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Home to the biggest collection of roses in Uruguay, this 200 year old western Uruguay estancia is the perfect destination, for an outdoor adventure or your destination wedding.
Estancia El Cangüé is a picturesque, real working Uruguay estancia built around a puesto de chasque, or messenger outpost, dating back to 1810. It lies in western Uruguay near the city of Paysandú and the river Uruguay which separates Uruguay and Argentina. The Belgian-German ancestors of your host, Florencia Rucks, came to South America in 1900 when great grandfather Rucks was hired by the British, to install the electrical system of the Buenos Aires underground rail. As a consequence of World War I, he lost his job and took the recommendation of a friend: there was excellent land to be had in western Uruguay.
The family moved to El Cangüé (which means ‘bone’ or ‘fractured bone’ in the indigenous language Guaraní, you say it, can-GWAY) in 1923. Initially they made cheese. El Cangüé’s pasture on limestone was not great. However new technology from New Zealand arrived in the 1950s and sixties to radically improve pasture land. The family became part of the revolution, created meadows and moved into cattle production. Nowadays, the estancia is dedicated to cattle and crops.
The estancia as a business had thrived, but the estancia building not so much. By 2009 it had fallen into ruin and Florencia, who was a successful agronomist living close by, decided to reclaim this part of her family and western Uruguay’s history. Her passion, inherited from her Polish grandmother, is roses, and she began to plant roses at the estancia. The grounds of the estancia are now home to the largest collection of rose varieties in Uruguay, including many types she has created herself. And from 2013, she began organising events, especially weddings which would make use of the beautiful gardens, and use the proceedings to, year by year, renovate a room on the property.
Today the estancia has six gorgeously decorated guestrooms for you to choose from, all in a beautiful Victorian style with original fixtures and colourful tiles, right down to the beeswaxed floors and the antique bath-tubs.
Great for relaxing and great for outdoor adventurers Every room has an open fireplace, there’s a gorgeous lounge with a library, there are hammocks, there’s a lovely pool. And if you love adventures, there’s a lot here for you too. All activities are included in the daily rates when you book your stay directly, except when using a specially contracted guide (for bird-watching for example).
There’s a lot of good hiking through the native forest known as monte nativo in Uruguay. Florencia can lead 4-12 km treks.
Medicinal plant walks Florencia has a doctorate in plants so she’s an excellent guide. A full 90% of the plants in the area have medicinal properties.
Kayaking on the Río Negro and tributaries El Cangüé has kayaks and can take you out for a few hours or an entire day. One of Florencia’s recommendations is a full day on the river. Take half a day to kayak to the Río Negro, stop for an asado on one of the beautiful white sand islands and then after a nap on the beach, kayak on to the Río Uruguay and the border with Argentina.
Mountain biking The estancia has bikes for you to use and recommendations for a number of trails including a nice long ride (17 km) to a charming restaurant on the Río Uruguay.
When to visit You can get your pick of dates when you come April through September. Rose lovers will love mid October to mid November. Baby lamb lovers will adore August and September (you are very welcome to help out with the team during lambing season!). From October till March, weekend reservations are like gold-dust because of events but you should have no trouble on weekdays. The estancia closes for Christmas and in January for staff holidays.
Outstanding destination wedding venue How original is a wedding in a rose-filled Uruguay estancia garden with uninterrupted views of the countryside and the sun setting over the horizon. Florencia and her team can take care of all your needs and up to 450 guests.
The estancia is a great destination for exploring western Uruguay Drive 4.5 hours from Montevideo or get there after checking out northern Uruguay or Carmelo wine country.
You can get there on public transport Buses leave Montevideo every two hours for Paysandú. There is a direct overnight bus from Buenos Aires to Paysandú 2-3 times a week. Florencia can arrange pick you up from Paysandú or on the highway and drive you to the estancia.
Good wifi everywhere You can enjoy free wifi in every room and also in common areas
The city of Paysandú (30 mins) Uruguay’s fourth most populous city.
Argentina You can be in the neighbouring country in an hour.
Esteros de Farrapos National Park and the river islands of the Uruguay River (40 mins) A unique national park and ecosystem of river islands and aquatic flora and fauna. Florencia can set you up with a well-respected guide to spend the day boating, birdwatching and identifying plant and animal life. A starting point for the tour is San Javier, a small town with its own curious history as a home to hundreds of Russian immigrants who arrived a century ago.
Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial Landscape (1.5 hours) Uruguay’s second UNESCO heritage site and the home of the Anglo meat-packing factory. A visit to Fray Bentos is almost like a visit to Mecca for Brits of a certain generation.
Estancia El Cangüé
estanciaelcangue.com.uy
Paysandú, Uruguay
Phone and Whatsapp +598 99 726 883 (Florencia)
Email info@estanciaelcangue.com.uy
Photos: El Cangüé / Guru’Guay
3 responses
Dear Karen, looks like it is not operating anymore. Webside is not working. Do you have any information?
Hi Christine, sorry to only just see your message now. I hope you got through to Florencia. Their website is working just fine for me. All the best, Karen
Thank you Karen for this recommendation. My wife and I have just returned from a two night stay at Estancia el Cangüé. Florencia and her charming family were gracious hosts. The estancia is nicely restored with modern conveniences but retains much of its historic details.
The grounds and gardens of el Cangüé are beautiful, well maintained and easy to explore. The resident cats, two very floofy golden retrievers and abundant wild birds made for lots photo opportunities.
Estancia el Cangüé is a working ranch with horses, cattle, sheep, and more. Florencia invited us to join her for her morning inspection which started with a tour of the gardens and the greenhouses We then helped move cattle to a new pasture area and went to check in on a lamb that had been born the night before. Later we helped with bottle feeding some other lambs. It was a great experience.
The food was excellent. The portions were generous and made from the freshest ingredients elegantly served in the dining room. Florencia has a nice wine list focusing on high quality local vintners
We look forward to returning to Estancia el Cangüé again.