South America ~ Argentina ~ Corrientes

Estancia La Rosita & The Gaucho Rides

The province of Corrientes, home to Estancia La Rosita, lies to the north of Buenos Aires. Surrounded by the great Parana and Uruguay rivers, it is the heart of the traditional 'gaucho' country. Stays at La Rosita are flexible; the estancia is open year round and there is lots to do from rides out through the pampa, lagoons, forest and sand dunes to cattle work, fishing, polo and swimming. Between March and November Gaucho Rides take you from estancia to estancia, staying at different farms each night and with excellent going and plenty of spare horses, are a joy for experienced riders who are keen to move on. La Rosita is authentic rural Argentine hospitality at its best - colourful gauchos, rodeos and cattle round-ups, delicious 'asados' - you can even have tango lessons!

Summary

Horses and Riding

Riding: 3-6 hours a day or tailored to suit

Horses: Criollo and farm bred crosses

Pace: varied, tailored to suit (fast to moderate on Gaucho Ride)

Riding ability: novice to experienced riders; families welcome (intermediate and above on Gaucho Ride)

Weight limit: about 95kg (15 stone) but contact us if you are 90kg (14st 2lbs) or over

Accommodation: comfortable estancia

Group size: maximum 12 (max 6 for polo weeks)

For Estancia La Rosita testimonials click here

The horses are local criollo and polo ponies, most have been bred on the farm and are well schooled and used to cattle work and polo so a responsive ride. Saddles are Argentine (very comfortable with big sheepskins) or polo saddles. The horses are ridden in pelham bits with a loose rein and light hands. Saddle bags are provided where necessary.

Hours: When staying at the estancia there is usually about 4 to 6 hours riding a day with breaks for rests and lunch, although hours are flexible and tailored to suit. On the Gaucho Rides there is about 6 hours riding each day, with a long lunch break.

Pace and experience required: Estancia based rides suit riders of various ability levels. As a minimum you must have some previous riding experience and be fairly fit. You should be comfortable and in control on a well schooled horse at a walk, trot and canter and used to riding in open country. Experienced riders will have responsive forward going horses and fun riding but there are also sensible, steady schoolmasters, and riding hours can be adjusted, for less experienced riders. The pace is varied with opportunities for canters and some slower days. The Gaucho Rides are for intermediate riders and above only and pace is moderate to fast, covering about 50km a day and changing horses regularly.

There are 6 guest bedrooms at La Rosita, all with en-suite bathrooms, they are simple but comfortable, quite old fashioned and furnished in traditional 'estancia' style.
When on the Gaucho Rides you stay at three other estancias - again accommodation is simple but comfortable though there may be shared bathrooms on some nights.
The Estancias are homes belonging to your hosts and are very much homes rather than hotels. You are looked after with true Gaucho hospitality. There is a swimming pool at La Rosita and also one of the other estancias on the Gaucho Ride.
Dinner is usually served in the family dining room and lunches and breakfast outside on the verandah or on tables set up under the palm trees in the garden.
You will be well fed with traditional Correntino cooking and plenty of excellent Argentine beef and lamb (vegetarians can be catered for with advance warning)

Rates 2012	Estancia based - USD 175 per night single supplement - USD 45 Gaucho Ride (4 nights) - USD 1840 single supplement - USD 360 (single rooms are subject to availability; no supplement is charged if you are prepared to share a room with another guest if necessary) Special Group Rate - for a group of 6 riders one goes free On the Gaucho Rides the single supplement is not charged if you are prepared to share a room with another guest (same sex). For Estancia stays and Polo Weeks the supplement is payable for single travellers unless we can find a sharer
	Rates include - all riding, guides, twin accommodation (single rooms for single travellers paying the supplement), meals and wine / beer with lunch and dinner. Rates exclude - flights to Buenos Aires, transfers from / to Buenos Aires, personal medical insurance (compulsory), any visa fees and extras such as, tips, laundry etc. Prices are quoted in US dollars. Payments to us can of course be made in pounds sterling if you wish and we can give you a sterling rate at the time of booking.
Dates 2012	Estancia stays - on request, year round Gaucho Ride 10th to 14th March 10th to 14th April 10th to 14th May 10th to 14th June 10th to 14th July 10th to 14th August 10th to 14th September 9th to 13th October 10th to 14th November Other dates on request
Season:	year round (March to November for Gaucho Rides)

The meeting point for the Gaucho Rides is Buenos Aires. For flights from London budget around £700 to £750 economy return (varies with season and availability). British Airways has direct flights from London to Buenos Aires, or Iberia and Aerolineas Argentinas fly via Madrid. For Polo weeks and stays at the Estancia transfers from / to Buenos Aires are not included but can easily be arranged either by bus or private vehicle.

Itinerary in brief (Gaucho Ride)
Met from your flight or hotel in Buenos Aires and transfer to the bus station for a Luxury Sleeper Bus departing 21:00hs to Esquina.

Day 1	On arrival in Esquina (05:00am) you will be met and driven to Estancia La Rosita. Breakfast and a short ride to select horses and get you used to the riding style and tack. There might be some cattle work or polo before dinner and night at La Rosita.
Day 2	After breakfast set off riding to Estancia La Amistad. There will be a stop for a delicious barbecue, with hammocks set up for a siesta. Saddle up again and ride on to Estancia La Amistad for dinner and the night.
Days 3	Ride northwest through a different landscape, visiting several estancias which border the Pucu marsh. Stop for another picnic and then ride on to Estancia Buena Vista for dinner and the night.
Day 4	Continue riding parallel to the Corrientes Rider. Lunch will be at a traditional 'Pulpería', a rustic country store and bar pub. You may visit old chapels and some picturesque ranches typical of the region. In the afternoon ride on to Estancia La Teresita. Dinner and night at La Teresita.
Day 5	The morning ride is through a great variety of country - pine forests, pampas, lagoons, native tree forests and sand dunes along the river. Lunch on the banks of the Corrientes River then ride back to La Teresita. Some traditional gaucho challenges before transferring by car back to la Rosita. A farewell dinner at La Rosita then transfer to Esquina for the Luxury overnight sleeper bus to Buenos Aires.
	Contact us on 01837-82544 for further information, detailed itineraries, dates and if you have any questions.