In November we had the pleasure of visiting the outstanding Estancia Caballadas located in the Northern Lanin National Park. This 20,000 hectare estancia offers one of the great Estancia experiences, authentic with 5 generations of the family taking care of this wonderful environment. With over 14 pristine kilometres of river , the fantastic dry fly water of the Quillen and Malaco rivers, a myriad of spring creeks and miles of lake fishing the estancia has more than enough water to keep the angler occupied for a week with the added advantage of no other anglers to be seen. As an avid yearly New Zealand angler used to sight fishing large brown trout with terrestrial dry flies I was more than impressed with the size of brown trout we encountered (20-26+ inches) and fiesta rainbows (16-22inches). The sight fishing on these rivers was fantastic and the trout readily rose to our terrestrial patterns.
For horse riding enthusiasts there are boundless. We spent 3 days riding with the Gauchos in the heart of the Andes, exploring this expansive land. The variety of rides is excellent from paths high up in the mountains to trails through forests of monkey puzzle trees and also a lake edge walk with views up to the Lanin volcano. The wilderness is breathtaking, the horses excellent and the prepared lunches one of the main reasons we will return to Caballadas each year.
Accommodations are in the homely La case Grande (The Big House) sitting high on the hill which has 180 degree panoramic views over the Quillen valley. The home is comfortable, warm and provides an experience into Estancia family life with home cooked meals and fine Argentinian wines. There is ample room for a party of 12 and the experience as a whole is ideally suited gatherings of family or friends.
If you are looking at a visit to Argentina with a group interested in riding and fly fishing then I can’t recommend Caballadas highly enough.