Gaucho Day Trip from Buenos Aires: Santa Susana Ranch
Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Escape the bustling streets of Buenos Aires with a full-day fiesta at the Estancia Santa Susana gaucho ranch. Without the hassle of booking separate activities, you'll discover the traditional way of life in the Argentine countryside on a ranch tour and watch an impressive horseman show by the gallant gauchos. Plus, feast on an array of grilled meats and sides at a traditional ‘parrillada’ barbecue, and watch a performance of folk song and dance.
- Go beyond the capital for a taste of authentic Argentine culture
- Enjoy a delicious Argentine barbecue lunch accompanied by wine
- Watch a tango and folk music show and see gauchos perform with throwing weapons
- Pickup from downtown hotels means you don't have to find a meeting point
Sample Menu
Main
Asado
Grilled specialties such as sausages and chicken, accompanied by salad and beverages (red and white wine, soda, water and coffee).
Dessert
Mate
Then sip on a glass of mate (an Argentine drink of yerba mate leaves steeped in hot water) and finish with a pastelito (pastry)!
What's Included
- Argentine BBQ Lunch with beverages
- Afternoon snacks
- Horse-drawn carriage ride
- Professional English- and Spanish-speaking guide
- Hotel pickup (Downtown hotels only)
- Drop-off in a central location in Buenos Aires
- Gauchos show
- Entry/Admission - Estancia Santa Susana
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:30 am
Itinerary
Traditional customs of Argentine ranch life are still celebrated at the handful of estancias near Buenos Aires. Your full-day country retreat begins with morning pickup at your city hotel in an air-conditioned van and a lovely drive across the pampas (plains).
After arriving at Estancia Santa Susana, you’ll be welcomed at the ranch house with warm empanadas and wine. Take a tour of Santa Susana’s grounds, chapel and museum while hearing stories about this historic working ranch.
Meet the friendly gauchos — talented wranglers and horsemen similar to cowboys of the American West. Climb astride a horse from the ranch stables or hop aboard a horse-drawn carriage for a ride through the surrounding farmland.
When you return to the ranch, settle in at a rustic banquet table for a savory parrillada (Argentine barbecue) featuring many different cuts of expertly grilled meats and sausages served with salads and regional wine. Top off your feast with a sweet pastelito (pastry) and a cup of mate — a favorite Argentine drink made from steeped yerba mate leaves.
As you dine, enjoy a performance of traditional folk music and dancing, plus a boleadoras show where gauchos perform impressive feats of weapon throwing. Head outside to the pasture where the gauchos will continue displaying their skills through daring horseman stunt tricks, animal herding, and the ring race known as la sortija.
After your full day of ranch festivities, relax on the return drive to Buenos Aires to be dropped-off at a central location.
After arriving at Estancia Santa Susana, you’ll be welcomed at the ranch house with warm empanadas and wine. Take a tour of Santa Susana’s grounds, chapel and museum while hearing stories about this historic working ranch.
Meet the friendly gauchos — talented wranglers and horsemen similar to cowboys of the American West. Climb astride a horse from the ranch stables or hop aboard a horse-drawn carriage for a ride through the surrounding farmland.
When you return to the ranch, settle in at a rustic banquet table for a savory parrillada (Argentine barbecue) featuring many different cuts of expertly grilled meats and sausages served with salads and regional wine. Top off your feast with a sweet pastelito (pastry) and a cup of mate — a favorite Argentine drink made from steeped yerba mate leaves.
As you dine, enjoy a performance of traditional folk music and dancing, plus a boleadoras show where gauchos perform impressive feats of weapon throwing. Head outside to the pasture where the gauchos will continue displaying their skills through daring horseman stunt tricks, animal herding, and the ring race known as la sortija.
After your full day of ranch festivities, relax on the return drive to Buenos Aires to be dropped-off at a central location.
1
Buenos Aires
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Estancia Santa Susana
4 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Buenos Aires
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Passport name, number, date of birth, expiry and country is required at time of booking for ALL participants
- IMPORTANT: You must bring your passport at the time of the tour as there may be checks during the trip
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Cruise Passengers are not allowed to take this tour
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Darralyn H
Great day. Plenty of food ,wine and beer. Great entertainment. Horse riding experience fun. Special thanks to Sophia and Alan, our tour guide and driver. Highly recommend this tour.
