north east argentina - louise mumford, product manager - americas

Riding with the Gauchos
There are plenty of opportunities to ride horses on ranches in Argentina but not too many where you get to ride alongside the gauchos and watch them at work. A fiercely proud and traditional bunch of very macho guys, the gauchos or cowboys of Corrientes province have their own traditional costume suited to their hot and humid climate that is entirely different from the outfits worn in the Pampas near Buenos Aires and in Patagonia. They claim this northern province south of Iguazu Falls is the Cradle of the Gaucho and theirs is a way of life not just a job. We saddled up and followed four gauchos out on to the working ranch at Estancia Santa Cecilia near Posadas after having our cotton gaiters strapped onto our legs like the gauchos. These however were not to make us tourists look ridiculous but because they protect your legs from saddle rubs after a 3 hour ride - invaluable! After half an hour of riding up to the cattle grazing grounds, we were asked to follow behind to help round up any strays (despite not really being much of a rider) although our well behaved mounts were probably doing this instinctively without any help from us. The cattle then were rounded up so the new born calves could be injected, a chance to see the gaucho skills at work but not in some staged show for visitors, just a part of their everyday farm life. Even the trainee gaucho who is thirteen looked as though he and the horse were one, so easily did he lasso the calves and bring them in, whilst fending off the protective mothers. Finally it was ready for lunch and after several hours in the saddle both we and our gaucho hosts were ready for a glass of wine and, yes of course,  chunks of delicious meat from the huge side of beef cooked slowly by their wives over the wood fire at a traditional asado lunch. Whatever was left over went to their families for food for the rest of the week.

Tango in Buenos Aires
I stayed at the achingly hip Faena Hotel & Universe in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires equivalent to London Docklands and home to this contemporary hotel designed by Philippe Starck. One of the most beautiful and intimate Tango show venues is to be found here at Rojo Tango and it was here that I had the fortunate opportunity to meet two of the stars of the show and have a private Tango lesson. Of course, compared to pretty much all Latin Americans, the English in general have two left feet so it was with remarkable patience that I was guided through a basic sequence. I and my partner were told that if we could do this successfully and 'feel' the music, we might be just about OK to go to a milonga or casual tango dance club. I thought I mastered it quite well but it was really just the baby steps they were teaching us. At the end the two stars treated us to a private demonstration and I realised then I would have to have quite a few more lessons before plucking up the courage for the milonga!

High Waters at Iguazu Falls
The Iguazu Falls are impressive at any time of year but there are certain times after heavy rains when they become even more of a raging torrent than usual. Such was the spectacle at Iguazu Falls in September when I visited when the usual volume of water over the Falls rose from 1.5 million litres per second to eight million! Although our guide Alberto reliably informed me that this was not the most water the Falls had ever seen, in 1983 it rose to 32 million litres per second, I did wonder how they measured this? Still, with the waters in full flow, the rainbows appearing above the constant spray were just beautiful and the butterflies came out with the sun. The pathways to the lower reaches of the Falls had to be shut for half a day that day but the walkways on the upper levels were just as spectacular. Part of this pathway had been submerged with high waters a few weeks before but with some ingenious engineering, the pathways can be raised again as the waters recede so we were still able to gaze down into the wildest part of the Falls at the Devil's Throat from above. However our guide assured us the waters were rising again so we retreated to a distance away from the water lapping towards the pathway and enjoyed a private toast with champagne in a quieter part of the forest close to the Falls, watching toucans in the trees above in this wonderful tropical environment.

Bird-watching in the Ibera Wetlands
We arrived at the stunning and remote Rincon del Socorro lodge close to the Esteros del Ibera wetlands in North-East Argentina for a few days. The number of wildlife species to be found, especially birds, is phenomenal here. Our first opportunity to see the local inhabitants was by small boat, floating through the shallow marshes, through reed beds and waterlilies. We came across the impressive Jabiru stork, the tallest bird in Latin America at up to 1.5 metres nesting and then watched it take off gracefully and soar above our heads as well as Kingfishers, herons, cormorants, and many other beautiful endemic birds. Quietly sitting in amongst the reeds we say capybara, the biggest rodents in the world, with their young as well as lonesome caiman swimming along the banks. Back at our sumptouous lodge, beautifully hosted by Leslie & Valeria Cook, we took the bikes out for an evening cycle and alongside sundowners, we watched grey foxes, Marsh deer and chinchillas come out as night began to fall. After dinner back at the main house, we saw giant rhea grazing and an armadillo beyond the gardens. Even the overflight from Posadas to the ranch coasting over the glistening waters saw us spotting a Brocket deer, once very rare in the region but now returning more and more frequently as conservation efforts are being stepped up to protect this remote but fascinating environment.


To speak to Louise or one of our Latin America travel consultants,
please call 0845 618 2201
Or click here to visit the Argentina pages on our website