The word ‘estancia’ describes a property and its land called a ranch in North America or a farm or rural estate in Great Britain. The term, estancia is used in Argentina, southern Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The equivalent in other Latin American countries would be hacienda, or fazenda (Brazil).
We are most interested in Argentina’s estancias that historically raised livestock (cattle), but more recently many Argentine estancias have developed their properties to provide quality accommodation and amazing sporting estates that specialize in tourism and providing some of the best outdoor and country pursuits found anywhere in the world.
More importantly, equestrian pursuits, hunting, angling and polo camps, often the pastimes of the landed gentry north of the equator, are affordable to most tourists visiting Argentina who want to ‘lord’ over the land.
Argentina’s estancias date back to Spanish colonial rule when free roaming cattle rearing gave way to land ownership and ranching, mainly in the Pampas. Estancias had permanent farm buildings and livestock branded to show their ownership.
The estancia’s ranch workers covered huge areas on horseback, and so the Argentine cowboy, the gaucho, was born. In the past, when cattle roamed free, gauchos were outcasts and the term ‘gaucho’ synonymous with roughnecks.
Gauchos were generally nomadic, and lived on the pampas, the plain that extends north from Patagonia, bounded on the west by the Andes and extending as far north as the Brazilian state of Paraná. The gaucho became the the predominant rural workers on estancias and as time marched forward their important place in Argentina’s cultural history and folklore is today unblemished.
Argentina’s estancias and their gauchos are figures romanticized in song, poetry and film, and their prowess on horseback is legendary.
Argentina Countrywide represents the leading Argentine estancias, sporting and wine estates, and some of the finest polo camps.
Our reservations team help travelers plan Argentina tours and travel, and arrange accommodation from just a few nights leisure or longer estancia and sporting vacations for equestrian professionals and enthusiasts, hunting and angling parties and polo camps Argentina countrywide.
No Argentina tours and travel are complete without vacationing at least few days on an Argentine estancia.
Our Argentina estancias range from basic quality rooms in fine country houses to five stars estancia accommodation with the splendor of the world’s top rated hotels.