Horse riding in Argentina is ingrained into the national culture. The figure of the Gaucho is a treasured national symbol and a gaucho without a horse is no gaucho. Pato, Argentina’s national sport, is played on horseback and the country produces far and away the world’s best polo players and horses. Argentina was liberated on the back of a horse and we are fortunate to have some of the best and most varied horse riding country in the world: swim with horses in the Iberá wetlands, ride above the clouds in the Andes mountains, gallop between Penguin and Sea-lion colonies along the Patagonian beaches and drive cattle with the gauchos across the indomitable pampas. We have it all and best of all we have the Argentines who, with their charming laid back attitude to life, make horse riding infinitely more enjoyable.
Ideal time to travel
All year round
Where in Argentina
Salta & the Northwest | The Iguazú Waterfalls | The Iberá Wetlands | The Sierras of Cordóba | The Vineyards of Mendoza | Buenos Aires & the Pampas | The Patagonian Lake District | The Whales of Peninsula Valdes | The Glaciers National Park | Tierra del Fuego & Antarctica
Adventures
Ride in the sierras of Cordoba | Ride over the Andes | Cattle drive in the Patagonian Lake District | The Hidden Glaciers Ride | Polo in Buenos Aires | Ride in Argentina’s Galapagos | Ride through the wetlands
Highlights
There are a variety of choices for horse riding in Argentina. You can do camping trips such as crossing the Andes. Where you sleep in tents in the mountains, eat round a camp fire and wash in the rivers.
Crossing the Andes, Paso de los Patos, San Juan province
Alternatively, if you’d rather not rough it too much you can do rides between Estancias – Corrientes, home of the Ibera wetlands, is an excellent province to do this.
Filipe, the head gaucho of Estancia Buena Vista.
Or you can simply base yourself at one of the many lodges or Estancias and ride out each day. Then, Polo is another highlight of horse riding in Argentina. We organise week or more intensive polo holidays for those looking to improve their game, though we can also organise just a day or two as part of a holiday to give people a chance to have a go.
Polo at El Retiro Polo Club, near Buenos Aires.
As well as mixing polo in with your trip we can organise all sorts of other activities, such as fishing hiking, animal Safaris (one of our favourites is marine wildlife spotting on the Patagonian castling) and many others. Finally, though where there is horse riding in Argentina the gauchos are never far away, we can also organize trips specifically based around the gaucho culture.
Herding cattle on Estancia El Churquí, Tucumán province.
