The Team

This is the 4th season in The Patagonian BaseCamp for our beloved Anita. She works in room service and she loves her job, the reason why she always comes back. For Ana there’s nothing more beautiful than the nature around us and the Palena River’s shore, the beautiful relationship with the whole team. And her love for our Turkeys. We still suspect her from feeding them our breakfast granola, there must  be a reason that they are growing so fast and always run toward here when she is in the field.

Anita Runin Room and Lodge Service

Ben Johnston grew up fishing the front range of Colorado, where he discovered his love for fly fishing at a young age. While he may tell you he moved to Montana to pursue a Fish and Wildlife Management degree at Montana State University, after spending a few hours on the river with him it becomes clear that he moved to Bozeman for the fishing. Ben’s desire for adventure has also led him to Alaska where he guides fly-out overnight fly fishing trips for trout and salmon. Ben lives and breathes fly fishing, but in between breaths, can be found in a corn field goose hunting, or behind his vice working on his next best fly.

Ben Johnston Fly Fishing Guide

Beni is always worried about the tiny details of The Patagonian BaseCamp. She supports us through room and common spaces organization and tidiness. And she puts some fantastic, typical Patagonian, meals on the table for everyone living and working here at the lodge. After being here with us for more than four seasons and taking a break to work on her own land, she’s back here with our team. She loves sharing some good “mates” at the lunch break when many local stories are being told.

Benilde Chodil Room and Lodge Service

Billy is from Montana where he develops himself as a fishing guide for more than 8 year. He came to The Patagonian BaseCamp escaping the winter from the northern hemisphere. For years he had the dream to get to know Chilean Patagonia and to enjoy its fishing and nature. A lot of experience and a kind soul who’s able to share with you anything you need about fishing. You will enjoy his rowing skills and companianship when he maneuvers you through the white waters of Rio Rosselot and Rio Figueroa.

Billy Fielding Fly Fishing Guide

Esteban’s passion for fishing began while growing up in the Araucania Region in the south of Chile. Spending his free time fishing in the Conguillio National Park , surrounded by glaciers, unique landscapes and hungry trout.

After his graduation, earning his Bachelors Degree in Tourism Management, he decided to chase his dream as an outdoor guide.

After moving back and forth to the United States, working different jobs, visiting different places and most importantly meeting his wife Lauren, he realised that no matter where he goes, he always has fishing on his mind. Tired of working at fishing store’s, he decided it was time to make a change and go for his dream. That’s when Patagonia knocked on his door and his dream finally came true. Esteban is now heading for his third season at BaseCamp.

After getting married in 2019, he also became father of a now 5 year old boy who has already begun to experience the incredible world of fishing. Esteban is always calm on the water and open to answer any questions you might have and to share all his knowledge as a fishing guide so that you can have the best fishing day of your life!

Esteban Gonzalez Fly Fishing Guide

Exequiel. Always happy, always ready to help you and always with brilliant ideas and solutions. Since eight years now, he is helping us with almost everything that happens around the lodge and in the camps. He helps with farm and the animals (although most of the lambs might not call it “helping” when they are ready for an asado), but also with the maintenance of the buildings and preparing the camps for the season and keeping them up during the season. Lately he has been very involved with our building projects in TempleCamp and BaseCamp, but also in our Escondido Project. His attention to details can be recognized in many of the constructions.

Exequiel Matamala Construction, Maintenance and Farm

Fernanda born and raised in the Casablanca Valley in the Central Zone of Chile. That valley is famed for his white wines from world class vineyards. That’s where she learned the skills of organizing and where she became a great cook. She also worked a while in a large hotel in Mexico, where she learned a lot of techniques which she now puts in practices with us.

She started in BaseCamp already back in 2014 and she is now in charge of the kitchen organization, purchases and logistics. But also of the pastries and of all the river lunches. She will make sure that your guide leaves for the his day with his cooler full of goodies.

If you are here, walk in the kitchen and let her permanent smile do his magic on you. Fernanda, or how she wants to be called, Feña (say Fenya), will make you happy!

Fernanda Aranda Chef, Kitchen Logistics

Jack, or rather Jackson was born and raised in central Texas, and as a young kid was introduced to fly fishing and exploring remote areas. During high school he began working in fly shops and guiding river trips, serving as starting place to purse his passion for fly fishing. After moving west to attend school at Montana State University University, he graduated with a degree in Business Management. Now he spends his year splitting time guiding for bass at home in Texas, in Bristol Bay, Alaska, at The Patagonian BaseCamp, as well as hunts across west Texas.

Jackson became a very versatile guide, his attention to detail stands out and his passion for catching fish is very contagious.

 

Jackson Bradbury Fly Fishing Guide

Luana, or Lu or even Lua was born in Brasília, Brazil’s capital, and lived there her entire life. But she always knew that see wanted to see and to experience much more of the world. So since September 2022 she has been living a nomadic life.

The world is full of wonders and traveling has always been one of the things she loved most. She is passionate about new experiences and adventures. Lu enjoys being breathless with incredible landscapes or even the day-to-day simple beauties. She loves connecting with people from all around, sharing nice moments together, getting to know their culture, learning different ways of living and just getting inspired by their stories.

