HOW TO CHOOSE A RIDING HOLIDAY IN ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA HAS AN INCREDIBLE HORSE CULTURE, WIDE OPEN SPACES AND A HOLIDAY TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
We have five incredible options spanning almost the entire country:
DON JOAQUIN | US$1,470 | All Year | 6 Nights | Comfortable Estancia Stay
DON JOAQUIN GAUCHO TRAIL | US$2,900 | All Year | 6 Nights | Comfortable Trail Ride
LOS POTREROS | US$3,526 | August to April | 7 Nights | Comfortable Estancia Stay
JAKOTANGO | US$7,175 | November to February | 7 Nights | Stylish Adventure Trail Ride
TIERRA DEL FUEGO BY JAKOTANGO | US$5,075 | November to March | 7 Nights | Adventure Trail
CROSSING THE ANDES | €4,785 | December to March | 10 Nights | Adventure Trail
1) ESTANCIA DON JOAQUIN | US$1,470 | 6 NIGHTS
Massively popular working cattle ranch Estancia Don Joaquin and the Solanet family, have been wowing guests with their incredible horses, stylish rooms and amazing hospitality. This is a favourite of Black Saddle guests and we love sending guests here. Located in the warm wetlands of Corrientes in the north of the country, the terrain is comparable to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The riding is great all year around with dry winters still around 20 degrees during the day. The best time to travel is between November and March.
Highlights:
Ride twice a day
Swim with your horse
Flat lands allow for fast riding
Beautiful estancia amongst the trees
Relax by the lap pool with horses grazing around you
Incredible meals with generous portions - most diets catered for
Angie’s knock out ‘Gaucho Killer’ cocktails!
Spot wild capybara, caiman (mini crocodiles) and loads of other wildlife
You have over 100 horses to choose from. We joke that they don’t have two horses the same colour - there is a horse for everyone here. You ride in the mornings and afternoons and the middle of the day is free to relax by the lap pool or under a palm tree with a good book.
Meals are shared over a long table outside in the garden or in the beautiful dining room. Riders will be grouped by ability so beginners you are welcome and very experienced riders looking to have fun working cattle and galloping through the fields will ride out separately.
You’re able to book massages and even play polo locally.
The ride has a quirky start as you arrive by taking a luxury overnight bus. Departing Buenos Aires you arrive 8 hours later in the early hours of the morning. The bus has lie flat beds and the longer transfer is worth it for the destination. It’s all part of the experience.
Arrive any time for a minimum of four days or join our exclusive Black Saddle weeks.
2) THE GAUCHO TRAIL by DON JOAQUIN | US$2,900 | 6 NIGHTS
Don Joaquin runs an Africa-style mobile safari moving from estancia to estancia. You’ll enjoy gourmet picnics lunches on route, drive loose horses, and gallop along the Corrientes river delta beaches. Play cowboy for a week, enjoy riding with purpose every day to your next destination and you don’t need to sacrifice comfort at any point, all the accommodation on this trail is comfortable, there’s no compromise!
Highlights:
Warm, wetlands filled with wildlife
Flat lands allow for fast riding
Beautiful estancias amongst the trees
Relax by the pool with horses grazing around you
Shared meals from the wonderful kitchen
Relax with one massage included
If you love the idea of Don Joaquin but want to add a layer of adventure to your stay this is one for you. This is an all-guns-blazing trail from estancia to estancia. You’ll also spend two nights at Don Joaquin so you will get the best of everything.
Arrive anytime of year with a minimum of two riders or join one of our Black Saddle rides.
3) ESTANCIA LOS POTREROS | US$3,526 | 7 NIGHTS
One of Tatler Magazine’s 101 Best Hotels in the World , Estancia Los Potreros offers a home away from home feeling in Cordoba, Argentina. The Estancia can welcome up to 12 guests and owner Kevin, an Argentine with a British background, is an incredibly welcoming, accommodating host. The terrain is similar to Dartmoor in England.
Highlights:
90+ riding horses including prize Pasos and local criollos
Ride twice a day over the rolling hills
Try polo
Relax by the pool
Shared meals from the wonderful kitchen
Los Potreros, ‘the paddocks’, has a reputation of consistently delivering holidays that make you feel so welcome, spoiled and at home.
