This year end, make plans to soak in South America at its best: the stately capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. A city of diverse appeal, its picturesque surroundings, rich culture and passionate love for tango, football and polo are legendary. The best months to visit are November and December, when the temperature hovers around 18 to 20°C. Among the biggest of the many events taking place at this time is the annual Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo (Argentine Open Polo Championship), said to be the fifth oldest polo tournament in the world; it runs from 3 to 15 December this year. The annual event has been staged since 1893 and attracts the very best players and teams from around the world, eager to compete in this prestigious display of athletic showmanship and national pride. Tickets (ARP 15 to 200; S$7-$93) can be purchased at the gate. Call +54 11 4372 3612 for full venue and ticket information.

What to see: If horses are not your thing, there are many other ways to occupy your time. If you happen to be in town during the first week of November, you’ll catch the Buenos Aires Gay Pride Weekend (www.marchadelorgullo.org.ar). An exuberant festival with a flamboyant parade of floats and drag queens, the celebrations usually kick off mid-afternoon, starting at the downtown Plaza de Mayo, progressing to Plaza Congresso and ending at Avenida de Mayo. Another suggestion is tango, which you’ll encounter at any time of the year in a multitude of locations. The dance has been described as a mélange of sex, death and fishnet stockings, but this alluring combination is also what makes it one of the most intoxicating experiences available legally. To tap into the tangopolis, go to places like Lo de Roberto (Bulnes 331, Almagro; no phone), a café-bar on a corner in Almagro, away from the expat strips in Palermo and downtown. Here, while you’re enjoying a litre of Quilmes beer, wasted old blokes may come by to strum a guitar and sing. If they don’t, a boozy conversation with a regular should do the trick. If you want to see – or watch – dancing, skip the glitzy shows and go to a milonga or ‘dance night’. For a night of alt-tango, it has to be La Catedral (Sarmiento 4006 timbre 5, Almagro, +54 15 5325 1630), a cobweb-strewn industrial space that lures young porteños (Buenos Aires residents) into the seedier side of tango. La Viruta (Armenia 1355, Palermo Viejo, +54 11 4774 6357; www.lavirutatango.com) is straighter; you’ll see smartly suited tango vets stroking the floor with their patent leather shoes.
Where to stay: The rooms at Moreno Guest House (www.morenobuenosaires.com) are big and bare, but there are great views of the cupolas and churches of old BA from the roof terrace. Rates start at US$175 (S$247) per night.
How to get there: There are no direct flights. Fly Singapore Airlines to Cape Town, South Africa, and then to Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini airport, often called simply ‘Ezeiza’. The airport is located 35km from the city.