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Telephone: 4343-2366
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Charm category
Luxurious establishments where guests are elegantly attended and entertained, as well as captivated by their refined architecture and decoration.Top level cuisine.

The Ranch
• 3000 hectares
• 9 rooms with en-suite bathrooms
• Colonial architecture and art
• Swimming pool
• Nearby historic villages
• Diverse scenery
• Open from February 20th to December 20th

ACTIVITIES
Horse riding – bird watching – cattle roundups and other gaucho chores – visit to the yacare caiman reserve and to the different crop plantations – trekking – bicycle and sulky rides – reading – cooking lessons – typical dances lessons – relaxation massages* - handicrafts tours – trips to different beauty spots in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy* - folklore shows and gaucho horsemanship exhibitions*.

* These require advance booking.

CLIMATE
Autumn: 3º C to 22º C | winter: 3º C to 22º C
Spring: 7º C to 27º C | summer: 14º C a 28ºC

DISTANCES
2-hour flight from Buenos Aires domestic airport to either the Salta or the Jujuy airports
20-minute drive / 35 kilometres from the Jujuy airport to the Ranch
1-hour drive / 72 kilometres from the Salta airport to the Ranch

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
A pioneer in the field of rural tourism, this typical Salteñan country estate opened its doors to guests 20 years ago. The estate’s owners, the Arias family, personally welcome visitors. Staying in the Estancia is an experience that allows travellers to get to know Salta’s countryside, to share the authentic lifestyle of a working estate and to learn about the history of the north of Argentina in detail.

The house, with its sturdy ironwork, colonial doors, tiled roofs, verandas and patios, was built by order of General Martín Miguel de Güemes’ mother. The property title deeds date as far back as 1609. Nowadays, its renovated and well-adapted rooms provide guests with the comforts of the 21st century and let them fully enjoy and appreciate the extensive subtropical grounds which surround the estate.

Travellers who choose to stay in the Estancia can take part in a great variety of activities. Some may want to ride a Peruvian Paso horse over the estate’s more than 1000 hectares of organically-cultivated plantations, such as sugarcane, peanuts and sunflower seeds, amongst other crops. Others may prefer to cover some of the over 2000 hectares of nature reserve and virgin forest, the home of native species and a great variety of birds. Or they can also visit the yacare caiman reserve and follow the estate’s paths by bike.

Due to its privileged location, the estate is the ideal starting point for excursions to Quebrada de Humahuaca and Salinas Grandes; it also allows access to National Parks Calilegua and El Rey. It is roughly equidistant from the cities of Salta and Jujuy and only a 45-minute drive away from either of them.

The estate’s owners and hosts stand out for their hospitality and willingness to serve guests and they certainly excel in the preparation of the most delicious dishes, made with local recipes and natural ingredients, such as empanadas (stuffed pastries), carbonada (a hearty stew), asado (grilled beef cuts cooked over an open fire) and exotic preserves. Desserts are also prepared following ancestral recipes and their preparation combines fruit and local ingredients, like quesillos (thin slices of goat cheese) and sugarcane syrup.

• At the ranch, you are no longer a guest, but a friend of the family Darío and Graciela set up the family business 20 years ago, when they also defined the estate’s style and gave it the character we can fully appreciate today. Both of them were fond of history and sought to guard Argentine’s traditions and the gaucho culture, so they invited guests to spend a few days in an authentic working estate to give them the chance to really get to know the nation’s countryside.

Nowadays, Agustín, one of their ten offspring, and his wife María are in charge of continuing the family custom which combines hospitality, excellent service and the love of the land, qualities that pervade the service which guests receive at the Estancia.

Indeed, Agustín and María go out of their way to pass the cultural and historical heritage of the province to their guests and also to give them the best tips to really get to know the north of the country: which villages to visit, what to eat, where to buy handicrafts, who are the most renowned artists of the area, et cetera. At El Bordo, guests will not live in luxury, but they will certainly find comfort, warmth, history, nature, outdoor activities, excellent attention and delicious meals of authentic flavour prepared with natural ingredients.

