Kau Tapen

Our lodge is located in the Province of Tierra del Fuego. The lodge is located by the Rio Grande on the Estancia Retranca. Kau-Tapen (“house of fishing” in the Ona language) is the original fishing lodge in Tierra del Fuego and the standard of elegance by which other lodges are measured.

What started as the brainchild of Jorge Donovan and Jacqueline De Las Carreras over twenty years ago has revolutionized the way in which the fishing world views big trout. And, while the name Kau-Tapen might be cumbersome to newcomers-this lodge has made the Rio Grande a household name for fly anglers the world over.

Impeccable accommodation, plenty of elbow room on the Río Grande, caring guides, select vehicles and equipment, Argentina’s best wines and menus, and enviable fishing records since 1984.

The Fishing:

Kau Tapen fishes for Sea-run brown trout on 16 km of the Rio Grande. These fish average 12lbs in weight and run up to 30 + lbs. The lodge has private access to both banks of the Rio Grande. The river offers easy wading on fine gravel bottom.

Kau Tapen is a strictly catch and release fishery. Guides are equipped with nets and will assist guests in weighing and releasing fish without damaging them. Our highly rated professional guides – both international and Argentine – are able to give casting tuition with single and double handed rods (Spey casting).

Typical fishing tackle for Kau Tapen consists of Single-handed (7-9wt, 9 to 10ft) & double-handed rods (9-11wt, 13 to 15ft). Lines: floating, sink tips or heavy sink depending on water conditions. Flies: small salmon dry flies, nymphs, traditional salmon and sea run trout wet flies for the main river.

The Programme:

Fishing at Kau Tapen is strictly Saturday to Saturday. Anglers fly into Buenos Aires international airport and take a 3 hour flight to Rio Grande. The transfer from the airport to the lodge by four-wheel drive takes 1 hour.

The daily fishing schedule includes approximately 9 hours of fishing. Lunch is taken at the lodge, and is followed during the early season of December and January by a siesta in order to capitalise on the magical late evening dusk fishing hours.

Accommodation:

The lodge has a capacity for 12 rods accommodated in 9 en suite bedrooms. It is also provided with a dining room, sitting room, bar, wading room, fly-tying table. A full Spa is included equipped with sauna, finish shower, a relax and massage area. Telephone and internet access are also available.

Other features of your stay at Kau Tapen will be the gourmet dining, with Argentina’s famed beef and fine wines, traditional Asados (BBQs) and delicious desserts. Maid and laundry service is provided, as is a fly shop fully equipped with flies, rods, reels, lines, and suitable clothing and Argentine crafts. Our comfortable 4-wheel drive trucks are fitted with rod racks and VHF radios. Unparalleled bird watching and rich wildlife (flamingos, foxes, llama-like guanacos) is to be found in and around the lodge.

Season:

The season at Kau Tapen Lodge extends from December until the first week of April. High season is the period from the beginning of January onwards.

Rates – 2020:

The weekly rate is from US$5,950, based on double occupancy and shared guide.

Included: Transfer from Rio Grande Airport to Kau Tapen, Lodging, Meals, all wines, beer, and local spirits at the Lodge, Professional guide services & loaner fishing equipment (Rods, reels & Lines)

Not included: international and domestic flights; airport taxes; Buenos Aires hotels, transfers and meals; Laundry service; Gratuities for guides and house staff