Fly fishing expedition in La Puna, Argentina… on board of a Dakar Rally truck!
If you cancel at least 15 days before the beginning of the expedition, you will receive 100% of the amount paid.
Desert and crystalline waters.
Fishing wild trouts in incredible landscapes.
An adventure with friends in La Puna on board of a completely refurbished Dakar Rally truck.
Get to know one of the most remote places on earth
Round trip from your hotel in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca to Antofagasta de la Sierra. And of course, transfers to all the places we visit... All in a double-decker truck!
Our chef prepares amazing food, which you'll enjoy in nature. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are also included 🙂
You can always bring your own equipment. But if you don't have it, we'll lend you ours for free. We have rods, reels, waders and wading boots if needed. Flies are avaiable according to what each fishing technique requires. Suitable for both floating and wading.
Our guides will show you the best kept secrets of La Puna: the special spots at the ideal moment of the day and with the least fishing pressure. Do you want to try a new technique? Improve it by the hand of your designed instructor. They will also make recommendations based on your tastes.
You need the mandatory permit to go fishing. Take a breather, we do this paperwork for you!
A Dakar assistance truck will be your new home during this journey. This 10-ton beauty forever changes the meaning of the word motorhome.
For as long as you travel with us, you will be covered by Assist Med insurance.
The tour can be done in Spanish, Portuguese and English
We introduce you to your new adventure partner
A SCANIA P-420 4X4 … converted into a Motorhome.
You won’t believe how well prepared this double-decker truck is. The bathroom has an antebath and shower. The dining room has Satellite TV and a Playstation. And to be cool with the temperature, we have air conditioning and heating.
On the first floor there is a room with a double bed. On the upper floor, there are 5 single beds with space to store your personal items. All the minimalism of Dakar engineering is now available for you.
Imagine having breakfast in the middle of nature, fishing all day and when you come back… you don’t have to cook! You will enjoy the delicacies of our chef with exclusive wines. The best for our guests, always.
With 120 centimeter tires, this monster is capable of beating the most challenging roads. The vehicle was designed to have autonomy, power and land in a flat and balanced way. There’s a reason why this was the official assistance vehicle of the Rally Dakar 😉
That’s the cool part about sleeping onsite. There is no trip from the hotel to the river. Every second of your day can be better spent fishing.
Camping in an RV is an incredible experience. But this is even better. We have several campsites. We’ll spend one night sleeping on the shores of the Punilla River, protected by a giant lava bomb from the Galan volcano. We’ll also camp by the majestic field of Piedra Pómez.
Reaching the highest level just for the pleasure of fishing is priceless. It’s crazy to see rivers running in the middle of the desert of the Andes.
These rivers have constant flow, temperature and water color throughout the season.
The water is as clear as glass. You’ll literally throw the fly to the fish you are looking at. The sensation of the trout approaching your hook generates happiness only matched by chocolate.
You can combine this expedition with activities in different places of the area. If you choose the «Fishing and Tourism» mode when you make your reservation, we will take you to visit the pearls of La Puna. We’ll visit the Galan volcano (the largest volcano crater in the world with 45 km in diameter). We will also go to the Piedra Pómez field, known as the City of Stone and protected reserve. And finally, we will take you to the Salar de Antofalla: the longest salt flat in the world.
We’ll pick you up at your hotel in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca… in a truck!
Let’s get goint to Antofagasta de la Sierra: a place with an insane geography. In fact, it’s considered the most extreme environment on earth, and its conditions are the same as 3500 million years ago. You’ll see the Galan volcano, which has the largest crater in the world.
Within that 45 square km hole, there is a lagoon called Diamond Lagoon.
We pass through the entrances of many villages in the Puna. One of them is Londres: the second oldest city in the country. You’ll be surprised by the small adobe houses, and ancient chapels of almost 4 centuries of existence.
At the south of Machu Picchu, there is a historical jewel that you’ll discover in this tour: Shincal de Quimivil. In ancient times, this place was more important than Machu Picchu commercially, since the former was a more spiritual city. In Shincal de Quimivil there are many Inca ruins in sight and others that are buried.
Here we will replenish our forces. We’ll buy coca leaves, a natural remedy for altitude sickness. From there, we start going up in altitude. On the way we stop to take pictures. Trust us: you won’t believe this landscape.
This whole region is a journey to the center of the earth. Among the towns we visit, we pass through a very peculiar one: Puerto Viejo. Here you can see up close the violent tectonic formation of the Andes Mountains. In this town, there is a very curious geographical feature. The terrain rose diagonally and the elevations look like two ships stranded in a port.
Cougars, foxes and ñandus will be your road companions. If you love bird watching, you’ll find more than 60 species: from flamingos to eagles. And that’s not to mention the mythical South American bird: the condor, which only nests at altitudes of over 1000 meters.
We continue to climb the Andean mountains. You are about to discover the history of the vicuña.
The vicuña was almost extinct in the area. Locals managed to recuperate the species thanks to intensive environmental protection programs.
It is the finest and most expensive wool in the world. The vicuña is so sensitive that the shearing is a race against time. Under the strict supervision of a biologist, it’s sheared in less than three minutes.
The wool obtained is distributed among the artisans of Catamarca, who know ancestral methods to work with this material. Just imagine the patience: it is woven by hand, knot by knot. No needles or instruments of any kind are used: only the hands.
If you are curious to know: A vicuña wool poncho costs around USD 850, and a scarf around USD 280. It’s a totally exotic and delicate garment!
