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ABOUT ACTIVITIES AT ESTANCIA Los Potreros - in their own words:  click here for complete details

Golf:
Los Potreros has a Polo field often used as a driving range and impromptu three-hole course!

There are three excellent 18 hole golf courses within 35 kms of Los Potreros. Caddies and club rentals are available on all courses and we are happy to help with transfer arrangements to and from the courses.

Cordoba (Villa Allende) has a magnificent 6824 yd. par 72 parkland course founded in 1922 only minutes away from Córdoba City, which hosts the Open Championship of the central region of Argentina.

La Cumbre has a 5991 yd. par 70 parkland course built in 1924 which has hosted several international tournaments

Ascochinga has a 6350 yd. par 72 course less than an hour away from the estancia

Trekking:
Estancia los Potreros is the starting point for unique adventurous treks.

With over 6,500 acres of private land to explore, the estancia offers plenty for even the most dedicated trekking enthusiast. Many use the estancia as a base and return every night to the comfort of the family home.

A range of self-guided walks take visitors to high spots on the farm, or to hidden rock pools for a refreshing dip. Take a walk down to the cattle farm to see the gauchos in action, or make your way to ‘The Top of the World’ to see the tremendous views over the Punilla valley, Don’t forget to take your camera, and there is always a bundle of labradors to accompany you!

Longer guided walks can be arranged in advance.

Bird Watching:
Estancia Los Potreros is a top location for bird watching.

Year-round the bird life is interesting. The location of the farm on the edge of various microclimates...on the boundary of the pampas and the start of the high country leading to the Andes, between the arid north and the lush south, as well as being on the tree line, make Estancia Los Potreros a top location for bird watching. From a letter to his family by Paul MacDermot.

“One of my jobs was to help in compiling a bird list and, one by one, more species were added to it. A couple of condors were briefly seen, and roosting in the bushes near the house one day were a pair of absurdly tame horned owls about 6 inches long. Other wildlife spotted were some Cuis (guinea pig) and a wild pig with a baby, which is a rare sight.”

Maurice Rumboll, an ornithologist who has co-authored the Collins Illustrated Checklist of the birds of Southern South America, visited with his family one day. Robin decided to pull his leg by claiming an ability to call down the local Black Vultures. He whistled a bit then took us round the corner of the house to show us two of them sitting in a tree just above the kitchen (where, of course, they'd been sitting all the time). Maurice called his bluff in a remarkable display. He went off whistling tu.tu.tu.tu.tu.tu. tu. on the note of C. Soon there came an identical reply getting closer and closer, and in came a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl looking to see off his rival. Robin’s later attempts to emulate this feat were all unsuccessful.

Wine tasting:
Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world and so throughout your stay in Argentina you are likely to try a number of different wines. Vast stretches of fertile vineyards stretch along the foothills of the Andes dotted with more than 2,000 wineries, and the vineyards are based almost entirely on European grape varieties.The region is blessed with a combination of plentiful water, sandy soil, a dry climate and year-round sunshine, which makes for enormous yields.

Cordoba has a wine growing tradition that goes back some time. Records show that 10,000 vines were planted the year after the foundation of Cordoba in 1574. The wine cellar of the Jesus Maria Jesuit farm was the largest in the Spanish colony of the River Plate. From this cellar, the very first bottle of wine from the Spanish Americas was sent to the king in Spain. This wine was christened "Lagrimilla", which we still drink as a dessert wine at Los Potreros today!

Wine production in Cordoba had a second wind when the immigrants arrived from the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in northern Italy. They founded "Colonia Caroya" in 1878 only 50 kilometers from Cordoba city in the heart of the old Jesuit country. The spirit of those pioneers still continues, as do some of their traditions and dialects.

Today riders, drivers, walkers and birdwatchers alike all enjoy the Cordoba wine produced by the Bodega Caroyense. Trying the different wines is great fun and La Caroyense selects grapes from other provinces as well as the homegrown. Some of the better wines are from these selected grapes.

Half a century ago, Estancia Los Potreros had a small home production of wine. Today using modern methods, La Caroyense produce and bottle the only private wine in their cellars on behalf of the estancia. The popularity of the Malbec and Torrontes is now spreading beyond visitors to the farm, and the Beggs are always keen to share informal wine-tastings with their guests.

Visit Local Churches:
The estancia is an ideal place to set out and explore some of these national treasures, including the Jesuit estancia Santa Catalina, and the emblematic Candonga church. Amongst the more traditional are also the unusual, and some can be reached by horseback, whilst transport can be arranged for those slightly further afield.