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Getting here from Britain is one night
British Airways flies direct to Buenos Aires. Sleep on the aeroplane, connect in the morning, and be in the field the same afternoon. Here is the whole thing — when to come, how to get here, and what a day is.
When
Every month works. They are not the same month
There is no closed season here — the eared dove does not migrate — so the honest answer to when should I come is whenever you can get away. But the months differ, and two things in particular are worth knowing before you pick.
The first: Córdoba's winter runs June to September, and it is dry, still, cloudless and around 18 to 21 degrees by day. It is warmer than a British summer, it is the most comfortable shooting of the year, and it falls squarely inside our own close season at home. That is the single best argument for the timing of this trip and the American sites never make it, because for their readers it is simply winter.
The second: the drive to the ground changes through the year. Sunflower season, January to May, puts the birds closest to the lodge. In late autumn the drives stretch to about an hour before shortening again.
| Month | Daytime | To the field | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30–32°C | Short | Peak summer. Long days, sunflower fields, birds everywhere |
| February | 30–32°C | Short | The month record-breakers pick. Longest days, greatest concentrations |
| March | 27–28°C | Short | Summer easing. The last and heaviest of the sunflower, then harvest ground |
| April | 25–26°C | About 45 min | Autumn. Mild, golden, the last sunflowers |
| May | 21–23°C | 45–60 min | Clear skies, no rain, low humidity. Excellent visibility |
| June | 18–19°C | Variable | Winter begins. Sunny, no humidity. Harvest over, birds back to the roosts |
| July | 18–19°C | Short | Mid-winter. Crisp days, the most mature and testing birds of the year |
| August | 21–23°C | Short | Winter yielding. The largest birds, constant action in the hills |
| September | 21–23°C | Short | Spring. No harvest to scatter the birds — you choose the day you want |
| October | 25–26°C | Short | Our guides' favourite. Birds concentrated, and reduced seasonal pricing |
| November | 27–28°C | Short | Spring at its peak, long twilights, reduced seasonal pricing |
| December | 30–32°C | Short | Summer opens. Long, intense days and reduced seasonal pricing |
Swipe the table sideways
Getting here
One overnight, one connection
British Airways flies direct to Buenos Aires, and that is the route almost every British Gun takes: overnight, arrive in the morning, and connect on to Córdoba. Some people take the connection the same day and shoot that afternoon; others spend a night in Buenos Aires and go up fresh. Both work.
One thing to know: Buenos Aires has two airports. International flights land at EZE and most domestic flights leave from AEP, which are 55 minutes apart. Sometimes there is a direct EZE–Córdoba flight and sometimes there is not. Tell us your flights and we will sort the transfer between the two.
- Sierra Brava
- 1 hr 15From Córdoba (COR) — 62 miles north
- Rio Bravo
- 2 hrsFrom Santa Fe or Paraná (SFN/PRA), to San Javier
- Bravo Sur
- 30 minFrom San Martín de los Andes (CPC)
- Between EZE and AEP
- 55 minWe arrange it if your connection needs it
The shape of a day
What actually happens between the two drives
A five-day trip is the usual: arrive at midday, shoot that afternoon, three full days, then a morning drive before the flight home.
The morning
- 7.00–7.30 — Called, though it shifts with the season and the scouting reports
- 8.00 — Argentine breakfast: fruit, toast, eggs, and the dulce de leche you will end up taking home
- After breakfast — Out in convoy to the ground, where your bird boy meets you and puts you in
- 12.30 — Asado in the field. Empanadas, dove brochettes, sausage, tenderloin, ribs, chops
The afternoon
- 13.30 — Nothing. A hammock, if you want one. Shorter in winter, when the light goes early
- 15.00 — The afternoon drive, which is usually the better of the two
- Back at the lodge — A massage if you want one, then a drink and something to eat by the fire pit
- 20.00 — Dinner. Argentine beef, and Topo’s Italian night, which has its own following
Planning
What people ask before booking flights
Any of them, which is the point of Córdoba — the eared dove does not migrate and there is no closed season. If you want the most comfortable conditions, come between June and September: dry, still, cloudless and around 18 to 21 degrees, which is warmer than a British summer and inside our own close season at home. If you want the shortest drives to the ground and the greatest concentrations, come between January and May, in the sunflower.
British Airways direct to Buenos Aires, overnight, then a connection to Córdoba (COR) in the morning. From Córdoba it is an hour and a quarter by road to the lodge, about 62 miles, and we meet you at the airport. Note that international flights arrive at EZE and most domestic ones leave from AEP, 55 minutes apart — tell us your flights and we will handle the transfer between them.
Five days is the usual shape: midday arrival and an afternoon drive, three full days of two drives each, then a morning drive before the flight home. It can be made longer or shorter. Given the length of the journey, most people find four full days is the point at which the flying feels worth it.
Lunch is an asado in the field at half past twelve and it is a proper one. After it, nothing at all until three — a hammock, if you want one. Back at the lodge there is a massage, a pool, a sauna and a jacuzzi, and dinner is at eight.
Next
Give us a month and we will do the rest
Dates first, everything else after. We come back within one working day with what is on and what it costs.