Buenos Aires is one of the best gateways to the sub continent of South America. This is because the city is as modern as any in the world, with a European flavour. There are also the fascinating undertones of ancient Native American and vibrant Latin cultures. Accommodation in luxury apartments Buenos Aires and luxury hotels will meet the highest standards. This is where you can find utter comfort as a starting point for your various tours and journeys, as well as a haven to come back to, so welcome after roughing it a bit. If your interest is in the wildlife of South America, you may well rough it somewhat. On some of the tours offered, there is a lot of walking, rafting, or even back packing involved if you want to see animals in their natural habitat. Argentina has its share of wildlife, animals and birds. Some of them are unique to the continent of South America. Most of the animals are adapted to one or more of four types of habitat. The mountains, the forests, the pampas, and the coast.

A fascinating creature unique to the pampas of South America is the maned wolf. This looks like a cross between a wolf, a fox and a hyena. It is quite tall, reaching almost a meter at the shoulder. It is, however, lightly built and has long legs. It is very shy and not a pack animal. Unlike other kinds of wolves, it will not easily attack a human. It lives on wild fruits and vegetation together with rodents, and, to the irritation of farmers, chickens. They are nocturnal and hide away during the day. Among the other pampas animals that you are likely to see are foxes, various types of opossum, wildcats, hares, pudu-pudu, and deer. The pretty little animal, the Pink Fairy Armadillo at less than 15 centimetres long is the smallest member of the armadillo family. It lives on ants. It is currently under threat as it is easily killed by domestic dogs.

There are a variety of rodents typically found in Argentina, such as the Tuco-tuco, the leaf-eared mouse, Viscacha-rat, Chinchilla-rat. Among the vulnerable species of animals is the critically endangered Short-tailed Chinchilla. Towards the North of Argentina, in the forests, you will find martens [that look something between a racoon and a badger], wild cats, monkeys and tapirs. Although the small Spectacled Bear, the only member of the bear family to be found in South America, is typically found in Peru, you may be lucky enough to see some in Northern Argentina. You may also see woolly tapirs and hairy armadillos in the high, cold Andes Mountains. This is the habitat of wild guanacos. They are related to camels and the family also includes llamas, alpacas, and vicuna. Guanacos are specially adapted to life in very high altitudes. They have four times as many red blood cells as humans, so breathing and oxygenating their bodies is no problem for them.