Within Argentina’s Calchaquî Valley rests the peaceful retreat known as La Estancia de Cafayate.

Photographs by Terry Allen

The bird hunting in Argentina is legendary. Skies are filled with birds and loaders work feverishly to the steady pulse of gunshots ringing through the air—it’s a chaotic scene. But this is the image most often evoked when upland and Argentina are in the same sentence—and it’s the facial expression you recognize in cocktail conversation when the question arises, “Have you hunted Argentina yet?”

Argentina, though, offers more than extraordinary hunting. Much more. And somewhere between the exotic Euroculture of Buenos Aires and the frenetic firestorm of the best bird hunting in the Western Hemisphere, Covey Rise found the Calchaqui´ Valley and the peaceful respite of La Estancia de Cafayate.  

Although you may not find hunting at La Estancia de Cafayate, you’ll be proximate to wingshooting in Cordoba and privy to the excellent wines, horseback riding with scenes of the Andes Mountain, access to an 18-hole golf course, and glorious food.  This grand place has the opportunity for a short stay, or homesites if you like the idea of settling for longer amounts of time.  

Why here?  Our tip to this destination came from a hunter.  Likeminded to the Covey Rise palate, La Estancia de Cafayate turned out to be a great compliment to the sporting Argentina that so many hunters know and enjoy.  

THE INSIDE STORY:  Our hunter’s tip about La Estancia de Cafayate came through Pitts Wilson, owner of Wing Shooting Cordoba and an enthusiastic planner of trips to Argentina for hunting and pleasure. He describes the opportunity as one for either the discerning traveler in search of the most extraordinary destinations, or the savvy investor, unafraid of multinational complications and prepared to generate income from other, location-independent options. One significant draw, according to Wilson, is Cafayate’s proximity to absolutely nothing. In the Salta region of Argentina, La Estancia de Cafayate seems to have grown organically from within the thousands of acres of vineyards that surround it. But that is not the case. Its development in the shadows of the Andes Mountains was intended to isolate visitors and residents alike in a community not unlike California’s Napa Valley in the early years. There is a quaint local village, a private jet airport, and a residential experience that offers the amenities sought by the most discriminating leisure palates.

Great food, fabulous wine, world-class golf, exercise and spa facilities, a dazzling landscape, and all the necessaries for horsing around. On you next venture to Argentina, you might want to take yourself on this upland side trip to Cafayate.

Covey Rise featured La Estancia de Cafayate, “A Hunter’s Tip” in the April-May 2016 issue.