Riding at Los Pots gives you the feeling you had when you were young, riding your horse over the rolling hills, laughing freely, sharing delicious local meals and drinking just a little too much Malbec with every meal. You are able to try polo, they have their own facilities. Polo is scheduled around once a week so might not line up with your dates, but if you let us know you would like to try we can see if it can be arranged.
A traditional oasis in the Sierra Chicas. Los Pots is for everyone though is a favourite of the 50+ age groups. Groups of mixed abilities, solo riders, those with a need for speed and those looking for some restful reflective riding and a lot of relaxation. Everyone deserves to visit Los Pots at least once.
Add a three night stay onto your Argentinian adventure or make a stay your primary holiday with 7 nights with Kevin and the team.
4) JAKOTANGO | US$7,175 | 7 NIGHTS
Not only is Jakotango one of the most premium rides in Argentina - this safari is one of the best riding experiences in the world. The Patagonia Trail sets the standard for blending style, comfort and adventure. This ride sells out two years in advance for a reason.
Highlights:
7 nights / 8 days riding
4 nIghts in pretty cabins with ensuite bathrooms, 2 nights in simple fly camps on the mountain, 1 night as a guest of Gaucho Felipe
Arrival by speedboat
Mountain riding in a remote and beautiful surroundings
Guides Jakob von Plessen and Daisy Soames are major draw cards. Incredible hosts, they both worked at Offbeat Safaris in Kenya before Jakob set up Jakotango in his homeland. The horses are bred especially for this trail and Jakob is closely involved with their training and care.
Base camp is located in a hidden valley in the Andes. You can bathe in the Base Camp river during the quiet afternoon siesta and then marvel in the glory of mountain vistas and volcanoes on all sides as you traverse the Pass of Tears.
You will have the ride of your life with Jakob and Daisy.. if you can get a saddle that is.
5) TIERRA DEL FUEGO by JAKOTANGO | US$5,075 | 7 NIGHTS
Jakotango’s brand new ride at the End of the World in Tierra del Fuego. Guided by Marcos Villamil, who rode the length of Argentina with his horses before guiding in Patagonia for two years. Marcos will lead you through the wilds of the south, prepare delicious gaucho meals over the campfire and get you singing along his guitar in the evenings.
Highlights:
Visit iconic estancias in the south the Argentina
Enjoy long canters in the valleys
Thrilling mountain riding
Experience the isolation of gaucho life, staying in authentic puestos
Spot guanacos, condors, wild horses, foxes, beavers and an abundance of bird life.
Spend two nights at San Jose, until recently owned by Ted Turner
The riding is faster than that in the Patagonia Trail, you will have more opportunities for canters, but there's also vertigo-inducing mountain riding. You must be an experienced rider, competent at all paces to join the ride.
Tierra del Fuego is infamously wild, so expect any weather conditions, even in the height of summer when the season runs.
The very first season starts in November 2024. Join and be a pioneer on this brand new safari!
6) CROSSING THE ANDES | €4,785 | 10 NIGHTS
Ride from Chile to Argentina, over the Andes mountain range, in Northern Patagonia. Encounter smoking volcanoes, a deep blue glacier, snowy peaks, deep blue mountain lakes, and dense, towering rainforests during this once in a lifetime experience.
Highlights:
Incredible adventurous riding
Visit two countries
Blend of comfort and camping
Pack-horse supported in Chile
Ride epic glaciers
Ride around the crater of Sollipulli volcano
Swap horses at the border
Swim in glacial lakes and hot tubs some nights
Traditional Argentine Asado (barbeque)
This is a brilliant combination of camping and comfort as you alternate between cabins and tents.
Groups are small, usually just six riders. Suitable for english and western riders are saddles are deep chilean style, similar to western saddles.
RIDING IN ARGENTINA
RIDING IN ARGENTINA
7 Days at Don Joaquin | Estancia Stay | From US£1,470 per person sharing
WHAT TO PACK
From what to wear on horseback to what to pack, we cover it all in our guide