TROUT FISHING: Argentina - Bariloche

At Fly Fishing Patagonia we take great care of our non-angling guests and provide them with one of kind activities that no other outfitter delivers. Most of the lodges we use offer traditional non-angling activities such as horseback riding, hiking and access to shopping in town. In addition to these activities, we have created unique options which include daily journeys with local experts in the fields of ornithology, ecology, botany and archeology. These outings are like a private Patagonia eco tour, as specialists put there private research or teachings on hold to share with our guests their fascinating world. Please note that the non-fishing activities should be booked far in advance.

Bird Watching- Guided Andean Condor Observation & Ornithology Trips

Andean Condor observation is the pinnacle of bird watching in Argentina. A day bird watching and learning about the Andean Condors with our old friend, Dr. Lorenzo Sympson, is our most memorable Patagonia eco tour. We highly recommend this for all guests regardless of their interest in bird watching.

Dr. Lorenzo Sympson
Lorenzo is Argentina’s leading specialist on the Andean Condor and considered an expert ornithologist and naturalist in Patagonia. He is head of the Condor Project in Argentina for the University of California at Santa Cruz. This project studies the Andean Condor with hopes of reestablishing populations of California Condors in the southwestern USA. Lorenzo is a founding member of the Andean Patagonia Naturalist Society in Bariloche, an organization comprised of local experts in ecology, biology and other natural sciences that works with local governments and citizens to educated and preserve natural resources.

A day with Lorenzo includes a morning and afternoon walk or horseback ride to observe Andean Condors and other birds in the Nahuel Huapi National Park or on private ranches. A traditional Argentine asado is enjoyed at lunch either on a mountain top cottage or on a riverside lodge. Lorenzo may share with you his British ancestry, his days working as a veterinarian in Peru, managing large ranches in Patagonia or perhaps his narrow escape from death from Argentina’s military during the coup.

Since Dr. Sympson is an expert in all birds of Patagonia, multi-day trips bird watching in Argentina can be arranged. Although even a day with Lorenzo must be scheduled months in advance.

Guided Botany Tours- Alpine plants, old growth forests and diversity of the steppe

Fly Fishing Patagonia offers a day with Dr. Cecilia Ezcurra to examine the flora between the Patagonia steppe and alpine areas of the Andes. Learn about the origin of the lily and how plate tectonics affected these plants and other North and South American vegetation. Cecilia guides our guests in many of the diverse environments in the Nahuel Huapi National Park and surrounding area. Please read below about Cecilia and one of her favorite places, the rare Lenga forests of Patagonia.

Dr. Cecilia Ezcurra
Dr. Ezcurra received her doctorate in Biological sciences in 1982. Today she studies the origin and evolution of the flora of the Andes and Patagonia. Cecilia is also a specialist in the taxonomy of several South American plant families. She has published scientific papers on Andean plants and vegetation, and has written contributions to books such as Flora Patagonica, Flora de Jujuy, Flora de San Juan, and Plantas del Nahuel Huapi. In 2006, she published her own guide book titled, High Mountain Flowers of the Patagonian Andes, which can be bought in most book stores in Bariloche.

More than 50 of her works have appeared in scientific publications such as Annals of Missouri Botanical Garden (United States), Brittonia (United States), Darwiniana (Argentina), Systematic Botany (united States), Canadian Journal of Botany (Canada), Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (England), Journal of Vegetation Science (Sweden), Botanical Review (United States) etc.

She has also worked as botanical illustrator and loves to walk and identify plants from forest, steppe and alpine environments.

The Lenga Forest
The humid Patagonian Andes are covered by forests dominated by trees of Nothofagus. This plant genus is distributed only in the southern hemisphere, mostly in temperate areas of Australia, New Zealand and South America that long ago were connected through Antarctica as part of Gondwanaland. Nothofagus forests are remnants of an antique Antarctic flora that disappeared some millions of years ago covered by the ice of the Southern Pole glaciations.

A dramatic example of these forests can be found on higher elevations of the Andes.

The Lenga woods of the cold-adapted Nothofagus pumilio or Southern Beech trees, has foliage that turns red and orange in autumn before shedding their small leaves. These unique woods are formed by huge ancient trees with Spanish Moss laden branches and populated by unusually tame birds, such as the large Patagonian red-headed woodpecker. In contrast with the alpine zone this forest forms an intricate krummholz of stunted, crooked trees that spread over the rocky environment.

