Patagonia River Guides South – Tres Valles

Lodging Details
Tres Valles is a beautiful mountain lodge offering four spacious double suites, each with private baths and a private deck overlooking the spectacular Desnudo Mountain. 
The six-thousand square-foot lodge is intimate but spacious and distributed on two levels with a living room on each level, library, full bar, two dining areas, mudroom, large outside deck, barbeque pit, and two large fireplaces. One of the memorable characteristics is one of the lodge’s massive windows showcasing the snowcapped peaks of the nearby Andean peaks, all by the comfort of a roaring fire.

The spacious lodge means guests can spread out as much as they please, allowing for sharing time together or as much peace and quiet as they prefer. As remote as the lodge is, PRG has gone to great lengths to provide everything a guest could need, including a fixed phone and Wi-Fi, a luxury guests have never enjoyed in Rio Pico before. Guillermina and Simon Madero take pride in all aspects of the management, ensuring guests enjoy an amazing lodging and fishing experience while staying in Rio Pico.

Food and Beverage
Tres Valles’ professional kitchen prepares delicious gourmet meals in a shared family setting. In the event anglers would prefer to eat privately, that can also be arranged. Breakfast is hearty and made to order each morning around 7:30 AM before anglers depart with their guides. Lunch consists of a gourmet riverside picnic complete with local wines, sodas, beer, and plenty of water.

After the long fishing day, guests are transported back to the lodge, where they have some time to shower and relax. Dinner is served family-style around 8:30 PM next to one of the lodge’s two impressive fireplaces. Meals consist of traditional asados and barbeques showcasing grass-fed estancia beef and lamb paired with organic vegetables. The lodge offers cocktails, wine, beer, and soft drinks and can accommodate most requests.

Typical Length of Stay
Guests typically stay seven (7) nights / six (6) days, but longer packages are encouraged to explore all the area has to offer. In addition, combination packages with PRG South’s Trevelin Lodge are common and allow guests to experience more of the region during their travels. 

Non-Angling Activities and Options
While located in a very remote area, Tres Valles does offer some non-angling accommodations for guests and their companions. Horseback riding through the remarkable Rio Pico region is a great way to spend time off the water, as well as an abundance of hiking trails. The region is wild and rugged, and the views of the Andes while on horseback or on foot are extraordinary. In addition, the lodge is spacious and cozy and makes for a peaceful way to spend a day reading a book by the fireplace.

Internet / Communications
The lodge does offer complimentary Wi-Fi, but high-speed streaming is unlikely. Guests should expect not to have cell service during their stay.

How To Get There
Getting to Patagonia is not difficult. Take an easy overnight flight to Buenos Aires’s Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) from one of several major cities in the U.S., get a good night’s rest, and awaken in Argentina. There are two airports in Buenos Aires. The Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini Airport (EZE) is the international hub where all international flights arrive and depart. From there, you will need to transfer to the Jorge Newbery Airport (AEP), a smaller airport across town that handles the majority of domestic flights. From Newbery you will fly to Esquel (EQS) or to Bariloche (BRC), depending on the day of the week. It is always best to arrange your trip so that you can arrive and depart on days when the domestic Argentine airlines fly directly in and out of Esquel. You can fly in and out of Bariloche, but it is a longer drive to the lodge, and there is a surcharge and extra transfer fee to shuttle you from Bariloche.

Arrival and Departure Details / Times
If desired, you will be met by Yellow Dog’s Buenos Aires transfer agent at the international airport (EZE) and transferred either to your hotel or to the domestic airport (AEP) for immediate departure to Esquel or Bariloche. The agent in Buenos Aires can easily re-confirm your flights, make dinner reservations, share a cocktail, and take you on a city tour if you wish. From Buenos Aires, it takes about two hours to fly to Esquel. After landing at the Esquel airport, you will be met by the PRG guides. This transfer is included in your package. If you fly instead into Bariloche, we can also arrange the transfer from the Bariloche airport to the lodge, but keep in mind that there will be an additional transfer fee.

Documents Required
Citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and other Western European nations do not need a visa for tourist trips of up to ninety days. You will need a valid passport and will have to fill in a landing card on arrival and you will be given a stamp for stays of thirty, sixty, or ninety days. Staple your duplicate of the landing card into your passport, next to your entrance stamp, as you’ll need it to leave the country. If you do lose it, it’s rarely a serious problem, but you’ll have to fill in a new form at the border control. On entering the country, you will also be given a customs declaration form. Duty is not charged on used personal effects, books, and other articles for non-commercial purposes, up to the value of $300. Make sure you declare any valuable electronic items such as laptop computers, as customs officers can be suspicious that you may be bringing them into the country to sell.

Travel Arrangements
Yellow Dog provides airline reservations ad ticketing assistance through etcTravel Group, and a full-service airline logistics agent that can help book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more. You can click here to request a quote or contact Yellow Dog for more information at 406-585-8667. etcTravel Group offers dedicated support services for all Yellow Dog clients. Service fees may apply when booking or researching tickets, and etcTravel will discuss this with you before sending quotes. 

