Of Gauchos & Ganchos - Argentina

Immersive Cultural Adventure to Argentina From Buenos Aires’ pulsing milongas to the traditional pulperias of the Pampas plains, Argentina’s rich folk culture makes it a fantastic place for an immersive cultural adventure. This itinerary is perfect for culture buffs of all stripes, whether you’re a bookworm on a Graham Greene pilgrimage, an aspiring milonguero looking to brush up on your tango skills, or a would-be gaucho eager to learn horsemanship skills from real-life Argentine cowboys. Along the way, you’ll stay in a range of elegant city boutiques and working cattle estancias. This itinerary begins in the tango halls of Buenos Aires, where you’ll learn the gancho step from a dance master before watching the professionals at work at the acclaimed Rojo Tango. Next you’ll head to the colonial-meets-Guarani city of Corrientes, immortalised by Graham Greene in The Honorary Consul, before staying on a traditional estancia on the fringes of the Ibera Wetlands, home to caimans, capybaras and myriad other strange creatures. Your journey ends in the Pampas lowlands, where you’ll be immersed in traditional gaucho culture, from looking after newborn calves to watching displays of horse whispering. PERFECT FOR Culture vultures looking to experience a taste of traditional Argentine culture. IN THE KNOW Why not add some time in northwest Argentina, to experience the multicoloured valleys of Salta province.

Itinerary details

3 NIGHTS BUENOS AIRES Your cultural adventure begins in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires. You’ll spend three nights at the stylish Legado Mitico, a chic boutique hotel in the fashionable Palermo district of the city. While the surrounding area is all modern art galleries and trendy cafés, you’ll spend much of your time here getting to grips with traditional tango culture. You’ll learn to master the gancho with a private lesson with a tango master, and go on a tour of the city’s famous milongas – finishing up with VIP access to the city’s very best show, Rojo Tango. You’ll also get taken on a private tour of hidden Buenos Aires, heading to speakeasy bars and hidden boltholes that you’d otherwise have no idea were there. 2 NIGHTS CORRIENTES Your next stop is the elegant colonial city of Corrientes, a crossroads for European and indigenous Guarani culture. Literature buffs will also recognise the city as the setting of Graham Greene’s The Honorary Consul. A historic tour will introduce you to the city’s landmark buildings and attractions, among them the Santa Rita de Cassia church, the beautiful 19th-century cathedral, and the lovely costanera waterfront. The Museo de Artesenia, meanwhile, is a great place to get a feel for the traditional Guarani culture which Corrientes province is famous for. Your home for the next two nights is La Alondra, a lovely boutique hotel with the same atmosphere of vintage elegance as Corrientes itself. 4 NIGHT SESQUINA Heading out of the city and into rural Corrientes province, you’ll spend four nights on the fringes of the beautiful Ibera Wetlands at the Estancia Don Joaquin. Set on a working cattle ranch, this place is all about a truly immersive experience of traditional gaucho culture: you’ll have the chance to learn all kinds of cowboy techniques, from making a lasso to caring for newborn calves. The surrounding area, of lakes, lagoons and swamps, is home to all kinds of unusual creatures, including capybaras, caimans and flamingos. You can spot all these and more on safaris over land and water. You’ll spend one of your four nights here at La Teresita, an even more remote estancia 80 kilometres away, where you’ll get a feel for simple rural Argentine life, visiting a local school and hanging out with gauchos at a pulperia bar. 2 NIGHTS PAMPAS The final stop on your cultural journey is the Pampas, an area of unspoilt plains rich in wildlife. The last two nights of your trip will be spent at La Bamba de Areco, a luxury boutique hotel on a country estancia which was founded in the 1830s. This is another region rich in traditional gaucho culture, and if you choose to come between late November and early December you can enjoy VIP access to the Fiesta del Guacho – a festival of polo competitions and various horsemanship events. Year-round, though, you’ll enjoy a programme rich in gaucho activities, from rides on horseback or in a horse-drawn carriage to displays of horse whispering, and polo matches during the high season. The nearby town of San Antonio de Areco is also a great place to experience gaucho culture – head to one of the town’s pulperias, the Argentine answer to a Wild West saloon, to meet the cowboys over a yerba mate. Holiday Name : Of Gauchos & Ganchos 
Reference : Exsus Travel