Cowboys, home brew, and fried bread: Glamping in Argentina.

"Estoy cerquita, huelo torta frita," reads the hand-carved wooden sign 30 kilometers into a week-long trek in the mountains above El Bolson, Argentina. We've been walking with full packs for hours, so the sight of a sign saying that we are close enough to smell fried bread is enough to give both my husband and I a second wind. We continue down the trail to a large gate welcoming us to "Las Horquetas," a basic mountain refuge and camping area.

Mountain refuges in South America are nothing new, but the authenticity and lack of tourists at Las Horquetas surprises me. Many of the parks in Argentina draw hoards of hikers, and since my last trip included a drunk French girl trying to crawl into my tent in the wee hours of the morning, I reveled in the lack of co-campers. Don Norberto's family has owned this land for over 100 years, using it as a summer grazing area for their cattle. As he saw more and more trekkers coming to the area to take advantage of the extensive trail system, he decided to get a piece of the action. He and his family constructed a log cabin, simple toilets, and provide priceless conversation and entertainment in the middle of nowhere.

Norberto is clad in the classic gaucho wear--a beret-like hat, pants that resemble knickers, and a button down shirt. He ushers us in out of the rain, where a wood-burning fireplace has already warmed the hut. "What can I give you-mate, beer, a shot of booze," is his next question. Being fans of cerveza artesenal (micro-brews), we opt for a refreshing cold home brew made by his neighbor. Up since dawn tending to their cattle, his son comes greets us in friendly Spanish. In addition to his day jobs as a cowboy and refuge host, he also makes a mean fried bread, sews his own chaps, and is teaching himself the guitar. As Norberto begins hand-cranking the generator to illuminate the hut, his son puts down the freshly tanned hides that will become his pants, and grabs his cowboy hat from the kitchen. He can't play the guitar without it, but as soon as he dons it, he launches into classic Argentinian cowboy songs for hours.

For $4/night, you can pitch a tent in a sheltered spot on their land. For $20/night, you can claim one of the mattresses in their hand-built log cabin. Home-made beer, pizza, fried bread, and a dish of the day are always available.

If you go: brush up on your Spanish; try the beer and fried bread; and take your rain gear.