Travel Tools
– Airline Ticketing
– Moon Phases
– Rent This Rod
– Trip Insurance and Emergency Evacuation
– Global Rescue Membership

General Information
The Rio Pico is one of the least pressured areas in all of Patagonia, and at least a full week of fishing is required to experience its diversity. Anglers are spoiled for choice, with most guests opting to fish a new piece of water each day. The region’s waters are prime for walk-and-wade fishing, focusing on the Rio Pico, Rio Las Pampas, Rio Nielsen, Rio Tigre, and a number of infamous spring creeks. In addition to the abundant distinguished rivers and streams, the area’s lakes are a true gem in the Tres Valles program. The lakes are popular for sight fishing for massive rainbow, brown, and brook trout, with true trophy fish available. While the lakes are not what most anglers travel to Patagonia for, the lodge encourages anglers to fish at the lakes at least once during their stay to target massive fish with different techniques. 

After breakfast each morning, guests depart the lodge with their guide and guide assistant and make a short drive to their fishing location for the day. Lunch is taken streamside before anglers return to the lodge in the evening for a late dinner. Days on the water are long, and the lodge provides anglers with a dry bag to bring everything they need for a day on the water. If fishing near the lodge, anglers can request to return to the lodge for lunch.  

There are numerous rivers available to float, but the area excels in wade fishing, and some hiking is required to access the most isolated areas. However, the lodge manages dozens of private access points throughout the region, allowing for quick and easy fishing access from the truck if anglers do not desire to hike. It is common to fish with a new guide daily, and guests can customize and tailor the type of fishing or species they wish to pursue. The fish in the area average 14 to 22 inches, with larger fish common, especially in the lakes. Sight fishing with dry flies is the most common approach throughout the season, occasionally demanding anglers be patient and stealthy. 

Boats and Equipment
Patagonia River Guides utilizes a large “fleet” of NRS self-bailing rafts outfitted with swivel seats, anchor systems, and dry storage in each boat. Four-door, 4×4 turbo diesel Toyota trucks (all in excellent condition) are used to transfer anglers to the fishing areas each day. PRG has plenty of backup Winston rods, Hatch reels, and Simms waders and boots for loaner or demo use. The use of this equipment is included in your package. They also boast the largest selection of professionally tied local patterns in Argentina to ensure that you will always have the right pattern for the right time. Flies are also included in your package.

Package Rates
Remember that Yellow Dog’s services are completely free! When you book a trip with Yellow Dog, you never pay more than when you book directly with the lodge or outfitter. All prices listed below are per person, based on double occupancy, and quoted in US dollars. Trips of any length can be arranged, so please call Yellow Dog for details and custom package pricing.

Packages of any length can be arranged. Rates are per person per night based on double occupancy.

Dec 1 – May 1 =  $1,100.00 per night

Add 50% for Single Occupancy Fee.

What’s Included:

• Accommodations and meals
• All beverages including house wine, beer, and alcohol
• Fully guided fishing (2 anglers per guide)
• Transfer to/from Esquel airport and the lodge
• Fishing license
• All fishing equipment including waders/boots, rods/reels, flies, leaders, and tippet

What’s Not Included:

• International and domestic airfare
• Transfers, hotel, and food in Buenos Aires
• Laundry services
• Premium wine, alcohol, and cigars
• Gratuities for guides and staff

Patagonia River Guides (Trevelin, Rio Pico and San Martin de los Andes, Argentina)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – CANCELLATIONS
A non-refundable deposit of 50% per person is due at the time of booking for all lodging and fishing packages, and final payment if due 90 days prior to arrival. For cancellations, all deposits and payments are non-refundable. In no event will the lodge or Yellow Dog be responsible for any cancellation of services or operations due to inclement weather, any event of force majeure, airline delays, flight cancellations, or any other reason beyond the control of the lodge. The lodge will not refund payments in the event of poor weather, or if arrival flights are cancelled or airline connections are missed. Additionally, the lodge and Yellow Dog are not responsible for covering costs associated with alternative travel arrangements including flights, hotels, meals or any other expenses incurred. For all of these reasons, and because of the no refund and no credit policy, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance and full coverage for your trip. If a cancelled package is resold by either the lodge or by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, then a full refund will be issued minus a $100.00 per person fee charged by Yellow Dog. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgment that registrant has read and accepts the deposit, cancellation, refund and responsibility clauses for these packages. Once again, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance all Argentina packages.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW YELLOW DOG GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND CANCELLATION POLICIES

Payment Terms For All Yellow Dog Trip Bookings
In order to lock in your trip reservation, we ask that you please remit payment at the time of receipt of invoice. For your convenience, Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a direct and secure ACH platform – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Note that all Yellow Dog invoices include a live link that takes you directly to the Yellow Dog ACH platform for fast and easy payment. For open and existing invoices with a remaining balance, payment reminders also include this easy link to the ACH page.

Other customary forms of payment that are accepted are checks or wire transfers. If you would like to pay in a different way or have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (888) 777-5060 or (406) 585-8667. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Beginning September 1st, 2020, Yellow Dog will apply a 3% convenience fee for all credit card transactions.

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures Standard Forms For Payment

• ACH online payments (for US banking institutions only).
• Traditional checks (sent via mail)
• Electronic wire payments (client is responsible for any wiring fees)

*Please contact us if you prefer or require a different payment option. Convenience fees may apply for other payment methods.

**Please be aware that the ACH platform is only available for US financial institutions and bank accounts. International payments can be made via wire or with a credit card.

Photo credits for Tres Valles from Patagonia River Guides and Matt Jones Photography