Estancia, asado and gaucho: how a riding day in Argentina is built
In Argentina the ride is often half the day, the other half is the meal.
Many offers are day programmes with mate, ride and asado. How much of it is riding, which region suits which day and what you should ask.
What an estancia day includes
Several offers near Buenos Aires begin with a country breakfast with mate and regional pastries; one provider lets you learn how mate is prepared, names many horses for every level and a ride in the pampa, followed by the asado. One provider combines the ride with polo. Another offer combines tango lessons, a ride and a barbecue on a family estancia; there the ride is one part of the programme. That means: on a whole day with asado you are, according to the providers, often in the saddle for only part of it. Ask about the saddle time.
Where it differs
Mendoza. At the foot of the Andes providers name rides with asado, sunset rides near Lunlunta, south of the city, and a day on a family ranch with creek crossings. Private rides are available at Estancia Tierras Andinas. Córdoba. Providers describe rides through the Sierras with a country life, with animals, music and gaucho dances. According to UNESCO the Jesuit Block with five estancias from the 17th and 18th centuries lies there (whc.unesco.org/en/list/995). Patagonia. The estancias lie near El Calafate (Nibepo Aike) and in Los Glaciares National Park (Estancia Cristina); according to UNESCO the park covers 600,000 hectares.
The weather through the year
According to the WMO service (data of the SMN, 1981 to 2010) the daily maximum in Buenos Aires is 30.1 degrees in January and 15.3 degrees in July; it rains all year, 138.7 millimetres in January and 140.1 in March. In Mendoza the maximum is 32.3 degrees in January and 15.0 degrees in July; it is dry (July 8.0 millimetres). In Córdoba 156.9 millimetres of rain fall in December, 4.8 in June. For the southern summer that means: hot weather and, in the pampa and in Córdoba, rain, in Mendoza dryness. No source names a best time to travel, and we give none.
Questions for the provider
- How many hours are you in the saddle, and how much is mate, food, lessons or programme?
- Where is the meeting point, and is pick-up included in the price?
- What level is required, and is there a weight limit in kilograms?
- Are there river crossings, and how deep?
- What is in the price (food, wine, polo, show)?
- How many guests and how many guides are there?
- What applies in heat or rain, and until when is cancellation free?
What we could not confirm
Weather values from the WMO page, not from the SMN directly. Statements on mate, number of horses, polo and family businesses are provider information. No source on the pampa itself.
Sources (read on 12 October 2026)
- WMO World Weather Information Service, climate information Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Córdoba (data of the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional), worldweather.wmo.int.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba (995) and Los Glaciares National Park (145).
- Offers: Viator pool and GetYourGuide hand cards, as of 11 October 2026.