Gaucho Day Trip from Buenos Aires: Don Silvano Ranch

I guess i booked this trip not knowing what to expect. It was an overall great experience. We ranch was gorgeous and had tons of animals (i.e. sheep, pigs, horses, peacocks, chickens, etc). They had a mini rope obstacle course which ended with a zip line. The food and entertainment was amazing. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone.

very good.

A soul destroying experience!!! This was not a trip to anything resembling a gaucho ranch. It was a hotel with grounds, some chickens, peacocks and 20 or so horses. And the experience was commercial garbage for the most part. You arrive at the ranch and are given a ticket if you want to 'ride' the horses. For the next 2 1/2 hours there is nothing organised except for some mediocre empanadas and drinks and a 15 minute walk on horses that are so sedate we wondered if they might be drugged. The signs said trotting was forbidden, but they needn't have bothered as the poor creatures barely wanted to walk. The 'ride' is also just a ploy to take you around a route they have set up with cameras so they can try to flog you photos during lunch. The alternative to riding is a so called carriage ride, but I've never heard of a tractor pulling a cart around a field called that before. We did enjoy walking around and seeing the old farm equipment, which was clearly brought in purely for decor, and the chickens, but that is the sort of thing you might drive somewhere to spend 30 minutes walking around. There was a zip wire oh how gaucho! which I ended up going on from sheer boredom. Then it was time for lunch, which is in a barn and reminded us of school dinners. Forget choosing where you want to sit or getting a look at the grills. I'd like to think whoever runs the kitchen was on holiday, as we were served the most awful food and cheap cooking wine. Come on! We are in Argentina, how hard is it to rustle up a chorizo sausage that actually tastes of something and a bottle of wine that costs more than 50 pesos at end retail cost? For the first time in my life I actually had a piece of meat that was medium rare and yet somehow dry as old boots. Some evil genius going on there. The fact that the only smell coming from the kitchen was petrol should have been sufficiently warning though. We thought the entertainment might save the day and it started out well. The singer and dancers were fantastic and we enjoyed the local dances, but it then descended into a sing along for all the nationalities of tourists in attendance. If we want to sing along to Let It Be we'll go to a cheesy Beetles show at home. The best part of the lunch was us sneaking away an hour early on our own to go see the paddock with some of the younger horses they don't use for riding. Lovely natured animals and that part was peaceful and more one with nature. The one part of the day we genuinely enjoyed was the 30 minutes of the gaucho show right at the end. Very skilful riders and horses that actually responded. Not as good as a proper rodeo show, but good fun. In short, if you love nature, horses, good food and anything even remotely approaching an authentic experience, stay well clear.

This is a long day trip about 8 hours but enjoyed every minute. Saw most of the, nearby ranch, did horse riding plus horse and cart trip had a BBQ where they supply enormous amounts of meat and some wine. Whilst eating they put on a show, singing, dancing etc. including the Argentina Tango a must see. Tried some of the local eating dishes and drinking. You won't go hungry here...:- Excellent varied day, lovely host, with the Gaucho's showing their horse skills as well. Brilliant...

This is an enjoyable day with much more meat than we could possibly eat. The horseback riding was relaxing a a nice way to get an idea of the size of the farm and it prompts your imagination of the elements that a gaucho must work in. A real surprise were the beautiful chickens. Our guide was very helpful and made sure we had a good time and the van driver was excellent. The only thing that we would change would be to make the drop-off points the same as the pick-up points. If you are considering this tour make sure you know the drop-off location and are comfortable returning to your hotel or apartment from that location. Thanks to the great entertainment from the dancers, singer, gauchos, and restaurant team.

Such a charming place. Beautiful grounds. Interesting antiques and authentic buildings. The people and activities were super. Santiago, our host and expert on many topics was completely enchanting. Worth every penny!!!