Argentina – Things to See and Do Beyond Horse Riding
- zara
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
Written by Zara
If you're travelling all the way to Argentina, I really think it makes sense — if you have the time — to add on a few extra days and see a little more of this incredible country.
Argentina is HUGE. You could easily spend a month here and still only scratch the surface.
The last time I went, the mainstay of my trip was riding at Don Joaquin (an incredible owner managed estancia in the wetlands area of Corrientes) followed by their Gaucho Trail, which was honestly insane — in the best possible way. Jill has written a separate blog all about that adventure after taking a group over, so have a read of that one too.
But what else should you do while you're there?
Buenos Aires – First Stop
First port of call has to be Buenos Aires. If you're flying from Ireland, the UK, Europe or the USA, it's a long journey, so I really recommend having a couple of nights in Buenos Aires before heading off to your estancia or trail.
I LOVE this city.
Buenos Aires reminds me of a slightly faded but still incredibly beautiful Paris — grand old buildings, leafy avenues, fabulous restaurants, great bars and loads of character. My favourite area to stay is Palermo, and we can recommend some gorgeous little boutique hotels.
A particular favourite of mine is Home Hotel in Palermo Hollywood — small, stylish and very Buenos Aires, with a lovely garden and pool, spa, restaurant and individually designed rooms. Some of the suites even have their own balconies and Jacuzzis. It's exactly the sort of place many of our clients enjoy — boutique and interesting rather than a big anonymous hotel.
There's loads to do in Buenos Aires, depending on how much time you have. A visit to the fabulous gaucho store Arandu is a must. Even if you're not planning on buying anything, you'll probably come out with something! It's incredibly stylish and a brilliant place to pick up proper gaucho boots, bombachas (the traditional riding trousers), belts, shirts and beautiful leather goods. I bought a gorgeous leather bag there which was very Hermès-esque, fabulous quality and really not expensive.
The surrounding area is also great for browsing, with antique shops and little stores — you can very easily lose an afternoon… We did anyhow.
Other Buenos Aires musts for me are the Eva Perón Museum, Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Perón is buried, a proper authentic tango show, and the fabulous San Telmo Market.
And then there is the food. Buenos Aires is one of those cities where eating and drinking becomes an activity in itself. There are fantastic steak restaurants, tiny neighbourhood restaurants and some brilliant secret cocktail bars.
There's so much more to Buenos Aires than what we can fit into this short chapter... We can share our shopping addresses and restaurant recommendations with you, just ask when you book! Or perhaps we should write a whole another blog just on Buenos Aires!
Patagonia – El Calafate Camp & The Glaciers
If you're not already doing Patagonia on horseback, I'd seriously consider flying down to El Calafate for three nights before or after your ride. It's only a short domestic flight from Buenos Aires but suddenly you're in proper Patagonia— huge skies, mountains, lakes and glaciers.
The big one is, of course, Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. And don't just stand and look at it! You can walk the incredible network of viewing platforms, take a boat right up towards the enormous ice walls, kayak on Lago Argentino, or — my choice — put on crampons and actually trek on the glacier itself.
There are also longer boat trips through the icebergs towards the Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers. I'd definitely do this one while these extraordinary landscapes are still there for us to experience.
Iguazú Falls – WOW
I've often taken my groups to Iguazú Falls after a riding holiday and it is such a brilliant way to finish a trip. It's an easy flight from Buenos Aires and you really only need a couple of nights.
If budget allows, stay at the Gran Meliá Iguazú, right inside the national park on the Argentine side. The location is fabulous and the infinity pool looking towards the falls is pretty spectacular. Otherwise, there are plenty of lovely and much less expensive options tucked into the jungle and it's easy to get out to the falls. You really want to experience both sides.
On the Argentine side, get properly amongst it — the boat trip is hilarious and you WILL get soaked. Then cross into Brazil for the incredible panoramic view. We also did a helicopter flight over the falls, which gives you a completely different perspective of just how enormous the whole place is.
Iguazú is one of those places where photographs don't remotely prepare you for the scale of it.
Mendoza – Wine, Wine & More Wine
For wine lovers, Mendoza is an obvious add-on. Fly over from Buenos Aires for a few days and spend your time eating, drinking fabulous Malbec and touring vineyards with the Andes sitting behind them.
One of the really fun ways of doing it is a cycling wine tour — bicycle between vineyards, taste as you go and hope your cycling gets better rather than worse as the day progresses! You can easily spend three or four nights here.
Córdoba – And Yes, More Horses!
Another option is Córdoba, particularly if you're not quite ready to stop riding.
You could add a few nights — or even a week — at Los Potreros, combining gorgeous countryside, horses and proper Argentine estancia life. It's a completely different landscape again and works really well as part of a longer Argentina itinerary.
Uruguay – Pop Over for a Few Days
One of the joys of Buenos Aires is that you can simply hop on a ferry to Uruguay. You can visit Colonia del Sacramento, continue to Montevideo or head for the beach.
It's what the locals do when they want to escape Buenos Aires and it's a really easy little two-or three-night add-on. Great food, beaches, relaxed atmosphere and another country ticked off without another long flight!
Salta & Northern Argentina – Completely Different
If you want to see an Argentina that looks completely different again, fly north to Salta. This is spectacular country — enormous mountains, desert landscapes, dramatic rock
formations and those extraordinary layers of red, orange, pink and green that make parts of the landscape look almost painted.
We also offer riding up here, so naturally I would suggest getting back on a horse! But even without riding, Northern Argentina makes a fabulous few-days road trip and gives you another completely different perspective on the country.
Ushuaia – The End of the World
And then there is the very bottom of Argentina... Ushuaia. If you really want to get off the beaten track, this is the gateway to Tierra del Fuego and quite literally feels like the end of the world.
We offer the fabulous End of the World Ride down here, which is a proper adventure. But even if you're not riding, Ushuaia is worth considering for the landscapes, wildlife and boat trips — including trips to see the penguin colonies.
And if you've got considerably more time and budget, this is also one of the jumping-off points for Antarctica. Argentina riding holiday followed by Antarctica? Now THAT is a trip.
Kati from our team has been to Ushuaia and Tierra Del Fuego. In a blog coming soon, she will be writing all about her riding to the most remote corners of Tierra Del Fuego, and encountering wild horses, penguins and sea lions in real life.
So How Long Do You Need?
Honestly? About a month!
You couldn't sensibly do all of these in one normal holiday, nor should you try. The trick is choosing one or two add-ons that work naturally with your riding itinerary.
For example:
Buenos Aires + Don Joaquin + Iguazú
or
Buenos Aires + Patagonia Riding + El Calafate
or
Buenos Aires + Riding Holiday + Mendoza
or if you're lucky enough to have lots of time... Do the lot!
Hopefully this gives you a flavour of just how much more there is to Argentina beyond the riding.
And this is where we can really help.
We're not simply booking you onto a horse riding holiday and leaving you to figure out the rest. We know South America, we love it and between our team we travel there regularly and have done for decades.
We've developed wonderful partnerships with people on the ground and, crucially, we're
recommending places and experiences that we've actually been to and experienced ourselves.
We can organise your hotels, internal flights, transfers, guides, excursions and add-on adventures and put the whole thing together so it actually works.
So tell us what sort of traveller you are — wine? wildlife? glaciers? cities? beaches? more horses?! — and we'll help you build an amazing Argentina adventure around your ride. Explore our Argentina riding holidays, or email info@zarasplanet.com, message us on social media, WhatsApp or phone us for a chat about what you'd like to add on.
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