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Argentina

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ESTANCIA HUECHAHUE
An Estancia in Northern Patagonia

In his book In Patagonia Bruce Chatwin describes some of the explorers, outlaws, missionaries and gauchos who have found their way to Patagonia. The romance of the American cowboy has captured the world's imagination, but the lives and traditions of the Argentine version are just as colourful and picturesque. At Estancia Huechahue you may not hear reports of sightings of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but you will experience some of the way of life on a working Estancia in this wild land.

Estancia Huechahue covers 15,000 acres in the foothills of the Andes. It is 1,000 miles SW of Buenos Aires, 45 miles E of San Martin de los Andes and 125 miles NE of Bariloche.

The Estancia is a working cattle ranch, very different from its origins as an Indian battleground - which is the meaning of the Indian word Huechahue. As well as enjoying the wealth of visitor activities, guests are always welcome to join in with the everyday ranching if they wish; many guests find the self-sufficiency of the estancia fascinating.

Accommodation: The accommodation at the estancia is very comfortable. There are 2 guesthouses; each has 3 twin bedded rooms with private bathrooms.

Whilst on pack trips, you stay in two-man tents and good qualities down sleeping bags are provided. The camp staff arranges all the setting up of camp, cooking and care of the horses.

Meals: All meals at the Estancia are served in the dining room of the main house. Lunch and dinner are large meals in Argentina. Dinner is late (never before 9pm and sometimes not until 11pm). Argentine beef is justly renowned both for its excellence and for its quantity. The estancia is virtually self -sufficient. Ham and Bacon are cured in the smokehouse, vegetables are grown in the greenhouse, fruit comes from the orchards, eggs from the chicken run and milk from the dairy cow. Lunch is often an "asado" - the traditional Argentine barbecue. The estancia can cater for special diets with prior notice.

Argentine wines and beers are good; as are domestic gin and vodka and the local scotch is not bad. Imported spirits are expensive, so it is best to bring them with you.

Activities: These include horse riding, fishing, bird watching, walking, tennis (there is a court near the house), river activities (rafting and swimming).

The estancia lies on the River Alumine, which contains good populations of wild brown and rainbow trout. No supplemental stocking of hatchery fish is done. One to three pound trout are common and there are reasonable numbers of three to five pounders.

The wildlife includes guanaco, rhea, red deer, wild boar, armadillos, black-necked swans, ibis, plovers, eagles, vultures, burrowing parrots and the Andean condor.

The Riding

You may chose to ride out every day from the Estancia or to co-ordinate your stay with one of the planned pack-trip departures into the fantastic Lanin National Park or to combine both in your stay.

Riding out from the Estancia means going through barren rolling hills and along the narrow rocky gorges of the Andean streams. You can ride to the tops of the hills where the mighty Andes rise up behind you and the vastness of Patagonia stretches out before you. Watch condors and eagles as they float high above you. Gallop across water meadows or visit the Indian burial caves where Indian drawings can still be seen on the walls.

Or try your hand at working cattle with the gauchos. The amount and type of work with the cattle will depend on the season - in November and December there are the spring round ups and you may help the gauchos move the cattle to their summer grazing and again in April, help bring them home for the winter. You might also ride through the neighbouring Indian reservation, most of the tack is made on the reservations from rawhide produced on the Estancia so there is usually some negotiating to be done.

The riding program is tailored to the needs and abilities of those visiting the Estancia and is suitable for the expert horseman as well as the novice - providing you are reasonably fit and enjoy the outdoor life. There is scope for faster, more challenging riding when based at the Estancia.

A maximum of 12 riders visit at any one time. Your host and guide, Jane Williams, who is British and married into an Argentine family, lead most rides.

The horses are criollo crosses; part anglo-normando, of about 15.5 hh. They are bred and trained on the Estancia, are sure- footed and generally well behaved. They are neck-reined and the riding is similar to Western style. The saddles used are "montura de monte" which are similar to old English army saddles with a sheepskin on top.

The season for riding on the Estancia runs from early November to the end of April. However, groups of a minimum of 4 are also welcome at the Estancia during the months of August to October.

Pack Trip Itineraries

On pack trips, you will ride deep into Lanin National Park in the heart of the Andes. Here you ride through dense beech forests and bamboo thickets. From the tops of the ridges there are breath-taking views, in the valleys there are tumbling streams and undiscovered lakes. You ride through forests of the only indigenous Monkey Puzzle trees of the world and across lunar landscapes of black volcanic ash, a legacy of the recent volcanic activity in the area. The snow-capped volcano "Lanin" dominates the entire area.

Pack trips are between three and five days long. You are required to have at least one day's riding on the estancia before leaving on a trek to ensure that you are happy with your horse, comfortable in your saddle and that the planned trek is one that you will enjoy.

A week riding in Huechahue
(Sample Itinerary)

DAY 01. CHAPELCO- JUNIN de los ANDES. Arrival in Chapelco airport or Junin de los Andes bus terminal. Meeting and transfer to Estancia Huechahue. Lunch followed by an afternoon ride to get used to the horses, tack etc.

DAY 02. A full day's ride on the Estancia with an "asado" lunch. Follow the Huechahue stream through its bassalt canyons; returning over the top of Chenque Hill, where the Andes rise up behind you and the vastness of Patagonia stretches out before you.

DAY 03. A full day's ride to visit Indian burial caves. The caves are massive with petroglyphs on the walls and Indian artefacts in the area.

DAY 04. The morning can be spent helping the gauchos work the cattle on horseback. After lunch at the estancia, spend the afternoon riding to the cliffs where the eagles and the condors nest.

DAY 05. A day's ride to the neighbouring Indian reservation. All the rawhide work is done on the reservation so there is always some negotiating to be done.

DAY 06. Take a day off from riding and float the River Alumine in a rubber raft. An opportunity to swim and enjoy the excellent trout fishing.

DAY 07. A days riding on Huechahue, visiting a different area of the estancia with a picnic lunch on the river. A chance to see Guanaco, red deer, wild boar and peludos - the baby armadillo.

DAY 08. HUECHAHUE- CHAPELCO. A farewell ride on Huechahue before transferring to the airport for you flight to Buenos Aires or onward journey.

rate per person per day for all packages: US$250. Single supplement per day = $62

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Minimum / Maximum: 2 / 12 participants
Minimum recommended stay: 4 days to get the most of the area.

Getting Here : The nearest airport is Chapelco Airport at San Martin de los Andes. Transfer (1/2 hour) to and from Chapelco is included in the daily rate.

There is also an airport at Bariloche, which has several flights daily from Buenos Aires. Transfers (2 hours) can be arranged at an additional charge.

The bus service in Argentina is very good, so we highly recommend an overnight bus from Buenos Aires to Junín de los Andes.

Weather : In the summer months of December to March the weather is generally hot and dry during the day with a maximum between 22 and 35 deg.C. As the estancia is at 700m, it always cools down at night, generally to between 5 and 10 deg.C. On treks into the National Park it can be colder. It rarely rains, however it is best to be prepared with adequate raingear. In November and April the weather is more changeable and you should be prepared for variations in temperature.