A Day in the Life of a Gaucho: Santa Susana Ranch

• Experience a day in the life of the Argentine ‘gaucho’, at the beautiful Estancia Santa Susana

You’re invited to experience a day in the life of a “gaucho” at beautiful Estancia Santa Susana. This is a perfect opportunity to get out of the city and explore the Argentinean countryside, with the natural surroundings of the Argentine Pampas (a region of very fertile plains). As you tour the facilities of the estancia (ranch), you’ll get a first-person glimpse of the gaucho’s life in its heyday.

The “gaucho” is the Argentinean equivalent of a North American “cowboy”, and has traditionally been the primary laborer on Argentine estancias (or ranches). Gauchos flourished in the mid-18th century; since then, the gaucho has become a central symbol of Argentine tradition. Even Walt Disney, in his visit to Argentina in 1941, was inspired by the Gaucho, and made a short movie called “Gaucho Goofy”; in which Goofy was portrayed as a gaucho in the Argentine Pampas.

You’ll also have the chance to hop on the gaucho’s most prized possession: his horse! You can either choose to do a very short ride on this noble four-legged companion, or take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

You’ll learn about the Gaucho’s work and customs, as well as enjoy a traditional and wholesome Argentine barbecue, also known as “asado”. Argentina is famous for its beef, and especially for the Angus and Hereford cattle breeds that graze the grasses of the Pampas. Meat from grass-fed cows is leaner and tastier than that of cows fed on a feedlot, which is the prevalent way of raising cows nowadays in other countries. The Argentine traditional barbecue is charcoal-roasted, which makes for an even tastier meat.

After lunch, there will be a Tango and Folklore show with some time to relax before the afternoon activities. You will also get to see a mesmerizing boleadoras show performed by a gaucho. The boleadoras are a traditional throwing weapon used by gauchos, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs (made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, and used to capture animals by entangling their legs). Afterwards, you’ll be treated to a horse show where you will get to admire horse herds (tropillas) and watch the gauchos play some games, now on horseback, such as “Carreras de Sortijas” (Ring Races).

After a full day learning about the customs and traditions of Argentine estancias and gauchos, you’ll hop back aboard our vehicle for a transfer back to the city, with a camera full of pictures to share with your loved ones.

This is a lovely tour but with one drawback: the capacity of the estancia is very large, and as a result during the high season it’s not uncommon for more than 150 people to visit it each day. Therefore, if you prefer more exclusive tours, we suggest requesting one of our specialized private tours in Buenos Aires.

Important: the tour’s exact itinerary and duration may change subject to weather conditions and decisions of the tour guide to optimize your tour experience.