Episode 49: La Confluencia

La Confluencia - sustainable eco-lodge in El Bolson, Argentina.

El Bolson is the capital of alternative living in Patagonia, Argentina and is full of inspiring experiments in sustainable living. At La Confluencia Mark Jordan has created a sustainably built lodge, where he and Fernando Pia carry out part of their 20 year long project in bio intensive farming. La Confluencia is nestled in a small, fertile valley at the foot of the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains. The valley was carved over millennia by the Azul and Encanto Blanco rivers, and the point at which these rivers meet gives name to the place: The Confluence.

The only access takes you through turbulent waters in an exciting 4WD adventure, or across the same river by a jungle-style rope bridge.

Using materials from the surrounding area, the lodge is built principally from wood with straw bale as insulation. They generate their own electricity from a turbine built by a local engineer.