El Encuentro Lodge

El Encuentro Fly Fishing has been welcoming guests to central Patagonia since 1985 — making it one of the oldest and most established fly fishing operations in Argentina. Built on four decades of exploration and hosting international anglers, the program today offers an exceptionally diverse and well-crafted Patagonia trout fishing experience.

What further sets El Encuentro apart from most Patagonia trout lodges is its three-lodge structure. Rather than fishing all week from a single base, guests move between two or three properties — each positioned to access a different corner of the Andean corridor of Chubut Province, each offering a genuinely different style of fishing. The same team of veteran bilingual guides accompanies guests throughout, ensuring continuity and the kind of personalized attention that only comes from a family-run operation that genuinely cares about your experience on the water.

El Encuentro caters to non-fishing companions better than most fishing lodges in Patagonia. While anglers are on the river, non-anglers have access to a full program of activities — hiking, horseback riding, birdwatching, visits to wineries and museums, and day trips into Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Couples and groups with mixed interests will find that nobody has to compromise here.

El Encuentro’s lodges book up early. Contact Fly Fishing Patagonia to discuss which properties and timing are right for your group — and to check availability before your preferred dates are gone.

El Encuentro Fly Fishing is one program, one team of guides, and three distinctly different lodges — each positioned to access a different corner of northwestern and midwestern fisheries of the Chubut Province. Most guests spend 7 to 10 nights splitting time between two of the three properties, with the same bilingual guides accompanying them throughout. Non-fishing companions are equally welcome at all three lodges and will find plenty to keep them happy — from hiking and horseback riding to day trips into Los Alerces National Park.

El Encuentro Lodge  The original lodge, built by the Beale family as a private gathering place for friends and family, sits high above the banks of the Río Futaleufú with sweeping views of the Andes. For over 40 years the Beales have been welcoming anglers from around the world, many of whom return year after year. The lodge accommodates up to ten guests — three rooms in the main house and two ensuite rooms in an adjacent cottage — in an atmosphere that feels more like staying with a remarkable Argentine family than checking into a lodge. The kitchen garden produces most of the organic vegetables served at the table, meats are sourced locally, and bread is baked fresh each morning. Fine Argentine wines accompany every meal, and the weekly asado shared with the family and guides remains one of the most celebrated traditions of the El Encuentro experience.

Valle del Carrileufu Lodge  Located in the Cholila valley north of Los Alerces National Park, Valle del Carrileufu is a charming partner lodge that fits seamlessly into the El Encuentro program — same guides, same standards, a different and beautiful corner of Patagonia. The lodge is built around a large fireplace common room with handcrafted local tapestries and six comfortable bedrooms each with private bath. Debora Finkelstein has been the warm and gracious heart of this lodge for decades. She is also a standout chef — the kind who can take a dinner request and produce a gourmet meal from scratch that evening, as if it had been planned all along. For a lodge situated 1.5 hours from a decent grocery store, Debra is nothing short of remarkable.

Brook Trout Base Camp  Tucked along a remote bend of the crystal-clear Río Corcovado in midwestern Chubut Province, Brook Trout Base Camp is El Encuentro’s most adventurous outpost — a fully outfitted riverside camp that delivers genuine wilderness without sacrificing comfort. Five well-appointed casitas accommodate up to ten anglers, each with twin or king beds, a private bathroom with hot water, electric lighting, and a propane heater for cool Patagonian nights. Meals are served in a spacious dining tent with comfortable seating and wood stoves, featuring creative lodge-quality cuisine built around local ingredients and produce from El Encuentro’s kitchen garden. When the sun goes down and the river is the only sound, the remoteness of this place becomes its greatest asset.

