ever been to Niagara, be prepared for waterfalls much larger and more spectacular. A day or more can easily be spent visiting Iguazu, with a variety of hiking trails and a plethora of different falls to explore and photograph. I suggest getting off the tram at Estacion Cataratas first and explore some of those trails, which will give you a great panorama and give you an idea of the enormity of the falls.

There are two trails here that take about an hour and half to walk, depending on your pace and how many pictures you take.

* Circuito Superior – This path allows travelers to see the falls from above and is a good option for anyone who may have a disability or is not in great shape. Stunning views all around.

* Circuito Inferior – This is a bit longer of a walk on the bottom end of the falls. The main attraction here is seeing the Salto Bossetti falls and Dos Hermanas falls. This path also leads to the free ferry service to Isla San Martin and the tour operators if you’re interested in taking boat on the river for an up close and personal look at the falls.

We chose not to take a boat trip but instead headed over to Isla San Martin for different views of the falls, and we were quite glad we did. While I’m sure seeing them from a boat at such a close distance would be amazing, it just wasn’t in our budget, both monetarily and time-wise.
View from Isla San Martin, Iguazu Falls

One of the many stunning views from Isla San Martin
Isla San Martin – A free ferry takes visitors over to this island, which has not only several hiking trails to different vantage points but also a small beach for swimming. It’s a little less crowded over here than on the other trails, so it’s a nice little respite.

We spent most of the day exploring the above trails and the island before hopping back on the tram and heading to the main attraction, Garganta del Diablo, translated into Devil’s Throat.
Garganta del Diablo, or the Devil's Throat, Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Garganta del Diablo, or the Devil's Throat, a highlight of any trip to Iguazu
Garganta del Diablo – This is the main attraction when visiting the Argentine side. After exiting the train, catwalks take travelers closer and closer to the main fall, and the roar can be deafening. The viewpoint is perched just over Devil’s Throat. The falls are so powerful that there is a perpetual cloud of mist that shoots nearly 100 feet (30 meters) back up the falls. It’s quite a sight to see. Be sure to come back Thursday (November 4) to check out the pictures post for more pictures and a few videos. It’s not as good as being there yourself, but it gives a great impression of what to expect.

Extras in the park
Full Moon visits- Five times a year when the moon is full the park opens in the evening for a full moon showing. We just happened to be there during this time and decided to visit. I know I am in the minority, but I thought it was wholly overrated and overpriced. Price was nearly double that of regular admission, the only fall open was Garganta del Diablo, and when we were there, the moon was not high enough to see much of anything. Maybe if they started the tours later in the evening and throughouovernight, it would have been better, and the sound was certainly impressive, but the following day was much more memorable, in my opinion. This is only one man’s opinion, and as I said, mine seemed to be in the minority.

When to go
The summer months of December to February are high season, when weather is hot and humid and most Argentinians and Brazilians are on vacation. Shoulder seasons may see more rain, but the crowds are thinner and temperatures a bit cooler. Winter months (June-August) have even more rain with cooler temperatures (50-70 degrees F). If the area receives too much rain, the catwalks can get flooded, making a visit to the park worthless.

Many nationalities need to pay a hefty price for a Brazilian visa, including Americans who are charged over $100US. Since we weren’t planning on going to Brazil during our travels, we obviously didn’t bother getting a visa. Some travelers have been able to go to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls for the day without a visa, but it’s all about luck. If the bus driver decides to check visas after crossing the border and you don’t have one, then you are sent back to Argentina. This is what happened to us. We got off the bus at the border and acted like we went through the checkpoint line. We came out of the building and boarded the bus and thought we were in the clear. Then the bus driver came back and started checking passports. We did not have visas, so we got the boot and had to head back to Argentina. In talking to others, we found out it really is just the luck of the draw. Some bus drivers don’t bother checking, and you’re good to go. Some do, and you get the old heave ho back into Argentina. It’s worth a shot if you have the extra time, just be aware you may be sent packing.