OUR HISTORY
A FAMILY LEGACY, THE SPIRIT OF A LAND
The history of Estancia Chochoy Mallín is deeply intertwined with the Creide family -pioneers of the province of Neuquén and guardians of this land where nature sets the rhythm of time. Since its beginnings, this place has been shaped by work, perseverance and vision: a landscape where cattle ranching forged both the territory and the soul of the region. Today, that heritage is transformed into an experience that unites production, conservation and hospitality.
For more than a century, the estancia was a vital center of rural Patagonian life. Among cattle, sheep, goats, horses and the seasonal movements of transhumance, the identity of a land accustomed to the cadence of wind and mountains took root.
Its historic heart still preserves the memory of those days: adobe and stone walls witnessed a time when the main house and its outbuildings served as a pulpería and general store -a gathering point for locals and travelers heading toward the Chilean border. Within these same walls, Chilean officer Luis de la Cruz y Goyeneche- key figure in South American independence and companion of José de San Martín during his trans-Andean expedition -was once received. That past, filled with history and crossroads, still echoes in every corner.
The Creide family arrived at Chochoy Mallín in 1968, when Alfonso Creide, a Neuquén native with a pioneering spirit, acquired the property. Born in Zapala in 1917 and raised on mountain lands in La Lipera, at the confluence of the Traful and Limay rivers, Alfonso embodied the vision of a productive and forward-looking Patagonia. He later moved with his mother and five siblings to San Martín de los Andes, where he would become an influential figure who contributed significantly to the province’s development.
Today, under the leadership of the fourth generation of the Creide family, the estancia preserves its original spirit while opening its doors to travelers with the same hospitality that defined its founders. Fly fishing on private rivers, horseback riding through valleys, cuisine rooted in ingredients from the estancia, and long-standing traditions such as the carneada and yerra form part of an experience that honors the history of this place and its profound bond with the land.
Chochoy Mallín is now an example of the harmonious coexistence between production and conservation: cattle ranching, beekeeping, biodynamic farming and sustainable forest management coexist in balance. This union of family legacy and respect for nature makes the estancia a true refuge of authenticity, where every visitor can feel -just as the generations who lived here once did- that time slows and the Patagonian spirit reveals itself in its purest form.