Reviews
4.1
based on 274 reviews
Patricia_P, Mar 2020
The trip was fun and our guide was informative and friendly. The small group experience made it easier to hear the information and to share experiences with fellow travelers. It was well organized and the food was great.
Response from Host, Apr 2020
Thank you for your comments!
We are glad you enjoyed the experience, our guides organize our groups so that everyone can enjoy the service.
We hope you remember us for your next visit to our country.
Regards.
PATRICIA_P, Feb 2020
A little too much unstructured time, good food and plenty to drink. Pick up was fine but drop off wasn’t (we were next to last on pick up and last on drop off!). Estancia was beautiful!
Donald_L, Feb 2020
Our guide was very informative and helpful. Nice to be out of city and spend a day in the country. Lunch meal was absolutely wonderful.
Barbara_L, Jan 2020
I especially enjoyed the gaucho show. It was amazing to see the gauchos leading a horseback ride, serving the meal and demonstrating their skills with their horses. They worked really hard and were super hospitable.
172jannel, Nov 2019
The place was very nice and cosy (even if it was big and with 300 guests). The gauche show as well as the gaucho show was good.
The horseback riding on the other hand was lousy. We expected to be allowed to ride the horses, not to go on a ride at horses with their head in the arse of the horse in front.
JassyTheDog, Oct 2019
Not a working ranch but a great day out and a lot of history in what was once a vast real gaucho ranch. Great food, song and dance routines after lunch and gaucho show made for a nice day. The riding skills demonstration was awesome and I managed to get one of the rings at the end of the show. You know what they will mean if you go!
Lauren M, Oct 2019
(We visited on a weekday and not on a holiday so it was not very busy).
We had a fantastic time at the estancia. You are welcomed (as promised) with all-you-can-eat empanadas and wine/juice/beer. We were able to ride horses and take a carriage ride and leisurely peruse the historic home and chapel before lunch. I was worried we’d have too much time given we were with kids but it was just right.
Lunch is also unlimited (including beverages) and is made right there on the open fire grill. It was all very tasty and fresh. We all enjoyed it.
The show during dessert was enjoyable and even kept a tweens attention.
The gaúcho horsemanship show displayed their skills, but was a bit repetitive / short. I was expecting a bit more, but still found it worthwhile. Plus they really can’t do everything, it was an appropriately paced day as it was!
We gave it a 4, not a 5, as it was expensive, given the current exchange rate here in Argentina. Also, our guide was very nice and spoke excellent English, but could have added even more history during bus rides or at the site for our Taste.
All in all this is a great day trip from Buenos Aires.
DWAYNE_N, Dec 2018
Be sure to bring mosquito repellent! Nice day in the country. Superb dancers, lots of good meat, fun to watch the Gaucho's in action.
Nicole_D, Jun 2018
Enjoyed the gaucho excursion. Not too far from Buenos Aires, and it was good to get a feel for life in the country even through an experience clearly tailored to the tourist industry. The horses were in good shape and seemed well cared for, which is always a concern with respect to a tourist operation dependent upon animals. The gauchos were fun and really nice--willing to answer my many questions about the horses and their training/uses. Food was good as well, and the ranch was very happy to make adjustment for my vegetarian menu (my companions loved the meat, too). I would recommend the tour--it's a nice, different day out of the big city.
Stephen_T, Apr 2018
Nice tour. Good entertainment and great food and service. Would rate 5 stars but the horseback ride was a little cheesy. Just a walk around in a big circle. Good for first time riders and there were a lot of those but if you are expecting more of a ride you will be disappointed. But all-in-all it was a good experience.
Helane B, Apr 2018
We had a lot of fun at the ranch, although I thought the horse ride was okay, but just slightly disappointing. This was obviously a popular trip, and it was crowded, so the wait to get on the horse was long. I understand they are trying to maximize the visit, but it would probably be better to stagger the arrival times so that the wait to ride wasn't so long. I think we waited about 30 - 40 minutes for a 10 minute ride. The other thing is the pick up from the hotel was later than we were told on our voucher, so perhaps it would be better to coordinate that a little better. We were told 930 AM, the pick up escort was told 950 AM and the actual pick up was closer to 1000 AM or a little after. We were sitting in our hotel lobby for 30 minutes waiting for the pick up, and that time could have been better spent. I'd still go on the tour, but I would be prepared for delays.
