Estancia Los Potreros

córdoba, Argentina

Estancia Los Potreros

Lodge

MEMBER Since May 2024

Estancia Los Potreros’ mission is to help make the estancia, and then the travel and tourism industry more sustainable and have set out the following protocols and goals for the upcoming years. We aim to help preserve the estancia for the long-term benefit of local people, the environment and our guests alike.

Los Potreros’ drive is to offer a responsible tourism model, thereby creating more jobs, and greater income in the local community whilst at the same time increasing benefits for conservation and a lower environmental impact, and minimising negative impacts on local environments and cultures. Los Potreros takes its responsibilities to the environment, local communities, customers, partners and employees very seriously, constantly reviewing their policies, and striving to make improvements where possible.

CONSERVATION

Los Potreros prioritizes animal welfare, raising open-range, grass-fed cattle and horses with ethical care. They implement careful land management to prevent overgrazing.

Due to severe drought, Los Potreros has adopted water-saving measures, including low-flow fixtures and rainwater catchment for gardens.

COMMUNITY

Los Potreros fosters a supportive, family-like work environment, emphasizing work/life balance and valuing long-term, generational staff relationships.

Staff are trained to effectively communicate the hotel’s sustainability initiatives, engaging guests and enhancing their experience with eco-friendly activities.

CULTURE

Los Potreros actively preserves the Gaucho culture, resisting the shift to modern farming techniques and maintaining traditional practices.

The estancia ensures every guest experiences a cultural element, such as working with gauchos or participating in traditional activities, which is integral to their visit.

COMMERCE

The decline of traditional Gaucho life is countered by attracting guests who value and financially support these cultural traditions, ensuring their continuation.

Los Potreros supports the local economy by using local suppliers and employing local workers for services and renovations, keeping income within the community.

Estancia Los Potreros Highlights

The estancia is blessed with plentiful and varied birdlife all year; they also get American Kestrels, Peregrine Falcons and Black Vultures paying them a visit. The wonderful ‘burrowing owl' is a regular sight, eyeing passing visitors from fence posts, while other smaller birds include herons, hummingbirds, nightjars, plovers and mocking-birds.
Sure-footed and tough criollos. Energetic and smooth gaited Peruvian Paso horses. Strong and even-tempered quarter horses. Agile and fast polo ponies. The herd of over 130 horses provides something for everyone, and for riders of all abilities. They are soft-mouthed, forward going and with wonderful temperaments, typical of working horses who lead varied lives and are free to roam on the hills in their downtime. Many are home-bred and raised by them and one of the joys of riding here is discovering a new ‘favourite’ horse on every ride. For them, horses are their passion, and each and every one is considered part of the family.
For Los Potreros, the kitchen is a fun place, the heart of the estancia. It is one of the largest rooms in the main house, which dates back to 250 years ago. The cuisine often reflects what they produce on the farm and also their international heritage. They operate with a strong ‘farm-to-table’ ethos when it comes to their food, too, providing home-reared beef, free-range eggs, and fruit and vegetables from the estancia gardens. They are often told how fresh and different it tastes.
There have been cattle here ever since the family first bought land in the area, but in the early years these were bred primarily for home consumption. The herd of Aberdeen Angus at Estancia Los Potreros are now part of a commercial operation and the bloodstock has been improved over the years to produce an animal that calves easily and thrives on the poorer winter grass. The cattle have gained a tremendous reputation in the local sales, regularly setting local and provincial records, and recently winning a ‘Best in Sales’ award.