Tours in Buenos Aires & Surroundings

Beyond the borders of the cosmopolitan City of Buenos Aires, the surroundings extend vast and wide. The so called “rioplatense” culture finds its reason to be in the proximity to the Uruguayan coastline: Colonia, Montevideo, Punta del Este. The Río de la Plata (Plata River) connects both countries and becomes an attraction for sailing. The Oriental Republic of Uruguay looks easy to reach from the “porteño” (meaning “from Buenos Aires”) horizon. To the north, waters lead to the Delta del Paraná, a gateway to the Argentine littoral. The Pampas are far inland, open to reveal the customs and traditions of the “gauchos” in the province. History, architecture and religion are worth discovering here. The urban layout of the City of La Plata, the provincial capital known as “City of Diagonals”, and the imposing Nuestra Señora de Luján Basilica (Argentina’s Patron Virgin) make for a pleasant escape.

Travel to Buenos Aires & Surroundings

Excursions to Buenos Aires and its surroundings

Navigation in the Delta del Tigre & Río Paraná

In order to get to the water station of Tigre we take a bus to the north and this passes the various parks of Palermo, the Jorge Newberry airport and the River Plate football stadium. In Tigre we take a boat in the Delta del Río Paraná entering into the 'Venice' of Argentina where the labyrinth of canals is the streets of the Delta servicing the many houses and restaurants. The Delta del Río Paraná starts in the province of Entre Rios and has three important divisions, the Delta Superior, Medio and Inferior, which in total cover an area of 16.500 square kilometres mostly covered by subtropical jungle. The area is full of islands, rivers and creeks where you can see the wild native flora and fauna.

The closer to Tigre the more 'urban' and busy are the waterways and more dense the population, albeit most of the houses are used for vacations. Once we disembark we go by the coast train to the exclusive barrio of San Isidro. This coast train was inaugurated in the 1990s and runs along the border of the Río de la Plata over a stretch of 16 kilometres with 11 stations and is the newest train infrastructure in Argentina. It passes through the barrios of some exclusive residential north zones such as Vicente López, San Isidro, San Fernando and Tigre and many luxurious houses can be seen en route. In San Isidro we visit the Gothic Cathedral built in the early 1900s and its historical foundations. On the return to the City we can see the Presidential Residence of Olivos.



Exclusive boat trip of the Río de la Plata & Delta del Tigre

Breakfast in the hotel. In the North Dock in Puerto Madero, in the centre of Buenos Aires, we board a modern launch with state of the art nautical technology, great comfort and available refreshments, in order to make a cruise along the coast of the Río de la Plata and into the Delta del Tigre. We are accompanied by the excellent views of Buenos Aires from the water and pass by the Jorge Newberry Airport, the football stadium home of River Plate, known as the Monument, and the City University. We then cruise by the exclusive residential barrios of Vicente López, Martinez and the elevations of San Isidro, the port of Olivos and various nautical clubs until we enter the Delta of the río Paraná, a fast flowing river that has its source in Brazil.

Especially at weekends and on sunny days there will be a lot of marine activity with an abundance of yachts and cruisers as well as the water taxis that service the houses and restaurants that on the islands in the Tigre Delta. The Delta is like a rural Venice with its houses on the banks and its streets being the waterways. We go to the El Alcázar recreation centre on the Banks of the río Sarmiento and then continue our trip past a number of the islands until we stop close to midday at the bustling water transport station of Tigre, where we can go and have lunch. After lunch we return to Puerto Madero.



A day out at a country Estancia in the province of Buenos Aires

This is a very popular excursion. We take a trip to a large country estancia of more than 2,000 acres that is dedicated principally to agriculture but has become an excellent tourist site showing some of the renown Argentinean country culture. We are received in the general store with empanadas and red wine and then can visit the estancia museum and chapel. At lunch we are treated to a country barbecue. We also have the opportunity to see a Tango Show and gaucho folklore and dance. Amongst the other activities offered are rides in horse and carts observing the landscapes, their crops and the unequalled charm of the wild and rustic. We finish the day with a spectacular exhibition of typical gaucho horsemanship with a troop of horses.



A day out at a country Estancia in the province of Buenos Aires: Estancia Ombú de Areco o La Bamba

We will set out for the ancient farm El Ombú de Areco situated in San Antonio de Areco town about 120 km from Buenos Aires. The Italian ranch house is from the end of 19th century. This place is surrounded by old oaks, araucarias, eucalyptus, casuarinas and magnolias and offers a stunning natural setting to the park covered by jasmine, rose and lime tree scents. The 300-hectare farm's main activity is cattle raising; Hereford and Aberdeen Angus are bred. Here we can do horse riding, have a trip on sulky or walk around to learn more about the place. At midday, we will taste a delicious native asado. Estancia La Bamba is 120 km far from Buenos Aires; it dates from 1830 when the typical colonial style of the house was an old sentry post along the Royal Road, a route joining Buenos Aires and the north of Argentina. La Bamba Farm has a significant historical value for the Town Hall of San Antonio de Areco, a town with a great gaucho tradition, the birthplace of Don Segundo Sombra. If you want to see other excursion options in Buenos Aires, click here: Tours in Buenos Aires.



