Review: Buenos Aires Cultural Concierge, Boating on the Tigre Delta

Zoom out. What’s the big picture here?
My guide Néstor picked us up and took us to the station to take the train to Tigre, our choice. A private tour that we booked ahead, it promised an alternative approach to the Delta region.

Cool. Tell us about your fellow tourees.
This is a private boat tour, on a small wooden vessel designed for six people, with little margin for sudden movements.

How are the guides, then?
Guide Néstor is brimming with anecdotes, history, and information about the Delta, Argentina's answer to Venice. He was in touch with Flor de Ceibo's captain Ariel to ensure a smooth pick-up at the Tigre dock, and was very organized. He sat on the deck at the bow with me to chat.

Anything you’ll be remembering weeks or months or years from now?
Besides our knowledgeable guide, Captain Ariel is the star of this show—and Néstor was happy to translate. Not only does he helm his pride and joy, Ariel pours wine perfectly, guides us around the Delta, then moors up in a tranquil stream to prepare our meal. At this point, Ariel pulls out a small gas canister and frying pan to whip up some choripán (sausage sandwiches) and steaks for lunch, served perfectly medium rare from the stern. But, most fascinating was his bandoneón recital. Ariel worked around Europe for two decades as a bandoneón musician, and he pulls out his century-old accordion-like instrument to give us the most intimate of shows on board his boat. He pushes and pulls the air, frantically tapping on keys, producing tangos that are both familiar and unknown. So intimate and special, so very Argentine and spontaneous, this was a truly remarkable closeup you'd never get at a regular tango show, even though this recital has been planned.

I like it. So: money, time—how can we make the most of both?
For a different and personalized vista of Tigre and the Delta, this boat trip makes you feel as if you belong on board your own vessel. A true taste of Argentina—from the wine to lunch to the music—this is as fun as it gets on water.