There’s no better introduction to Argentina than Buenos Aires. Take in handsome neoclassical and art nouveau architecture along tree-lined avenues under glass-clad skyscrapers, cobbled side streets, historic parks and buzzing nightlife. Its mixture of distinct neighbourhoods reflect its past as a country of immigrants – mostly from Spain and Italy but also from across Europe and the Middle East – that has resulted in something unique.

Fly west to the city of Córdoba, heading a short way north into the rolling Sierras Chicas hills to Estancia Los Potreros. Family owned for over a century, and with a permanent team with a collective combined experience here of about the same, this is a home as much as it is a working farm. Every day at the estancia is different. The would-be gauchos amongst you can canter along grassy hilltops, take a dip in natural rock pools, visit local churches on horseback, help round up the young horses, learn how to lasso, or have a go at polo.

Return to Buenos Aires to take a ferry across the Río de la Plata to the cobbled streets of Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Uruguay’s oldest towns dating back to 1680. From here, follow the coast to José Ignacio, a sleepy fishing village that during the summer months attracts a rather well-heeled crowd from around Latin America, drawn here by the small collection of stylish hotels, fabulous restaurants and cool Atlantic breeze.