Uruguay Lodge

Uruguay Lodge is one of the most beautiful Estancias in all of Uruguay – recognized as such by several different publications that feature its outstanding beauty and tradition. The lodge is a mansion that used to be the main house of a ranch from the end of the 19th century, built by a man that would later become the president of Uruguay. Since then it has had several different owners, including an Italian Count, made famous for his eccentricities. But when the mansion turned 100 years old at the end of the 20th century, the large dimensions of the house and the cost of maintaining its condition made it so that the owners stopped using it, leading to the beginning of its self-deterioration and ultimate abandonment… until David Denies acquired it.

We took care of the meticulous restoration of the entire property and brought it to the same level of splendor as in the time before, one hundred years ago, but with the comforts of the 21st century.

The mansion has six large rooms, which can be made single or double, a large living room with a wood-burning stove, a sitting room with a large skylight, and a bar that invites guests to interact in an eating area with a table for twelve people. Uruguay Lodge is able to receive a group of six hunters in single rooms or ten hunters in double rooms. The pinewood floors are original, as well as the mosaics in the main hallways, and the Spanish tiles and the wall tiles of the living and dining rooms. Extremely high ceilings at an impressive height of close to three meters and a width spanning the entire floor will give a special sense of comfort to the guest.

There is a wine cellar in the basement and close to the kitchen, a splendid greenhouse for the garden. In Uruguay Lodge, our guests will enjoy service of the highest category, as they receive in all of the David Denies lodges.

• Capacity: 8 guns.
• Accommodations: 4 twin rooms with private en-suite bathroom + 1 king-size and 1 queen-size bedroom, both with private bathroom. Single rooms are not surcharged (subject to availability).
• Comfortable living room, open bar, as well as an inviting sitting area with a central fireplace and floor to ceiling windows offer a relaxing setting with their views across the Uruguayan countryside.
• WiFi Internet access and satellite TV.
• A gourmet dining experience each day, with delicious menu options including local Uruguayan beef as well as wild game and fine wines, locally sourced fruits and vegetables, Traditional Asado, and more.
• Maid and laundry service.
• Professional hunting guides.
• Gift shop which offers local artwork and crafts, logo wear, and more.
• Gun rental, with a selection of fine 12, 20, 16, and 28 gauge shotguns, available in over and under and semi-automatic.

What time of the year should I come?

The hunting season in Uruguay is a long one, running from January through October.

• Doves and Pigeon hunting is open year-round, with no limits.
• The Duck hunting season goes from May 1st until September 15th.
• The Perdiz Hunting season goes from May 1st until July 31st.

Peak Season occurs from May through July when all the feather species are open and available at the same time. At this time you can enjoy excellent hunting for Perdiz over pointing dogs, Ducks over decoys, as well as decoyed Pigeons and high-volume Dove shooting.

Within this May to July timeframe, there are some slight differences, that are mainly weather dependent. May is part of our fall season and as June approaches, and winter arrives, the days grow shorter and colder. The climatic conditions also have an impact on the habits of the different species we hunt.

May

During the early season we are in the middle of the Fall and days are still long and temperatures are mild. The hunting days during this time of the year are very pleasant; at noon there is time to rest and to take a nice siesta.

There is an excellent forage for the birds to feed on at the farms we hunt, due to the recent harvesting of soy, sorghum, and corn, among other crops. During this fall harvest season the dove and duck begin to congregate in great numbers, thanks to the excellent feed they have access to.

May is also “THE” time to hunt Perdiz over pointing dogs, with birds spread across the countryside, and many different options to pick from, when choosing fields to hunt. Pastures are lush and green, providing great cover for the birds, and beautiful pastoral scenes for the hunter to enjoy.

June

During June days begin to shorten and the daily temperatures begin to slowly fall, as winter approaches. As a consequence, generally speaking, there is less food on the harvested fields of the nearby farms. The doves start to concentrate in greater numbers, with flock sizes growing truly impressive. With the earlier sunsets, these flocks normally initiate the evening flights back to their roosts earlier in the day.

At this time of the season, the perdiz begin to concentrate more, as some of the cover in the pastures begins to wither away, pushing birds into the smaller stands of thicker grass, which still offer excellent food and protection for the birds. In general, where we find good, thick grass, we will find plenty of birds. Perdiz hunts during June are normally very good, as there are still an excellent number of options where to chase birds, on the variety of farms we hunt.

Ducks begin to migrate into Uruguay during Mid-April, with peak numbers arriving around this time in June. With the abundance of birds, it makes June an excellent time of the year to hunt ducks.

July

July has similar patterns as June, but days are a little bit shorter and temperatures a little bit colder. Many guests believe that since July is the last month of the season we hunt ducks and perdiz, and after 2 months of hunting pressure, the hunting will be far more limited, but in reality, it is quite the opposite.

Due to the amount of land that we own and lease in Uruguay, this month can experience some of the best hunting opportunities of the season. New lands and fields enter into the rotation with an excellent concentration of birds. Pasture grasses keep on diminishing, so our farms, which still have grass, concentrate an amazing number of Perdiz.

As the migration is already over, or close to being over, ducks are plentiful in all our lagoons and ponds with a wonderful number of different species present.

The shorter and colder dates make the doves concentrate even more and the flocks start their flights in the early hours of the morning and return in big numbers to their roost in the early afternoon every day.

Guests of Uruguay Lodge have multiple means of arrival/departure from the lodge based on their point of origin or final destination. Most commonly, shooters traveling on international flights to Uruguay and Montevideo International Airport will be met by an Uruguay Lodge representative who will assist with gun clearance, if necessary, and who will transport the group to Uruguay Lodge. The drive is approximately 4 hours through scenic rural Uruguay via paved highway.

Other transfer options which may be considered are:

• Private Charter from Montevideo: Guests arriving into Montevideo may choose to expedite their travels by chartering to the Paysandú airport (40 minutes flight) located approximately 35 minutes from the lodge.
• Private Charters from Buenos Aires: Charter options are also available directly to Uruguay (Paysandú intl. airport) from Buenos Aires for those guests arriving from an Argentine lodge, who have been enjoying the city or who have arrived into Buenos Aires internationally.

Location

Uruguay Lodge is located in a place of privilege in an area surrounded by a park of hundred-year-old trees: eucalyptus, palms, magnolias, roses, and jasmines, which have been witnesses to the ranch’s rich history. It is located in the Young area, in the Río Negro Department, only thirty minutes away from San Juan Lodge. The proximity of both lodges will allow for both to share in the hunting area while, at the same time, allowing each lodge to have an exclusive area. The north area of the Río Negro Department and the south area of Paysandú will be the common area of both lodges. The southwest and the west of the Paysandú Department will be the exclusive area of San Juan and the east and central to Rio Negro will be the exclusive hunting area for Uruguay Lodge.