El Encuentro offers exceptional fishing variety — from the productive tailwaters of the Río Futaleufú to intimate spring creeks, private lakes, and scenic walk-and-wade streams across mid and northwestern Chubut Province. Forty years of relationships with local landowners provide exclusive access to the region’s finest water. At Fly Fishing Patagonia, we tailor each itinerary to match your group’s preferences, priorities, and timing. Most guests spend 8 to 10 nights split between two lodges.
El Encuentro has an extensive non-angling program so every guest will enjoy their preferred activity each day.

From El Encuentro Lodge, the storied rivers of the Esquel region are easily accessed. From the back door of the lodge, anglers can float sections of the Río Futaleufú/Río Grande — a massive, emerald-green tailwater celebrated for its views of the Andes and consistent rainbow and brown trout fishing all season. There are wading options on private streams such as the Nant y Fall and Río Corinto, plus private lakes holding large, football-shaped rainbows. With a little longer drive from El Encuentro, even more waters are possible within Los Alerces National Park.

From Valle del Carrileufu, the fishing program focuses on the legendary, New Zealand-like waters of Los Alerces National Park including the Río Carrileufu, Río Arrayanes, Río Frey, and the famed, gin-clear Rivadavia with its unforgettable spring creek. Dry fly enthusiasts will also enjoy quick access to the upper Río Chubut in the drier climate to the northwest.

From Brook Trout Base Camp, anglers focus on the distinctive fisheries of the Río Pico region. The area is known for its trophy rainbow and brown trout fishing and its prolific brook trout populations. Of all of Patagonia, there is no better place for brook trout — fish that average three pounds and often reach over seven. From the camp, anglers will wade or float sections of the clear Río Corcovado, which flows from Chile to the magnificent Lago Vintter. Closer to Río Pico, anglers fish intimate spring creeks, a network of trophy trout lakes, and small freestone streams including the Río Pico, Río Pampa, and Río Nilson.

Seasons — El Encuentro fishes November through May. Contact Fly Fishing Patagonia to learn how the fishing differs between the early, mid, and late seasons.

Between their 3 lodge, customized itineraries may be 4 to 14 nights and include non-fishing activities.

EL ENCUENTRO LODGE -Sample Itinerary
(8 nights/7 days fishing)

Day 1    Arrive Buenos Aires (EZE). Transfer to the domestic airport (AEP) and fly to Esquel (ESQ.) El Encuentro’s guide staff will pick you up and transfer you 50 minutes to the El Encuentro Lodge. Assemble gear and fish if you have time.

Day 2-4    Three days fishing waters such as the Rivadavia, Rio Grande, and Corinto.

Day 5     Breakfast, drive 2.5 hours to Brook Trout Basecamp. Fish the Corcovado the rest of the day. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 6-8   Three full days fishing Lago 3, Rio Pico and the Corcovado

Day 9    Check out, transfer back to the Esquel Airport for your flight to Buenos Aires and home.

Rate: $9,600/angler
Included: Lodging, meals, open bar, guided fishing, fishing gear, waders, guided non-angling programs, laundry, Starlink Wi-Fi, transportation to/from the Esquel Airport and while in Patagonia.
Not Included: Flights, single rooms, private guide, licenses, transfers to/from the Bariloche Airport, travel insurance, gratuities, services in Buenos Aires.

With over 26 years organizing trips in Chile and Argentina, we make travel planning efficient and worry free. We’ll give you the domestic flights you need for your lodge dates and our travel team ensures your international flights connect smoothly. If preferred, we’ll even have our team in Buenos Aires meet you when you land.

• After an easy overnight flight, anglers land at the Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), transfer 45 minutes to the Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Domestic Airport (AEP) and fly 2.5 hours south to Esquel (EQS.)  An overnight in BA may be necessary. Four hours minimum is required between your international and domestic flights in Buenos Aires.
• Anglers are picked up at the Esquel Airport and driven either 1 hour to El Encuentro lodge, 1.5 hours to Valle del Carrileufu or 2.5 hours to Brook Trout Basecamp.
• Anglers are dropped off at the Esquel Airport for their flight back to Buenos Aires and home.