Visit to Luján City or La Plata City

Breakfast in the hotel. On this day there are three choices: to visit the city of Luján or La Plata or a walk by the barrios most associated with the Jewish community of Buenos Aires and also the most important related places. Luján and La Plata are similar distances, less than 100kms, from the centre of Buenos Aires, the first to the West and the other to the South and both are reached by fast highways. Luján is an important patrimonial cultural site. In the historic city centre we visit the colonial style Enrique Udaondo museum of ethnology, the car museum, the markets of the Avenida Nuestra Señora de Luján and finally the impressive Gothic styled Cathedral, la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, where a great number of believers give testimony to their faith. Here you can have an optional excellent Argentinean barbecue lunch.

La Plata is the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires and is well known for its street design with its numbered streets and especially its diagonals. Highlights of the city include its museums and its diverse architecture. On our visit we will see the Cathedral, the Natural Sciences Museum, the Governor's House, the Casa Curutchet which was designed by Le Corbusier and is situated in the Avenues 1 and 53, and finally the Paseo del Bosque, where you can see different types of trees such as eucalyptus, oaks and ginkos and the artificial lakes.

In the Jewish Buenos Aires we go to visit the places renowned by the Jewish society, fundamental in the construction of the eclectic personality of the city. We go to the Israel Embassy, la AMIA, the la Shóa museum and the Hebrew Argentine Society where shine the murals of Batle Planas and Castagnino. We finish with a walk in the traditional barrios of Abasto, Villa Crespo and Once.

Note: It is possible to opt for one of the three visits or spend a day in the Buenos Aires countryside.



Colonia del Sacramento

We go to the boat terminal to board and commence our journey to Colonia del Sacramento in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, found on the Cape between the San Pedro and Santa Rita Points and characterised by its cobbled streets and its peaceful colonial ambience. We start by visiting the sandy coastal front where we can see the Colonia Bay and its Islands. Later we go to the Real de San Carlos and the old Plaza de Toros. Following the designed route we go by the port and the town centre until we arrive at the historic barrio where in its 120,000 square metres there are mixed different styles of architecture such as Portuguese, Spanish and post colonial. This area was declared a Historic Patrimony of the Humanity site by UNESCO. Other places of interest are the house of the Virrey, the Azulejo Museum, the Spanish Museum, the Matriz Church, the Regional Archive, the Iso Suspiros Street, la Plaza Mayor and the house of Eva Peron. The original city plans were Portuguese and do not coincide with with the standard plans determined by Spanish Law in relation to 'las Indias Occidentales'. In the afternoon we return to the port of Colonia and Buenos Aires.



Montevideo

Breakfast in the hotel. We are taken to the maritime port of Buenos Aires to catch a ferry-bus to the capital city of Uruguay, Montevideo, through Colonia. It is the headquarters of the South American economic grouping of the Mercosur and of the ALADI. With its nearly 2 million people it accounts for nearly 60% of the total population of Uruguay. It is considered one of the most secure capitals of the world and for that reason, together with the climate and beaches, it has a better quality of life. At the end of the 18th century was the first dwelling census and planification of the city and they named it San Felipe and Santiago de Montevideo.

In the afternoon we go out to see the capital city. We begin in the old town with its interesting architecture, the Port Market, the Plaza Independencia, the Legislative Palace where is the National Parliament that was inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th century in commemoration of the first centennial of Independence, the residential barrio 'El Prado', el Cerro de Montevideo and the green parks bordered by monuments. Additionally we visit the traditional residential barrios of Carrasco, Punta Gorda and Pocitos bordering the classic 'Rambla' of Montevideo that shelters the beaches alongside the Río de la Plata.



Punta del Este

Breakfast in the hotel. We leave to go to Punta del Este following the coasts of Montevideo, Canelones and Maldonado. The first point of leaving the Atlantic coast is Atlántida in Costa de Oro, where we find the Pablo Neruda museum. We carry on the itinerary by the route up to Piriápolis, a beautiful beach resort that is hidden between the hills and the beaches. After, we climb the San Antonio hill to have an exclusive view of the coast and its beaches. We continue the journey until Punta Ballena to visit Casapueblo with its outstanding architecture, the work of the sculptor and painter Carlos Páez Vilaró. There, we are very close to Punta del Este which we enter by passing a number of importance residencies in front of the beach until we arrive at the eastern Port. We take our time over lunch and then visit the shops in the commercial centre of Punta del Este. At the end of the afternoon we return to Montevideo.