Exploring the Estancias of Argentina

This morning we’ll meet you in the hotel lobby and drive you to your estancia near Buenos Aires, the Ombú in San Antonio de Areco.

El Ombú de Areco is a historical estancia (ranch) just over an hour’s drive from downtown Buenos Aires in San Antonio de Areco, birthplace of the gaucho tradition. The late-Colonial style mansion, built in 1880, offers visitors a magnificent setting for an unforgettable stay.

Today you have a variety of options for activities; you can go horseback riding, hiking, or sightseeing in an old-fashioned carriage. This is an ideal place for prime bird watching and observing typical ranch-style activities such as herding animals, branding cattle and milking cows.

In the evening, there will be a typical Argentine asado, or barbecue, as well as a musical performance and some folkloric dance.

This morning, you will have time to participate in any activities you did not get to the day before.

In the afternoon, there will be a show of classic Argentine cowboy skills, such as catching calves, herding galloping horses, a sort of backwards polo, and many more.

After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to this lovely estancia. At the appropriate time we’ll drive you from the estancia to the domestic airport for your flight south. Upon arrival, you will have a transfer from El Calafate airport to Nibepo Aike, your first estancia in Patagonia!

This estancia is located inside of Los Glaciares National Park. With a maximum capacity of 22 persons in its ten rooms, exclusiveness and warmth are guaranteed. Horseback riding and hiking are the principal activities. Furthermore, visitors can enjoy the homemade cuisine: vegetables from the garden, and the famous lamb grilled on a traditional Patagonian cross stake.

In the morning, we will pick you and drive you to Glaciers National Park to enjoy a six hour Perito Moreno Glacier tour.  You will travel about 25 miles from El Calafate to the park, enjoying the views of the Patagonian steppe. Once inside the park, you will take walkways to explore the different viewpoints, and you’ll feel unbelievably close to Perito Moreno Glacier. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see a piece of ice break off and fall from the glacier wall, sinking forever into the lake below.

Over the course of about an hour, a bilingual guide will provide you with all the information you might want to know… and things you may have never thought about. After this visit, you will take a boat ride that will bring you close enough to fully appreciate the 262-foot ice walls of Perito Moreno! You’ll never feel closer to this gigantic and impressive natural masterpiece. At the end of the day, we will drive you back to your hotel.

Our horse ride starts early in the morning, with a climb up the Cordon de los Cristales (Cristal mountain range), which lies behind the main house. The higher we go, the more clearly the Argentino Lake`s arms stand out. Once we reach a clearing, the track plunges into the Patagonian Andean woods. On coming out of the dense woodland the way opens out into the Valley of the Río Cachorro.

We start descending towards the lower land until we come to the riverbed. Surprise views of the Frías glacier start to appear in the distance. Riding between rocks and pasturelands and avoiding the marshlands, we reach the corrals of the Río Cachorro (Cachorro River) outpost where the rangers might be working with the livestock.

After a picnic lunch we continue horseback riding to the Third of April Lagoon. Passing the lake, we arrive at the outpost, and after unsaddling, there will be time to enjoy the surroundings and the cosiness of the refuge. A wood-fired stove and a brick clay oven, the evening meal will be prepared while tales of adventures are shared.

Our return journey begins riding along the shore of the lake until we reach the main buildings of the estancia, about 18km from the refuge. We will arrive in time for lunch with a typical Patagonian lamb roasted at the stake over charcoal embers, which will be ready just as the riders arrive. After lunch, a shuttle service will take you to El Calafate.

Once in El Calafate, you’ll continue to Hostería Helsingfors, the second estancia in Patagonia you’ll be staying at.

Set in a charming lodge in Los Glaciares National Park and surrounded by lush woods, Hosteria Helsingfors boasts nine luxury rooms in an exquisite setting often compared to JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings stories.

After lunch you can explore around the area, and if you are not too tired, you can enjoy one of the activities that Helsingfors offers. In the evening, you’ll be welcomed with the best regional cuisine.

An ancient livestock trail leads us towards Punta del Viento, the first viewpoint of the arm of Moyano. It is a simple walk that has great views of the town and the grove of Sequoias. Along the way we visit the ruins of the House of Alfred Ramstrom, who was the first settler in the area. The Moyano “arm” goes into the mountains and to the East lies the immensity of the Viedma Lake with its celestial waters; the characteristics of the glacial lakes can be seen arriving on the shores. This is a three hour, “easy” difficulty experience!

Today you will be able to choose from the activities offered by Hostería Helsingfors. We recommend to enjoy the trekking or horse riding to Laguna Azul!

The day will be started on a path that leads out from the lodge and goes into the valley of the Rio Alfredo (the same river that feeds the lodge’s energy). You will begin to slowly hike up the Cerro Huemul, accompanied by the melody of the bubbling river. After around forty minutes of hiking, you’ll reach a panoramic viewpoint where you can see the magnitude of Cerro Fitz Roy coming out from the huge Lago Viedma.

The path continues plunging into the valley which becomes increasingly narrower, surrounded by Cordon Huemul and peaks that reach 2700 meters; the glacier of the Blue Lagoon you will already be able to see on the horizon of the valley. The trail then enters a forest where it is common to see guanacos and vultures curious to observe visitors approaching. This medium-difficulty experience lasts for 5h 30 min.

Today you continue your trip exploring the estancias in Argentina Patagonia and reach El Chaltén! You will have a private transfer that will take you from Hostería Helsingfors to Hostería El Pilar in El Chalten.

Here you can enjoy any of the self-guided treks in the area. We recommend that you take the path to Pliegue Tumbado from where you get impressive panoramic views of the Mounts Fitz Roy and Torre. You can optionally hire horses for this route.

This is the end of your southern travels. At the appropriate time, we’ll pick you up from your hotel and drive you to the airport to take your flight back to Buenos Aires.

You can explore the cobblestone, tree-lined streets of Palermo Soho in search of some one-of-a-kind Porteño fashion stores or discover the incredible street art in the area. If you’re leaving on a Saturday or Sunday, you may have the chance to visit one of the city markets, only open on weekends.

Over the course of a half-day today you will have the chance to visit the historical and political center of the city; Plaza de Mayo and the presidential house. Next, we’ll move on to San Telmo with its cobblestone streets and the oldest residential neighborhood, and then to La Boca where Buenos Aires turns colorful and tango is ever present.

In the evening we’ll pick you up from your hotel to take you to a mystical place where you’ll discover one of our most ancient traditions. You will enjoy a three-hour professional display of tango and music with a group of local artists onstage immersed in an elegant and alluring place. This spectacular demonstration of the finest local dancing will be accompanied by delicious Argentine and international cuisine.

At the appropriate time, we will bring you to the airport for your journey home. Your host will help you to check-in to your flight and wish you buen viaje!

Like the sound of this Argentina private tour? Get in touch with Kuoda and we’ll start devising your very own customized Argentina private travel experience.