Weather-beaten gauchos galloping across expanses of empty pampas or steppe. Horses at pasture. Traditional Argentinian barbecues (called asados) under a star-studded night sky - all washed down with fabulous Argentinian red wine. An estancia experience in Argentina is based around these three classic ingredients: horses, hearty home-cooked food, and clinking glasses. It’s easy to tack on a short estancia stay to your tour. Some estancias can be visited in a day - and this may well turn out to be the option that best suits your trip - but it's worth incorporating a stay for a few nights if you're looking for something a bit different.
Estancias range from simple to luxury — you can stay in a family home with an annexe and room for just a few guests or opt for plusher, purpose-built country-house-style options. Some properties even have a golf course or a polo school! This does make for a different experience than a hotel or resort, but that’s precisely the point: this is as close as you’ll get in Argentina to a homestay.
What all estancias have in common is their remoteness. Many are lone farms adrift in the massive green sea of the pampas, the fertile lowlands of the continent that cover more than 750,000 sq km. Cattle, sheep and horses are the only immediate signs of life, grazing in huge fields. And if you choose to visit an estancia in Patagonia, the scenery becomes more dramatic and you'll be surrounded by the dry, sprawling steppe, potentially with the Andes as a backdrop.
You’ll share your stay with a handful of other visitors, only joining them for group activities and mealtimes. So, there are usually plenty of opportunities to seek the solitary pleasures of nature, if that’s what you’re after. It’s also worth noting that some estancias don’t have Wi-Fi or a phone signal, which might influence your choice one way or the other. You’ll have plenty of chances to see the estancia’s owners and gauchos (skilled, devil-may-care Argentinian horsemen) going about their daily business: sheep shearing, cooking, gardening, or looking after and rounding up livestock. You can also take part in such activities.
Meals at estancias are based around Argentine asados and pucheros (stews), but you might also be served Patagonian lamb and trout, and vegetarians are accommodated on request. If you are a vegetarian, you'd be better off choosing one of the more upmarket estancias for better meat-free dining options. You wash it all down with heady, full-bodied Argentinian cabernet sauvignons, merlots and malbecs (though soft drinks are also available). Food almost always exploits fresh ingredients — produce plucked that morning from the estancia’s orchards or vegetable gardens, and steaks sourced from livestock.
Horses and horse riding are often the main focus of time spent on an estancia, and you can take part in all sorts of rides, depending on your proficiency and interest. You might take a short trot around the estancia’s grounds, or trek out into wilderness that feels barely charted. Some estancias offer a wider menu of activities than others, so it’s worth checking with me and we can select a property that matches your interests. With a lack of beach destinations in Argentina, estancias can also fulfil the role of being a place to come and relax. Despite their roster of activities, you’re very much at liberty to spend time doing nothing. Some estancias have swimming pools and immaculately trimmed gardens, and all have some space set aside for unwinding.
The best time to stay in an estancia is during the warm Argentine summer (October to March). If you're considering an estancia stay in Patagonia, October is lambing season. Around 10th November, estancia dwellers and gauchos celebrate Tradition Day, a folk festival dedicated to gaucho culture. In the normally quiet town of San Antonio de Areco (70km north west of Buenos Aires), the town bursts into a fiesta around this time.
If you’re ready to start planning your Bucket List trip to Argentina, get in touch and we can get the ball rolling.
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