Estancia El Ombu: it’s the gaucho life for us

Monday morning we set off (after Martin finally managed to collect some Argentinian pesos from the bank!) in our pre-booked van out of the city and into the countryside. We were aiming for Estancia El Ombu – a traditional estancia set on 300 hectares of land in San Antonia de Areco. The original farmhouse dates back to 1880 and the whole place is named after the Ombu tree that still stands in the grounds.

We booked an overnight stay here, to make the most of our time – although annoyingly our midday flight on Tuesday was cancelled and replaced by one at 9am, meaning a 4am wake up call for us (and sadly no early morning horse ride or breakfast!).

However, we weren’t going to waste a minute of our time; once we popped our overnight bags (we left our big rucksacks in Buenos Aires so will see them on Wednesday night) in our beautiful room, we were back in the sunshine enjoying the most delicious empanadas we’ve had yet!

We were told lunch would be served at 1:30pm, so we borrowed some bikes and rode off to see what we could see. It was a bumpy old ride – everyone’s tyres could’ve done with a pump and the dirt track road was uneven – but we enjoyed seeing part of the Estancia from the bikes. Later we’d try it on horseback!

Back at the ranch, it was time for lunch – didn’t manage to take any pics of the meat, but there was so much! Men brought it round to our tables in stints, starting with sausages, then chicken, then pork, then steak and more steak and a bit more steak. You could pick the piece you wanted from the mini grill they carried in their hands – we had no idea so much would be served!

Sylvie counted 11 dogs here, all very gentle and friendly – and some especially keen to make our acquaintance during lunch!!

Royally stuffed to the brim, we were then treated to some music, dancing and a demonstration of “Doma India” (traditional Argentinian horse whispering).

Following that impressive display, it was then our turn… off we went on horseback for an hour and a half – getting a real glimpse into the size of the estancia and attempting not to fall off!!

Back at the farmhouse, it was time for drinks and cakes (Did we need them? Nope. Did we eat them? Yup!) and reading/card games. Following a stunning sunset, we headed back into our room to enjoy the warmth from the fire.

Dinner was served at 8pm in the gorgeous main dining room of the farmhouse – it was incredible; a seafood pate on bruschetta, spinach ravioli in a tomato sauce and a dulche de leche fruit compote pudding. We were so full!!

Time for a quick shower and straight to bed, as we’re up with the sparrows tomorrow morning to get back to the airport.