GAUCHOS, WINERIES AND LAKES OF ARGENTINA .. FIONA REPORTS BACK!
Making my fourth visit to Argentina in May proved as enjoyable as the others yet even more diverse. See below for a few of my most memorable experiences and start planning a visit of your own:
Glamourous Buenos Aires made a great stopover for a day or two. Contrast the multicoloured houses and whacky street art of La Boca, with the extraordinary stillness of Recoleta Cemetery where visitors make haste to the Duarte family vault to pay their respects to Argentina’s first lady Eva Peron. Evenings offer great options too. I sipped cocktails at the roof terrace Sky Bar with cool nightscape and dined on juicy steak at nearby Faena Tango – a low-lit club where strutting music, sharp suits, trilbies, pencil moustaches, high heels and sequinned evening gowns are the order of the day, or should I say night?
Heading 1.5 hours north was Estancia La Bamba de Areco – an 18th century ranch – great for riding, polo or just chilling! It was good to be back in the saddle again – a comfy sheepskin atop a western saddle. I followed the estancia’s head gaucho at a fast canter round the polo field before ducking under trees to find a typical asado lunch laid out on the lawns – a long table awash with chilled bottles of white and heaped platters of salads, steak and home-baked bread. It reminded me of the stunning Estancia Los Potreros where I stayed at some years back in Cordoba – boutique accommodation, great hiking and riding, superb food and atmosphere. Ask me for details.
The cauldron of hot oil bubbled on the barbeque grill and the freshly made empanadas bobbed about, crisping nicely, while delicious flatbreads imprinted with cherry tomatoes, rosemary, salt and olive oil chargrilled next to fat Argentine steak and roasted aubergine. I’d just finished an incredibly fun cooking lesson under the vines at the stunning boutique Cavas Wine Lodge in Mendoza, west of the capital and the epicentre of the Argentine wine district. If you like to drink wine, this place is a must. New for me – the chance to blend and bottle my own red – Castillo Brijnath 2025!
I also wine-tasted in the nearby Uco Valley in the shadow of the snowcapped Andes Mountains. Gleaming stainless-steel tanks, aged oak barrels and row upon row of orange and red leaved vines in their glorious autumn plumage. Malbecs and Cabernet Sauvignons rubbed shoulders with fruity new Chardonnays and Sparkling Wines. This is a heavenly experience for the vinophile!
Even the 90-minute flight from Mendoza to Bariloche was something to remember. I was glued to the window for the entire flight as we followed the snow dusted spine of the Andes with the occasional white pointed snow peak rising above the soft folds of brown. The night sky was awash with stars and next morning a brisk wind funnelled down over the lake between steep sided wooded hills which I later explored on horseback before swapping four legs for a paddle and taking to the lake in a kayak. Bariloche is the undisputed Lake District of Argentina and a fantastic place to hike, bike, fish, ride and sail.
What to do next
Not only do we tailor-make Argentina pre and post Antarctic voyages – we also organise comprehensive tours of the country. Where do your interests lie? Cultural Buenos Aires or the thrill of Iguazu Falls, riding, wine, hiking, glaciers, national parks, fishing, polo, or the lesser visited northwest region of Salta. Put Argentina on your ‘to see’ list and ask for our Glaciers and Gauchos tailor-made itinerary or a thrilling option combining Argentina with Chile and world-renowned Patagonia.
