Good private hospitals, public ones that now charge non-resident foreigners in Buenos Aires and five provinces, safe tap water in the cities, no required vaccinations for most visitors. Yellow fever matters only for the far northeast, and altitude matters a great deal in the northwest.
- No vaccinations are required from most countries. Yellow fever is recommended for Misiones and the far northeast including Iguazu, and Brazil or Paraguay may ask for it if you cross.
- Public hospitals treat everyone, foreigners included, free of charge - competent care, long waits. Private hospitals in Buenos Aires are excellent and are paid up front.
- Tap water is safe in Buenos Aires and the main cities. In rural Patagonia and the north, ask or use bottled water.
- Altitude sickness is the most likely thing to affect you in Salta, Jujuy, Purmamarca or the Puna. Ascend slowly, drink water and skip alcohol on the first night.
- Dengue is present in the north and, in bad summers, in Buenos Aires - use repellent from December to April. Patagonian sun is severe even at 15 C.
Before you go
- No vaccinations are required to enter Argentina from most countries.
- Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for Misiones and the far northeast, including Iguazu. It is not required for entry but Brazil or Paraguay may ask for it if you cross.
- Hepatitis A and typhoid are the usual travel recommendations, plus routine boosters.
- Take out travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. Patagonia and the northwest are a long way from a hospital, and this is the requirement the contested entry decree was aiming at.
Healthcare
- Private hospitals in Buenos Aires are excellent, and Hospital Aleman, Hospital Italiano and the Swiss Medical group are used to foreign patients.
- Public hospitals no longer treat every foreigner free. That was true for decades and stopped being true in 2024. Salta began charging non-resident foreigners in February 2024, Santa Cruz in April, Mendoza in August, Jujuy in September, and the City of Buenos Aires in March 2025 - so the country's two biggest destinations for a walk-in are both now chargeable. Several more provinces have bills in progress.
- An emergency is still treated, everywhere, regardless of status. Every one of those rules keeps that carve-out; what you now pay for is the non-urgent visit.
- Where care is still free the waits are long, and the competence is not the problem.
- Private treatment is paid up front and reclaimed from your insurer. Keep every receipt.
- Pharmacies are everywhere and pharmacists advise well. Farmacity is the big chain in Buenos Aires.
Everyday health
- Tap water is safe in Buenos Aires and the main cities. In rural Patagonia and the north, ask, or use bottled water.
- Dengue is present in the north and, in bad summers, in Buenos Aires. Use repellent from December to April.
- Altitude sickness is the most likely thing to affect you if you go to Salta, Jujuy, Purmamarca or the Puna. Ascend slowly, drink water, skip alcohol on the first night, and consider acetazolamide.
- The sun in Patagonia and the northwest is severe because of altitude and thin ozone. Factor 50 and a hat, even at 15 C.
- Portions are enormous and the diet is meat-heavy. Vegetarians do better than they used to but should learn the phrase "sin carne".
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