To have the complete Argentine experience we booked four nights on an Argentinian estancia for a bit of horse riding and more generally to experience the gaucho and ranching lifestyle on a genuine working estancia. The Estancia Los Potreros, some 55 kilometres outside the city of Cordoba has been run by the same Anglo Argentinian family for many years and our hosts Kevin and Louise Begg, have been taking in paying guests since the early 2000s.
The estancia is in some wonderful hilly country, well away from the bustle of city life, has around 150 horses, Paso Peruanos and Criollos, in addition to a large herd of organically managed black Aberdeen Angus cattle. The horses are carefully bred to be able to do all the basic gaucho skills in herding cattle as well as taking the paying guests on rides and also playing polo. The cattle are bred in the estancia but are fattened up in the Pampas area of Argentina where the grasses are much richer.
The guests stay in the original buildings around the main estancia, which have been tastefully converted into luxury accommodation around the main lodge complete with all the traditional furniture and many restored early photographs of life on the estancia, where the excellent meals are prepared and Kevin and Louise entertain the guests as if they are attending a family dinner party.
Horse riding is at the centre of the daily activities, with both morning and afternoon rides all over the estancia. The local gauchos and special guides accompany the guests on these rides up and down the hills and are designed to cater for all levels of riding skills, like us novices, or experienced “professionals” who have ridden all their lives. Some of these rides will also help support some of the activities of the estancia, such as rounding up the young foals and bringing them into safe pastures overnight – there are pumas in the hills, which would not pass up on the opportunity to eat a young foal. Other activities include helping the gauchos lasso and catch the cattle.
The estancia is in hill country and not only are there some fantastic views from the tops of the hills, but also some interesting scenery, none more so than the “bell rock” a group of boulders that when you bang them with a small rock sound like a bell with many different tones. It is not known why such phenomena exit, as they have baffled geologists. It could be just the natural consequence of a lightening strike, or could be linked to many of the ancient sites all around South America, like the Nazca Lines or the Cave of the Hands where there is limited knowledge of how they were formed.
The estancia is also home to a lot of wildlife, including the massive Andean Condor, which we saw effortlessly gliding in the skies above. They will feed on any carrion including any dead cattle.
On our final morning we were taught the basics of polo and had a game with the fellow guests, guides and gauchos. A real once in a lifetime experience, given how expensive the sport is to participate in back home.
Date: 19/04/2018 to 23/04/2018