• Great array of à la carte activities
Before guests arrive at the Estancia, they are asked about their likes and preferences. Based on their answers, they are then offered different activities within their scope of interest. Some of the options may be:
- Horse riding on Peruvian Paso horses with no time limits and accompanied by a gaucho
- Trekking or cycling in the forest to discover the native flora and fauna
- Visiting the yacare caiman nature reserve
- Visiting the different crop plantations, like kidney beans, sugarcane, sunflower seeds, chia (or salvia hispanica, a plant in the mint family), et cetera, depending on the time of the year, or watching gauchos doing their daily chores
- Relaxing in any of the main house’s spacious sitting rooms, verandas or library, or on the grounds which surround it, or swimming in the swimming pool if it is hot
- Relaxation massages and skin treatments*
- Board games
- Cooking lessons to learn how to prepare some of the delicious meals served in the Estancia
- Dance lessons* to learn to dance any of the typical rhythms of the north of Argentina, like zamba, chacarera, carnavalito, et cetera
- Visiting a luthier (stringed-instrument maker) or a leather artisan in a neighbouring village
- Seeing a folklore show or a gaucho horsemanship exhibition**

* These are charged separately.
** These are organised on request. The folklore and dance show is prepared and presented by the Children’s and Youngsters’ Ballet , who dance zambas, chacareras, carnavalitos and the very traditional malambo. The gaucho horsemanship exhibition, which is unique in Argentina, represents the gaucho wars and shows the techniques it developed.

The exhibition is put on by the gauchos in the Campo Santo Fortín (or Association).
• Full board
The estate offers a full board service which includes all the outdoors activities that guests may take part in during their stay. Horse rides have no time limits and guests can use all the rooms in the house. All meals and alcoholic drinks are included as well.
Should guests require a babysitter*, they should do so in advance.

* This service is not included.

• Contact with nature
More than 50% of the estate’s area is virgin forest, home of native flora and fauna and numerous birds. Guests can hike or ride horses down its paths.

Moreover, the extensive subtropical grounds around the "Sala" or main building include big trees, plants and orchids from the tropics and other parts of the world. Most plant specimens are clearly labelled so that travellers learn their names and make the most of their walk or ride.

• Exclusiveness
The Estancia has 9 rooms. The hosts want to create a cosy atmosphere where guests feel comfortable and at home. Each visitor receives careful and personal attention. Big groups are only received on special request.
Therefore, the Estancia is ideal for couples seeking intimacy and for families with children whose members enjoy outdoor life.

• Strategic location to make excursions in Salta or Jujuy
The Estancia is only a 45-minute drive away from the city of Salta and its outskirts and from the city of Jujuy. It is then the ideal starting point to make excursions to Quebrada de Humahuaca and Salinas Grandes, to access the National Parks Calilegua and El Rey and also to visit the Calchaquí Valleys.

• A window to the past
The property title deeds of the rach date as far back as 1609. The first owner of the house was Don Juan Vázquez de Tapia. Subsequently, the estate belonged to some of the most prominent families of the times of the Colony, such as the Arias Velásquez, who arrived in Salta alongside the founder of the city don Hernando de Lerma; the Fernández Cornejo around the mid 1700’s; and the Figueroa, some of whom were distinguished figures in the times of the Viceroyalty. Today’s owners, the Arias Cornejo family, are their proud descendants.

The "Sala" or main building in the complex was built by order of Magdalena Goyechea de la Corte de Güemes, the mother of General Martín Miguel de Güemes, the Independence hero of the north of Argentina. Towards the end of the 18th century, in this estate, as well as in others in the province territory, Güemes trained his gauchos and prepared them for the wars of Independence. Thick walls, sturdy beautiful ironwork and colonial doors leading to charming patios and verandas make the main house one of the best examples of rural colonial architecture in Salta.

An important collection of colonial furniture, wood carvings and religious paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries can be found in its spacious rooms, as well as archaeological remains found in the nearby grounds, valuable books and centenarian documents.

How realising a reserve
It can communicate by telephone of Monday through Friday de 10 a 18hs to
4343 - 2366 (rotating lines) or e-mail

Estancias Argentinas . com Travel agency - File 12086 - Res. 0059 - Av. Diagonal Pte. Roque Saenz Peña 616 - 9th floor - (1035) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Tel > (00-54-11) 4343-2366 Fax > (00-54-11) 4342 - 2458
Asociación de Agencias Operador de Turismo Rural reconocido Asociación Argentina de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo
Asociación de Agencias
de Viajes de Buenos Aires
Operador de Turismo Rural reconocido
por la Secretaria de Turismo de la Nación
Asociación Argentina de Agencias de
Viajes y Turismo