FORTIN CHACABUCO ranch is situated in the province of Neuquen, 28 kilometers from  Bariloche city and 23 from the international airport.  It has 5000 hectares of land which are mainly dedicated to raising and improving merino sheep, and was the first ranch  in Argentina to use frozen semen for artificial insemination.

Its origins go back to 1883, when General Villegas ordered the construction of Chacabuco fort (at the foot of the hill now called Cerro Fortin) in the struggle against the Indians during the colonization of Patagonia.The ranch owes its great variety of flora and fauna to its location in the transition zone between the pre-cordillera and the steppe.

In the western sector, which is part of the Andes range, there is snow until the beginning of summer, the melting of which produces the streams which feed the valleys, marshes, lakes and rivers.  In this zone there are about 800mms of annual rainfall, whereas the eastern sector is much drier with only  some 300mms.  This part is not so green and has a totally different flora.

On the ranch there are various large marshes which are ideal for fattening the sheep and also for watching deer , there are hills and mountains which can be explored on foot or on horseback, and there are numerous valleys, canyons, cipres forests over 300 years old, and extensive grasslands.  From the summits we get impressive panoramic views of Bariloche and its surrounding landscape.

The eastern boundary of the ranch is the River Limay, which also serves  as the border between the provinces of Neuquen and Rio Negro.Fortin Chacabuco is a working ranch, being an important wool producer for this area, and has around 2000 sheep. Today the ranch invites you to stay there, ride a horse, work with sheep, fish, etc