She has a bachelor degree in Tourism and another one in Culinary Arts. She really likes learning foreign languages, so besides Portuguese, she also speaks English, French, Spanish and a little bit of Italian. If you like it as well, she will be more than happy to practice any of those with you.

Lu: “That’s how I ended up here this season at The Patagonian BaseCamp. And I must say, I’m feeling blessed and super excited about being part of this team in this incredibly beautiful place”. “I want to make you feel more than welcome, comfortable and happy during your staying here at the Lodge. Please, don’t hesitate to let me know whatever you need”.

Luana Ferreira Hostess

The Fly Fishing Dutchman. After a successful career in the Dutch shipping industry, Marcel decided to change his life dramatically. Bought a ticket to South Africa, travelled the world with a backpack, a tent and a fly rod for almost two years and eventually ended up in Chile. That is in now 25 years ago. And see what happened.

In the those 25 years he built up Patagonian BaseCamp to one of the most successful fly fishing lodges in South America and still just loves it. His love for Patagonia and fly fishing for trout is contagious. Be careful for him. But he already found a new challenge, the “Escondido Project”: a combination between a conservation and outdoor-experience project. For the next 20 years or so, he will be busy. Very busy.

But there is another challenge arising, turning his daughters Elena (14) and Isabel (10) into the next generation of fly fishing guides. A big challenge, because for now their lives are about pink ballet dresses rather than large trout from the Palena river.

Marcel Sijnesael Lodge Owner ( The Patagonian BaseCamp )

Born and raised in Montana, Max is the personification of the perfect guide. Always happy, always ready and always fishy. And that is contagious to the highest level. A day on the river with Max stands for learning while catching. He just cannot help him self, his urge to make a better angler from everyone is unstoppable. And you will love it.

Max joined our our team in 2016 and became one of our most versatile guides. He fished most of our rivers and lakes and discovered some new techniques which were an eyeopener to us. Even after 20 years of fishing these waters. And I am afraid that Max is not quite done yet. If he is not on the water, he is inventing new flies or tying traditional ones.

Max Anderson Head Guide

Nicholas, or rather Nick, grew up in Michigan. Fly Fishing for small mouth bass, pike, trout, salmon and steelhead was his early passion. After completing high school, he went to Montana State University and graduated with a degree in economics. During his time there he worked in fly shops and started his guide carreer which brought him later to Bristol Bay, Alaska. Now that he has his degree, he spends his summers guiding in Montana, his falls in Alaska spey fishing for steelhead, and now in Patagonia Chile in the winter months. Not a bad way to fill your year as a fly fishing addict.

Nick Van Dinther Fly Fishing Guide

Nicolás joined the The Patagonian BaseCamp Team this season. He’s from Santiago, and as a teacher he has been leading and learning from several years in different hospitality projects and with different outdoor adventure teams in Chilean Patagonia. This season he is with us as a support for the BaseCamp team by looking over the full organization in and around the lodge. He is more than willing to share his love for and knowledge of nature  with everybody. Especially his knowledge of everything living in the Template rainforest of the southern Andes is contagious.

If you are fishing out of TempleCamp this season, Nicolas will be your host and camp manager over there. Ask him everything you want to know.

Nicolas Lillo Manager at BaseCamp and TempleCamp

Directly from Trujillo, Peru, Rapha is coming to “season this season” at The Patagonian BaseCamp Lodge. He’s been living in Santiago for the lasts years where he worked in a variety of restaurants. Coming down and getting to know Patagonia was a dream for him and he still has a hard time believing that he actually is here in the evergreen native rainforests of the South of Chile. He loves cooking with  the fresh ingredients from the ranch and from the local farmers; his love for cuisine is contagious and you will taste it in every plate. Together with his wife Ruby he runs BaseCamp´s kitchen and surprises our guests every day. May be because of his daily swim in the cold Rio Palena, just before cooking his delicious meals.

 

Rafael Cabrera Lodge Chef

Ruby was raised at the coasts of Peru, in Lima. She and Raphael are life partners and both share the same love for cooking and preparing stunning dishes for the guests at BaseCamp Lodge. Her passion lays on bakery, so be prepared to enjoy delicious desserts after an amazing day of fishing in Patagonia.

If one of her recipes “kills” you, just walk in the kitchen, she will happily share it with you … in Spanish, though!

Ruby Huaman Lodge Sous-chef

In 2017 Yuri came with her family down to Chile from Colombia and moved to Patagonia as one of our neighbors. Through a good friends recommendation, Yuri passed by the lodge one day and started  working with us still that same season. That is now three years ago and she is still going strong in making sure that the rooms and the lodge are giving  you that comfortable  feel. She is also in charge of the laundry service we offer and many guests have been surprised of how clean and well ironed their clothes showed up the next day. Patagonia is a big contrast from Columbia and Venezuela, where she lived for years, but she loves to live and work in the natural environment around BaseCamp and she greatly enjoys the work atmosphere here at the lodge. No time to miss the northern part of the continent.

Yuranny Bedoya Room and Lodge Service