San Antonio de Areco with Ranch - Tour from Buenos Aires
San Antonio de Areco
Located 113 km from Buenos Aires this picturesque town conveys all the essence of gaucho life and customs. Founded under the protection of a chapel inaugurated by Don José Ruiz de Arellano in 1730 it retains the architectural lines of the Colonial and Renaissance buildings of the XIX century in spite of the passing of time.
El Ombú de Areco Ranch
This historical estancia (ranch) is located in San Antonio de Areco just over an hour's drive from downtown Buenos Aires and the birthplace of the gaucho tradition. The Late-Colonial style mansion is built in 1880 by Lieutenant-General Pablo Riccheri and offers visitors a magnificent setting for an unforgettable stay.
Enrique Boelcke is grandfather of the present owner Eva Boelcke purchased El Ombú in 1934. Eva's father, Osvaldo a renowned botanist, ran the estancia as a working ranch until his death in 1990. Eva was trained as an agronomist, but since 1993 has expanded her role as farm manager to include local and international estancia tourism.
El Ombú offers nine spacious, modernized bedrooms (6 doubles and 3 triples), with one suite bathrooms, large windows and an interesting array of period furniture. In winter guests enjoy the warmth of central heating in every bedroom, augmented, with the friendly glow of the gaucho's typical wood-burning salamander. The estancia's living room is now a spacious common room in which guests can enjoy satellite TV or videos, a round of billiards, a game of chess or hand of cards. On the adjacent gallery is there also a ping-pong and metegol (table football).
The park and surrounding ranch land with its natural lagoons and small water courses running to the Areco River offer a rich habitat to a large proportion of Argentina's 1000 bird species.
No stay will be complete without at least one asado, the typical Argentinean barbecue of the world's finest beef raised free-range on the estancia.
One Day Visit
The one-day visit gives guests the chance to immerse themselves as much as they wish in the life of a working estancia dedicated mainly to raising Hereford and Aberdeen Angus Stock. Guests are welcome to observe and take part in the various stock-rearing activities as they happen on the ranch: milking, driving cattle to harness, vaccination, ear-tagging, de-horning, branding, etc. Guests can explore the 300-hectare (ca 750 acre) estancia on foot or, accompanied by seasoned gauchos, on one of the 38 horses that are part of the working drove. Horse drawn carriages are also available. Those that want to learn some of the thousand species of Argentinean birds are provided binoculars and guide books.
Itinerary
9:00 Meeting point at Tangol office
9:30 Departure to San Antonio de Areco by regular bus from Retiro.
11:30 Arrival and sightseeing in town
12:15 Transfer to ranch / reception with "empanadas"
13:00 Lunch (Barbecue)
14:30 Activities (horse riding, walking, swimming pool, ping-pong, football, volley, bikes)
18:00 Transfer to San Antonio de Areco bus terminal.
18:30 Return to Buenos Aires
20:30 Arrival to city at Retiro bus terminal.