An estancia, or ranch, means many things to many people. Perhaps you think of one as a retreat and place of rel
axation, a Patagonia fishing lodge by the river, a horse riding ranch or simply a place to experience a slice of rural Patagonian life with cooking lessons or tasty asados.
Check out our Estancias Around El Chalten page for ideas of where to go.
Patagonia is full of working cattle estancias on the pampas as well as non-working estancias where operators run horse riding trips of anything from 3 to 11 days. Estancias are popular in 3 main areas in Patagonia:
- Southern Patagonia in Chile along the rivers of the mountainous national park of Torres del Paine and out on the flat, dry open pampas surrounding it
- Estancias in Argentina can be found on the endless Argentinian pampas of Santa Cruz from Rio Gallegos up towards the Chubut Valley
- The Patagonian late districts in both Chile and Argentina – a dense, lush region with lots of lakes, mini mountains and fast-paced rivers
Booking a stay at an estancia gives you the freedom to enjoy a range of adventure activities whilst staying at a comfortable lodge and enjoying some great Chilean or Argentinian wine. It’s also a great way to meet the locals – most estancias are run by well established cattle rearing families that decided to turn their working ranches into guest houses and places for tourists to come and sip mate, ride horses and find out what it’s really like to be a guacho.
After having visited Patagonia myself and through working with the owners of local estancias, I can recommend the following estancias as friendly, cosy places to spend a week or two in Patagonia.
Without doubt our favourite is Estancia Huechahue.
It offers a real glimpse into ranch life on the Patagonian Steppe, whilst staying in a modern and very comfortable lodge. With limited space, you’ll be part of just a small group staying there, enjoying a traditional Patagonian barbecue in the evenings after horse-riding across the Plains during the days.
For some great fly fishing trips check out:
Green Lodge Baker – River Baker, Aisen
They offer a fantastic horse riding trip to Glacier Nef
Based on the huge Rio Baker, this river offers plentiful trout and a cosy lodge to come back to after a full day of fishing or riding.
For one of the best estancias in Argentina see:
Estancia Ranquilco – Neuquen, Argentina
Georgie puts your culinary skills to the test in her 10 day Argentinian cooking course. Sample great food and wine at this estancia and enjoy a range of adventure and culture activities.
For more information about these estancia holidays and others, visit www.swoop-patagonia.com