May 29th, 2010 by admin

One of Argentina’s most enduring iconic images is that of the gaucho, the South American version of a cowboy (with a scarf and beret for a little more flair than your average Old West hand) roaming the windy pampas herding cattle and keeping the home fires lit.

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One of Argentina’s most enduring iconic images is that of the gaucho, the South American version of a cowboy (with a scarf and beret for a little more flair than your average Old West hand) roaming the windy pampas herding cattle and keeping the home fires lit.

That’s why, if you have time for a day trip during your vacation in Buenos Aires, you should consider making a journey to a traditional estancia, or ranch, to spend the day riding the range and indulging in the best barbecue in Argentina. Or if you have even more time, consider spending the night, since many of them are B&Bs.

Though there’s no shortage of choices, we’re going to suggest one of the classics, Estancia La Bamba, which has been around since the 1830s when it was originally a post house, and was the first estancia to open its doors to tourists. The chance to spend a day at this gorgeous property will run you about a person, and it is money well spent.

Mosey On Up

La Bamba is located about 90 minutes from Buenos Aires by car or bus, outside a famous gaucho town called San Antonio de Areco, where you’ll also find several other estancias that take in guests. Though you can hire a car and driver through the estancia, this is a rather expensive proposition, running into the hundreds of dollars. A far easier and cheaper way to get there is to take one of the many bus lines that run out of B.A.’s bustling Retiro Station. There are practically hourly buses to San Antonio and they cost under roundtrip–plus they’re spacious, clean and comfortable inside.

Once you arrive in town, the folks from La Bamba will pick you up from the bus station and ferry you out to the estancia, where the real fun begins.



Come And Get It!

Before you take one of the steeds out for an afternoon canter, fortify yourself with a sumptuous lunch spread of freshly grilled meats, farm-fresh salads and Argentine wines. After chatting with the other lunch guests around the communal table, take your dessert slice of tart to go and wander the nearby grounds to get a sense of the place. If the weather is nice, now is also a good time to take a quick dip in the swimming pool.

Cowboy Culture

After lunch, you’ll wander past the front of the house to where the staff gauchos have gathered the horses for the afternoon ride. They’ll hand-pick your horse for you, give you a few quick instructions and then it’s off for a couple hours of riding around the property and taking in the sights. All the animals here are well-trained and well-behaved, so riders of every level will have a good time.

Tea Time

All that riding is bound to take it out of you, and just in case you didn’t gorge yourself enough on lunch and can’t quite wait until dinner, there’s a lovely tea spread in the late afternoon, with all kinds of pastries and empanadas to tide you over. It’s the perfect opportunity to gather like a civilized Edwardian garden party, compare notes on the riding of the day and ponder the sunset.

Then you’ll either be driven back to the bus pickup–it’s not a depot, just a restaurant parking lot–in San Antonio de Areco for the ride back to the city, or you can head up to your room and relax before changing for dinner and a good night’s sleep to prepare for another day at the estancia.

Why’s It Red?

Here’s your little trivia fact of the day: the reason La Bamba’s main house is painted red is because traditionally ranchers’ houses were far out in the country and not able to order painting supplies, so they were painted using ox blood, which was readily available, turning them a bright, rosy pinkish-red. Kind of gross, we know, but these days, it’s just paint, so vegetarians need not get in a huff.

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Horseback Ride up Los Cerros Estancia: Longhorndave
Estancia Jesus Maria: blmurch

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