Estancia Huechahue

Location

Around an hour’s drive east of San Martín de los Andes (which has an airport that is reopening this year), a two-hour drive from Bariloche direct or four hours via the Seven Lakes road, the Estancia is set in a 15 000-acre ranch in the province of Neuquén in the Northern Patagonia.

Rooms

The lodge has ten double or twin-bedded guest rooms all with en-suite bathrooms. Four are on the first floor of the main lodge and the rest are in two chalets with communal living rooms and patios overlooking the gardens. The rooms are fairly simple but have everything you need for a comfortable night’s stay– the main attraction of Huechahue is the outdoors and the activities so that's all you really need!

Layout

Guests are made to feel at home so will usually gather in the living room for drinks just before dinner and then eat together at a big communal table in the dining room. Jane who owns and runs the estancia is usually there and does a great job of keeping guests entertained with stories from the farm. Lunch is either served on the terrace looking out over the gardens or you'll be given a picnic out on a full day ride or excursion. Most of what you eat comes from the farm; milk and yoghurt from the estancia’s jersey cow, fruit and nuts freshly picked from the orchards and there’s even wild boar bacon served at breakfast.

Features

What we liked most about Huechahue is that guests are encouraged to get stuck in and make the most of their time at the estancia whether it’s enjoying the fantastic riding, fly fishing, rafting and bird watching or joining in with cattle work. Guests can spend the morning cattle herding with local Mapuche and then head up into the hills in the evening to watch condors soaring overhead as the sun sets over the Andes. With horses to suit every level of experience and ability, keen riders will love Huechahue but it’s also a great place for those just learning to build up their confidence.