Córdoba Norteña
If you're enjoying getting off the beaten track and want to see where the Camino Real leads, keep going northwest from Jesús María along Route 60 into the northernmost extreme of the province.
From Deán Funes head east to find San Piedro ViejoI www.sanpedroviejo.com.ar. This tiny hamlet has a beautiful little church, built in adobe with a squat square bell tower, and an estancia, where you can stay for a few nights to completely unwind and explore the rolling land on foot or horseback. This place has a history: it was an important staging post on the royal road between the Río de la Plata and Perú, and such illustrious figures as General San Martín and President Belgrano stayed in the building which is now a chic and rustic boutique hotel.
Reserva Cultural y Natural Cerro Colorado
Some 104 km north of Jesús María, is this provincial park covering 3000 ha of rocky hills and woodlands protecting some 35,000 rock paintings in around 200 sites, some of them underground. It's thought that they were painted by the indigenous Comechingones people sometime between the 10th century and the arrival of the Spanish roughly 600 years later. The strikingly bold paintings, in red, black and white, portray animals and plants, hunting scenes, magic rituals and dancing; even battles against the Spanish, mounted on horse back. There are lots of more enigmatic paintings with geometric patterns, open to wildly imaginative interpretations. There are two small museums, Museo Arqueológico and Museo Atahualpa and YupanquiI. The vegetation is interesting with lots of ancient algarrobo trees, molles and a rare mato forest in the park, where you can also spot small armadillos.
The park can only be visited as part of a guided tour which lasts 1½ hours and is included in the entry fee. Useful websites include www.cerrocolorado.infoturis.com.ar, and www.cordobaciudad. com/cerrocolorado (both in Spanish).
From Deán Funes head east to find San Piedro ViejoI www.sanpedroviejo.com.ar. This tiny hamlet has a beautiful little church, built in adobe with a squat square bell tower, and an estancia, where you can stay for a few nights to completely unwind and explore the rolling land on foot or horseback. This place has a history: it was an important staging post on the royal road between the Río de la Plata and Perú, and such illustrious figures as General San Martín and President Belgrano stayed in the building which is now a chic and rustic boutique hotel.
Reserva Cultural y Natural Cerro Colorado
Some 104 km north of Jesús María, is this provincial park covering 3000 ha of rocky hills and woodlands protecting some 35,000 rock paintings in around 200 sites, some of them underground. It's thought that they were painted by the indigenous Comechingones people sometime between the 10th century and the arrival of the Spanish roughly 600 years later. The strikingly bold paintings, in red, black and white, portray animals and plants, hunting scenes, magic rituals and dancing; even battles against the Spanish, mounted on horse back. There are lots of more enigmatic paintings with geometric patterns, open to wildly imaginative interpretations. There are two small museums, Museo Arqueológico and Museo Atahualpa and YupanquiI. The vegetation is interesting with lots of ancient algarrobo trees, molles and a rare mato forest in the park, where you can also spot small armadillos.
The park can only be visited as part of a guided tour which lasts 1½ hours and is included in the entry fee. Useful websites include www.cerrocolorado.infoturis.com.ar, and www.cordobaciudad. com/cerrocolorado (both in Spanish).
Sierras Chicas and Estancia Los Potreros
To really get into the wild, remote country which is the Sierras Chicas, you need to spend a few nights away from civilization, and the best way to do this is to stay at an estancia such as Estancia Los Potreros www.estancialos potreros.com. One of Argentina's finest riding estancias, this is situated in the middle of its own range of peaks, yet it's easily accessible: just an hour from the airport. It's run by a British family, Robin and Kevin Begg, who were brought up on this land and who breed fine horses and offer a wonderful mixture of real gaucho Argentine ranch culture and British hospitality. If you're not a rider, you can walk, birdwatch, swim or simply relax, and enjoy the peace and immense vistas. If you'd like to learn to ride, the Beggs are the most patient teachers and the horses very tame and sure-footed. It's best to stay for at least three nights to get the feel of the place but for those with more time, a riding tour of the sierras taking several days can be arranged. As well as enjoying spectacular scenery, a longer tour allows you to explore remote mountain villages with their tiny churches and schools, and stay at other mountain estancias in the region, gaining invaluable insights into the local culture and communities that you could never otherwise access. This is an unmissable experience of the Sierras de Córdoba.
To really get into the wild, remote country which is the Sierras Chicas, you need to spend a few nights away from civilization, and the best way to do this is to stay at an estancia such as Estancia Los Potreros www.estancialos potreros.com. One of Argentina's finest riding estancias, this is situated in the middle of its own range of peaks, yet it's easily accessible: just an hour from the airport. It's run by a British family, Robin and Kevin Begg, who were brought up on this land and who breed fine horses and offer a wonderful mixture of real gaucho Argentine ranch culture and British hospitality. If you're not a rider, you can walk, birdwatch, swim or simply relax, and enjoy the peace and immense vistas. If you'd like to learn to ride, the Beggs are the most patient teachers and the horses very tame and sure-footed. It's best to stay for at least three nights to get the feel of the place but for those with more time, a riding tour of the sierras taking several days can be arranged. As well as enjoying spectacular scenery, a longer tour allows you to explore remote mountain villages with their tiny churches and schools, and stay at other mountain estancias in the region, gaining invaluable insights into the local culture and communities that you could never otherwise access. This is an unmissable experience of the Sierras de Córdoba.
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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