Fundo Curanilahue

Part of a growing trend toward rural tourism, this Anglo-Chilean fundo is a 500-hectare unit that specializes in wheat and sugar beets, but it also raises beef and dairy cattle, and alfalfa to feed them. While it’s not a dude ranch in the North American sense—guests are not expected to participate in farm activities—it does offer garden cabañas with fireplaces and private bath, and diverse recreational options both on and off the fundo.

From mid-November to mid-March, accommodations cost US$170 per person with full board, including wine, aperitifs, beer, and soft drinks; the rest of the year, rates are US$150 per person. Most of the food comes from Curanilahue’s own organic gardens. Also included in the basic rates are horseback riding through plantations of pine and eucalyptus, swimming in the heated pool, access to tennis, laundry service, and motorboat excursions up the Río Laja.

In addition, Curanilahue also arranges excursions into the Andean backcountry and the coast range, including day trips to Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja [1], Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta [2], or Termas de Chillán [3] (US$100 per group), and the Laja Golf Club or the Chillán [4] market (US$50). Transfers to or from the Concepción [5] airport cost US$50, to or from Temuco [6] airport US$100.

Reached by a turnoff from the Panamericana a few kilometers north of Salto del Laja [7] and a gravel road that leads east from the Carabineros police station through the hamlet of Chillancito, Fundo Curanilahue is open all year, but reservations are essential. For more information, contact John or Louisa Jackson at Fundo Curanilahue (Casilla 1165, Los Ángeles, tel. 043/1972819, fax 043/1972829, www.curanilahue.com [8]).