Victoria M, Mar 2018
The ranch was lovely and the Gouchos were great. Fantastic skills display at the end and the entertainment of the dancers and folk singers was excellent. Very interesting to look around the ranch house as it was left. The food and wine was plentiful, but a few sauces would have been nice as you get a bit 'meat overload' when it's plain, or a few potatoes they did have salad. And the empanadas on arrival were the best I've ever tasted. The ride around the paddock on a horse was sedate, so brilliant for anyone to have a go even if you've never sat on a horse before. I personally would have liked to do a little more as a novice rider back home, but I can understand it keeps it safer that they just walk around.
Piotr C, Mar 2018
It is a nice trip to see the culture outside the city. But there is substantial downtime during the tour that could be filled with more activities/stories. Recommended for meat lovers!
David B, Feb 2018
Was a great day start to finish. Our guide, Eileen, and our driver were excellent. Very enjoyable. They accommodated a vegetarian on the trip - even in the meat loving experience of the gauchos.
Darralyn H, Jan 2018
Great day. Plenty of food ,wine and beer. Great entertainment. Horse riding experience fun. Special thanks to Sophia and Alan, our tour guide and driver. Highly recommend this tour.
JWarren_W, Jan 2018
Great Day at Santa Susana Ranch. Our guide Sofia was very friendly knew her stuff, Performing Gauchos and food were both excellent.
Brian L, Jan 2018
It was a bit of a tourist mill with many many groups here at the same time, but it was a nice, slow paced day on the ranch with a lot of food and time outdoors.
holybucket, Dec 2017
Pick up and drop off - they were on time picking us up from the hotel and brought us back promptly when they promised.
Food - as soon as you arrive you are fed endless empenanadas which are to die for. Eat as many as you want while you tour the grounds and do the activites that you want. When the main meal is served, every delicious grilled meat that you could imagine, along with endless sides as well.
Drinks - as soon as you stop onsite, you are offered wine, wine, and more wine. Malbec for life.
Entertainment - the museum which includes some of the original houses on the grounds are full of antiques and family photos. You can then either take a horseback ride, or get in a carriage to go around the grounds in a really relaxing setting and environment. During lunch, they is a singer onstage along with performers giving you traditional tango and then cowboy dances as well.
The price may seem high, but if you take advantage of everything that's offered, it's well worth the day trip.
Robert S, Nov 2017
Local contact for our tour to estancia to Santa Susana Ranch was Tangol. Very poor transportation with a late pick up and a 2 hour bus break down. Guide was not helpful on information or apologies. When arriving she quickly herded us like cattle and never checked on us for personal needs. Upon leaving she said NOT to take time to use the bathrooms even though bathrooms were locked on the bus. Suspect the gaucho expedition was cut short as there was limited performances from the talented gauchos. The staff and gauchos were delightful, meal excellent and lots of wine. The stage show was really good and fun. The tour guide and transportation was lousy.
Response from Host, Nov 2020
Dear Robert,
Thank you so much for sharing with us your experience with the gauchos
We would like to take this opportunity to clarify some points that may be of interest to other travelers.
Our transportation services have been renewed in the last years, we have incorporated new vehicles to our fleet for the comfort of our passengers.
The delay in the pick-ups is due to the fact that as it is a regular service, we have to go through other hotels and the trip may be delayed. On the other hand, we regret that an accident occurred just the day you took the tour. As we said, it is an accident and sometimes it is out of our hands to control this kind of events. Also, the guide who made the excursion is a graduate guide, with experience guiding in other tourism companies, and who has also received intensive training in our tours. All our guides are certified. However, we take this feedback and forward it to the guide as an opportunity to improve our services
We are happy that you enjoyed the ranch, as it is a tour that brings the traveler closer to our culture.
Vilma B, Nov 2017
Excellent experience. Greeted by a gaucho, delicious empanadas. Horse back riding and show, delicious BBQ, music. The whole group ended up dancing!
Ernesto S, Nov 2017
When I booked my trip, It's clearly said that includes pick up and drop off from the hotel. Not happened. Not very helpful staff. We were drop off in the middle of nowhere like 3 - 4 miles away from the hotel. We were told to walked by Sarah and said it's only 4 blocks away. Four blocks ended up like 1 hour and 10 minutes walk. We told what was happened to the hotel personnel and was advised that they never trusted VIATOR because of too many complaints from their guests and Viator is very inconsistent.
