Visit the gaucho festival in Argentina

The gaucho - the South American cowboy - is one of the icons of Argentina's rural farming areas.

Each year the main events of the gaucho festival, which celebrates the gaucho way of life, takes place in the vast plains of Las Pampas, around 360 miles south of the capital Buenos Aires.

The festival, which is set for November 10th 2007, will be celebrating all things rural, offering a unique insight into the traditions of Argentinian country life.

Holidaymakers will get chance to take in horse parades, dancing and music, and enjoy barbecued meat - a major feature of the region, and a food Argentina is famous for.

The festival can be taken in as a day trip from Buenos Aires, but if you are looking for more of an active holiday experience in rural Argentina it is best to go for a full-on stay at a ranch, known as an estancia.

While this may conjure up images of roughing it a little, some of the estancias are far from purely functional.

Holidaymakers looking to stay in a high-end ranch house can stay in lavishly furnished mansions, influenced by the colonial styles of Italy, France, Spain and England.

There may be over 900 estancias across the country - making them a mainstay in the country's agricultural economy - but the majority are located in the wider province of Buenos Aires and Patagonia.

However, if you would prefer to get off the beaten track and stay at ranches outside of this popular area, where you go will considerably alter the kind of climate and holiday activities you can do.

The north of the country features a subtropical climate, whereas the central areas of Argentina have milder climates. Fans of winter sports are best off heading to the south, where the likelihood of snow, mountains and the potential to do some skiing are much higher.

Almost all ranch stays will provide holidaymakers with a chance to go horse riding or on walking trips as well as take in the natural sights.

Other local activities range from fishing and hunting, to mucking in with the day-to-day life of the ranch, including cattle driving and sheep shearing. Equine events, rodeos and informal folk music events are also common features when it comes to ranch stays.

There are also some country museums to find out more about Argentina's rural heritage.

For more information see the Argentina or Patagonia tourist boards.

Among the tour operators offering a trip to the gaucho festival is Sunvil Latin America, which has a 14-night tour of the country for £3,635 per person, based on two sharing, including flights, transfers, some meals and excursions.

Other tour operators with trips to rural Argentina include Pura Aventura, Why Don't You and Responsible Travel.