Laguna Blanca is very special.
First, it’s a salt lake. It’s surrounded by peaks higher than 5000 meters above sea level. UNESCO considers it a biosphere reserve. The animals that live there made it quite famous. The flamingos and vicuñas are really the stars of the show.
And as if that wasn’t enough, in this reserve many rock art sites have been detected. There are caves with paintings and engravings of pre-Inca cultures.
In this natural reserve you will find thousands of columns made of pumice stone. They are giant white cones with pink peaks.
The crazy thing is that this field is part of the plug of a volcano!
A salt flat surrounded by volcanoes is waiting for us. In the center, there are three small interconnected lagoons called Ojos del Campo. Each one is a different color: blue, black and orange. You will feel small among so much immensity.
These are the rivers in which we will fish:
Punilla is a small-sized spring creek with absolutely crystal-clear waters. Fishing is almost all by sight and the techniques to be used are many. In this watercourse it’s very important to make careful movements and delicate shots. The water is so shallow and clear that the trout can easily notice our presence.
Los Patos River is the largest waterway in the entire Argentine Puna. It’s quite different from Punilla. Although it’s another Spring Creek of crystalline waters, its greater size presents us with a different and more varied fishing techniques.
Este río nace en el volcán Galán y es de agua tibia. Desemboca en río Los Patos.
Aguas cristalinas, todo a pez visto y truchas muy asustadizas pondrán a prueba a todos los pescadores que quieran sacar una buena pieza.
Call us intense, but La Puna is like nothing you have ever seen in your life. It seems as if God has taken all the colors of the world and put them there. There are fishermen who have cried while watching the landscape. It is a huge, virgin area with an amazing biodiversity.
The trouts were introduced into this area by mining workers for personal consumption. With no natural predators, these fish became the lords and masters of the rivers. The hook, the rod and you have a good fight assured.
Food and drinks are two details that we take care of -and enjoy- a lot. You’ll experience typical Argentine experiences like eating freshly fried tortas fritas before we catch the sunset, or a grilled lamb in the middle of nature. We won’t tell you more, but there are some surprises waiting for you :).
Sorry if we’re repetitive, we’re just obsessed! It’s crazy and there are few places left in the world with such pure waters.
We are crazy about fishing, just like you. For 15 years, we have spent our lives studying and teaching new fishing techniques. This means that we can teach you everything you want to learn. And if you have a hard time with anything (like when it’s windy), we give you our best tricks for getting back into the game. Nothing raises your self-steem like turning around a bad day 😉
These places are wild, remote, and with few visitors. All the rivers we fish are always at 4,000 meters above sea level and have very little fishing pressure.
Dates from November to March
If you want to do the tour exclusively for you and your group, we can organize a private journey just for you.
Learn more about our fishing program for women here.
This expedition is magical, but a bit demanding. After all, you are at 3500 meters above sea level. The best thing you can do not to get tired is to take it slow, no rush. Eat lightly, drink water and if you smoke, keep it to a minimum. And we also recommend you to take with you:
As you may have noticed, this is a journey to the heights.
And your safety is the most important thing.
After making the reservation, we will send you a medical form by email. It is very simple, confidential and you can complete it yourself. Remember that this tour includes travel and medical insurance so that you are covered at all times.
No, the tour only includes accommodation – inside the truck – since we leave San Fernando. If you want us to arrange accommodation in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, send us an e-mail to info@kunturflyfishing.com and we will gladly arrange it for you.
The rivers of the Puna are very narrow. They are spring creeks and can only be waded. And the fishing is excellent.
Absolutely! We are prepared to take care of whole families. We have taken ours many times already and everyone has a lot of fun! We love when everyone is participating, learning and enjoying.
It is not necessary. However, keep in mind that you will be traveling at a high altitude.
Yes, the Puna can affect us because of the height. The most important thing is to take care of ourselves before any symptoms appear. Drink lots of water, and eat little by little. We also recommend natural infusions such as coca leaves tea and pupusa tea. Following these tips, no guest of ours had problems. If spite of it you get sick, we have oxygen tubes in all vehicles.
All the guides of our team are trained to respond to an inconvenience, both in first aid and in water rescue. Safety is the priority at all times.
There is no coverage and/or internet in most of the places we go. But we are connected by VHF radio to guarantee your safety.
You will travel to the heart of the Andes Mountains. The wind and the cold can appear in the trip. We recommend that yoy prepare your suitcase keeping this in mind.
If you ask us, take some technical and warm clothing. During the day the temperatures can vary a lot. We recommend that you dress in various layers, like an onion, to adapt to the weather.
There’s no age limit.
In some fishing trips we use large or heavy equipment (7# and #8) and in other ultra-light equipment (#3 and #4). If you have availability of equipment, bring it with you. But remember that we will lend you ours if you don’t have it. (in all sizes!)
In all cases! In order for all of us to continue to enjoy fishing, the most important thing is to take care of the environment. We believe in healthy sport fishing, and from the water we only take memories (and cool pictures)
This could be you!
Who needs reviews with this joyful look on their faces?
MULTI-DAY TOUR
At 4000 meters (13000 feet) above sea level, this expedition is the closest thing to fishing on the moon.
Landscapes of another planet, very low fishing pressure and all the adrenaline of practicing our activity in an ancestral land.
FULL DAY & MULTI-DAY TOUR OPTIONS
Patagonia is that classic that no fisherman can miss out on.
We take you to the best rivers, show you the best kept secrets and we eat some FINE meals.
