Vizcacheras Ranch:

he Ranch was built around the 1900's. In those days the BOVRIL Company of the UK owned Vizcacheras. The main business of the ranch was and still is raising cattle. The main house is located on one of the most elevated sites overlooking the very ondulated landscapes of Entre Rios with spectacular views of the farm's land and the unspoilt wilderness beside the Alcaraz River. The house has the typical British colonial style, as well as many other houses and small rural train stations throughout Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, but with some particular Argentine touches. During the Bovril days Vizcacheras received many illustrious visitors such as Lord Luke.


When the Malenchini Family had the privilege of purchasing this historic and famous property, Teresa and Fernando Malenchini immediately set out to restore the main house to its past splendor. The house now serves as the recreational center of the ranch. A large dining room and a living room decorated in Argentine-British colonial style with many old photographs and memorabilia, will take you back through the years on the BOVRIL era.

Breakfast and lunch are either served in the main house, or on the shady surrounding verandahs. Dinner is a very special event taken under the stars in the deck beside a rubber tree decorated with hanging candlelights.

The BOVRIL Slaughterhouse

f you like to dig back in history this place might fulfill your curiosity. Visiting the city of Santa Elena one can get the feeling of what the BOVRIL company meant decades ago to this region of South America. Although the slaughter house rests as a dormant dinosaur looking for better times, there's the British compound with amazing century old houses, some in ruins, where all the expatriates from England used to live. The compound is also one of the first examples of "new urbanism" in Argentina. With a permit from the Santa Elena Municipality a visit to the compound can be arranged although this is not guaranteed. In Santa Elena one can also get spectacular views of the Rio Parana.

Cemetery

izcacheras has within its boundaries a cemetery of Spanish colonial times. It used to be one of the stops to change horses along the route to northern Argentina. From historical research we know that there used to be a couple of small buildings, a small chapel and the cemetery. Although the bush has eaten the remains and only a couple of ruins can be seen, it is still another piece of history that delights the visitors to the ranch.

Where does the name Vizcacheras come from?

he name Vizcacheras comes from the wild-rodent called Vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) that are a soft-furred South American rodent that look like long-tailed guinea pigs. They are resilient animals, inhabiting dry pampas and shrub lands in northern Argentina and neighboring countries. Vizcachas have short front legs, long, muscular hind legs, and round eyes and ears. Their heads seem oversized in proportion to their bodies. Males weigh 5-8 kg; females 2-4.5 kg. Members of the same rodent subfamily as the chinchilla, they have a thick, soft, valuable fur that is gray or brown above, whitish or grayish below. They are, however, much larger than chinchillas. Although basically running animals, vizcachas often jump bipedally (like kangaroos), and they sit erect while eating or grooming. The forefeet have four long flexible digits used to grasp food. Their soles and palms are naked and have fleshy pads (pallipes). Vizcachas are nocturnal and are active year-round. They inhabit underground burrows, living in colonies often containing many individuals. They collect a variety of materials (for example, bones, sticks, and stones), and heap them in piles above the entrances to their burrows. These underground burrows are called Vizcacheras and this is where the name of the ranch comes from