Response from Host, Jun 2020
Dear Ernesto Soberano,
We are truly sorry if the tour didn't meet your expectations.
Usually, excluding the private tours, the pick-ups are made from centrally located hotels and the drop-off takes at the city center. This information is specified on the website. You were staying at San Telmo, that is 20 minutes walking 1.5 miles from the center. Honestly, there's no way it was an hour and 10 minutes walk. In relation to the comment of the hotel staff we want to tell you that the operation of the tours is the same independently of the form of hiring. Just so you know, because it is not our policy to refer to specific people, receptionists charge commission for those services that are hired directly at the hotel. This may result in the client paying the same or even a higher fee for the receptionist's commission for the same service. Hiring through serious and recognized companies like Viator is a guarantee in the realization of the services; hiring through receptionists, many times with few months in the job and with the only purpose of immediate profit, is a coin in the air that can go well or very badly.
Thank you for your review. Kind regards. Tangol
Ian L, Oct 2017
Good time at the Ranch, good food and wine, horse riding was fun - suitable for beginners! Lunchtime entertainment good, but a little cringey - however, Gaucho horse skill show was epic! Disappointed guide didn't drop us off at hotel - but 8 block walk away.
Julia M U, Jul 2017
Excellent outing. The food and entertainment were wonderful. I only wish some history of the ranch and discussion of ranch culture had been provided.
shannon_A, May 2017
The meat was to die for and the wine kept flowing! One of the best parts was the show at the end where the gauchos competed.
Gerald S, Apr 2017
Great tour....excellent food and entertainment.
Laura_M, Mar 2017
We had a wonderful time at the ranch. highly recommend this tour! Lunch was spectacular, with steak, sausages, chicken, salad, bread and all you can drink beverages. The Gauchos were charming, and the dancers and singer at the lunch show were amazing. Wish we could go back again! Definitely a must-do.
PAUL_D, Feb 2017
The day is certainly enjoyable, but not as described or expected. For those expecting an energetic demanding horse riding experience as I was this is not the tour for you. This is strictly tourism show, with the emphasis being on food, alcohol and visual entertainment. Very nice if that is your expectation, and not unpleasant, but I feel the tour presentation should more accurately reflect the true nature of the activity.
Response from Host, Nov 2020
Dear Paul
Thank you for sharing your experience with us
We regret that the picnic didn't meet your expectations. For safety reasons we cannot make the horses available to the passengers, as we cannot certify the experience of the guests on horseback. However, thank you for your comments, we will review our description to clarify this point.
We hope you enjoyed the other attractions at the ranch and that you allow us to advise you on your next visit
Ryan T, Feb 2017
We very much enjoyed this trip and our guide. The food was very good and the experience at the ranch was great. It wasn't that busy the day we went, so everything was easy and quick to do. Make sure you bring cash for tips, they'll ask for it.
Diane S, Feb 2017
Once we arrived at the Ranch, the trip was good - interesting and shows were fun. However there was too much down time - we sat for about 45 minutes waiting for lunch. The bigger issue was getting there and back. We were picked up at the HIlton which was great. However, we then drove around Buenos Aires for an hour in traffic picking up other people before we headed out to the ranch. On the way back, we drove around Buenos Aires for an hour in traffic dropping people at their hotels only to be told that they could not go to the Hilton because it was too late and so we had to walk 5 blocks back to our hotel. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise fun day.
Response from Host, Nov 2020
Dear Diane
Thank you for sharing your experience
In this tour, we leave the travelers free for a few hours so that they can explore the ranch by their own means. We do this so that the tour has a more relaxed style and the passenger can decide if they want to participate in the activities or take a more quiet day.
We regret that the return trip was not as comfortable as you deserve. The traffic in the city is out of our control and the logistics through the hotels are often complicated on busy days.
However, we hope that this did not overshadow the pleasant day you spent at the ranch where you were able to see our culture first hand.
jr_P, Jan 2017
Recommended as an easy day tour. Guide was great although at end driver and guide said demonstrations in town and difficult to get us close to hotel. We walked which was not a problem but saw no demonstrations, but food good gaucho horse riding phenomenal and show great fun participating.
From $354.90
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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