An Interview with Jakob Von Plessen

You’ve been guiding for a long time. How and when did you come to set up your camp in deepest Patagonia?

Yes, I started guiding 20 years ago in Kenya with the late Tristan Voorspuy. My family had a farm in Patagonia so I knew it well from a young age and that is what drove me to set up my business there once I had learned the trade in Kenya.

Tell us about the people behind Jakotango Riding Safaris.

We’ve got the hosts and guides – myself, Daisy Soames who’s been here now for ten years, and then Matteo who is a new host and helps out Daisy. He comes from a very traditional farming family here in Neuquén – he’s a great young boy, he’s learning very quickly, and he also plays the guitar and sings beautifully. Then we have our chef Oscar and our baker Allie, two gauchos who look after the horses, and two girls who look after the rooms, do all of the laundry and put hot water bottles in the tents every night. Finally we have Miguel, our handyman that makes sure everyone has hot water and a nice fire going in their tent in the evening, and Paula in the office.

Tell us about your horses.

We own about 110 horses. There are 35 working horses – mainly Criollos, which are a small, tough little horse that’s very reliable and good-tempered. They’re native to parts of Argentina, Chile and Brazil where the Criollo people originated.

Other than that, we have 15 polo ponies and the rest are in the breeding herds, so mares, foals and stallions.

Where are you happiest?

That’s a difficult question. I absolutely love the wilderness in Patagonia but we don’t own the land there. We own a little farm in the hills of Balcarce, which is 400km south of Buenos Aires and that is where I grew up, rode to school and where my heart is.

What will we find you when you’re not on horseback?

When I’m not riding, I like fishing, I like cleaning my tack, and grabbing my chainsaw to go out and cut some lumber – that’s my kind of meditation.