The under story of the Lenga forest is covered by beautiful flowers like the yellow “amancay” (Alstroemeria aurea) that form tapestries of golden color. This native lily has produced many colored cultivars that are now used for floral arrangements all around the world. Over the forests, in the windblown harsh alpine environment, many species of rare wildflowers can also be found.

A day with Dr. Ezcurra should be reserved at least 6 months in advance.

Guided Ecology Tours

Learning the intricacy of the diverse Patagonia ecology makes its aberration more fascinating. Naturalist Daniel Feinstein guides our guests through the rain forest of Patagonia looking at ancient redwoods, marsupials or the smallest deer in the world. His extensive knowledge of the various environments of Patagonia makes him an indispensable asset to us and his community.

Daniel Feinstein
Born in 1955 in a family of naturalists, Daniel Feinstein grew up on the Atlantic coast of Argentina and traveled around the continent as a boy. After he graduated from high school in Florida, he returned to Argentina and received a degree in Tourism as well as a Literary and Scientific Translation degree.

Daniel is a trilingual tour guide for the Nahuel Huapi National Park in Patagonia and a licensed Mountain guide in Argentina. He also has extensive training in rock and ice climbing, mountain rescue and ski mountaineering and is a member of several mountaineering associations including Club Andino Bariloche.

He is one of two of our guides who lecture on board ocean cruises that sail around Cape Horn. Daniel is a local expert in Patagonia Flora and fauna and a member of several non-profit organizations in the fields of conservation, education, religion and sports.

When Daniel is not guiding in Patagonia, he is leading groups to such countries as Brazil, Chile, Russia, Peru, Ecuador, Tibet Australia, Antarctica, Europe and Scandinavia.

Daniel and his family reside in Bariloche, Argentina.

Rain Forests of Argentina
The coastal temperate rain forests in the southern Andes of Chile and Argentina, are the largest of their kind. With an area of 25 million acres, they cover more area than those in Canada and U.SA combined. They have evolutionary and geological connection with similar forests in Tasmania and New Zealand. The forests are highly valuable from the bio diversity aspect, displaying a great number of endemic species, including three thousand years old Alerces and Araucaria trees.

Guided Archeology Tours

Doctor Adam Hajduk is a respected archeologist in northern Patagonia. A day with Dr. Hajduk might include visiting archeological sites where guests view Indian rock art, learn how to identify artifacts or participate in digs. Topics may include prehistoric animals such as ground sloths, nomadic cultures, geological events of the Andes or the arrival of European Jesuits in the mid to late 1500’s. to different sites provide guests with as much geological as archeological knowledge. Private lectures and full day or half day hikes can be arranged with Dr. Hajduk.

Dr. Adam Hajduk
After receiving his degrees in Buenos Aires, Doctor Hajduk moved to Bariloche in 1961 where he has been studying prehistoric and human remains as old as 11,000 years. Doctor Hajduk is the former president of Andean Patagonia Naturalist Society or Sociedad Naturalista Andio Patagonico (SNAP) an organization comprised of local experts in ecology, biology and other natural sciences. SNAP works with local governments and citizens to educate and preserve natural resources.

Doctor Hajduks most recent archeological site, located 30 minutes outside Bariloche may be directly related to the first humans to enter the area.

Additional Activities
Many of our lodge properties offer kayaking, wine tasting, spa services, concerts and tango lessons and almost all of them have easy access to hiking and horseback riding trails. Horseback riding in Patagonia is nothing like the trail rides offered at ranches in the US. Your bilingual host at the estancia will take you off into the hills for an hour’s tour around the ranch or a multi-day pack trip through the foothills of the Andes, rediscovering the trails and traditions of the ancient Indians and gauchos. During these hikes or rides you may also find waterfalls, glaciers, ancient forest or wildlife such as Condors, Rhea Birds or Guanacos.

If your group is equally interested in horseback riding and fishing, we will tailor your trip for both the advanced riders and the advanced anglers.

The Alpine towns of San Martin and Bariloche offer great shopping as well as a variety of activities such as chair lifts, boat and 4×4 excursions, natural history museums and fine restaurants.

Fly Fishing Lessons
We are happy to provide lessons and equipment for any guest wishing to learn how to fly fish.