Curated Global Experiences for Couples

As a husband, a father, and a fanatical angler, I am familiar with the challenges my passion for fishing can create on the home front. While my wife understands who and how I am, the warning label was clearly visible before we took our vows. The fact remains that I tend to make more selfish, fish-biased decisions when it comes to my free time. Professionally, I have encouraged and enabled similar behavior from countless guests, most of whom didn't need much encouragement. It's my job after all.

But over time, our team at Fly Water Travel began to wonder if there might be another way and if there might be trips where anglers and non-fishing activity seekers could vacation together in harmony. We believe that upon a trip's conclusion, there are great options where both parties might look at each other and say, "Wow, that was a really great trip."

For the past decade, our Destination Managers at Fly Water Travel have been on the hunt for these types of trips, and the following locations are some of the gems we have found along the way.

Patagonia

Coyhaique River Lodge, Chile
A longtime Fly Water Travel favorite, Coyhaique River Lodge offers some of Chile’s most productive and varied fishing, as well as a wide range of quality outdoor activities for travel companions. Anglers have the opportunity to float rivers of various sizes, walk and wade smaller streams, and fish private-access lakes with trophy fish. Companions can mountain bike, kayak beautiful lakes, raft the Rio Simpson, ride horses, and hike to their hearts’ content. While this operation is a fishing lodge first and foremost, they have the passion and personnel to show guests of all interests and abilities a great time. Coyhaique River Lodge is also a Sage Experiences outfitter offering their guests an elite experience with premium tackle from Sage and RIO Products available onsite at no extra charge. 

Rumbo Patagon, Chile
A quaint, compact country-style inn with unparalleled access to Torres del Paine National Park. Here, anglers can fish unpressured, walk-and-wade brown trout waters, while activity seekers can enjoy dramatic hikes, birding, boat tours of glaciers, puma tours, and visits to a working sheep ranch. This is one trip where the anglers owe it to themselves to take a few days off from fishing to bask in the splendor of Torres del Paine, one of the most stunning and iconic massifs in the world. 

Spring Creek Lodge, Argentina
Centrally located in the heart of Argentina’s most fabled trout waters, not far from Lanin National Park, Spring Creek Lodge offers endless options for both anglers and travel companions. In addition to great fishing, food, and accommodations, adventuresome activity seekers can hike, ride, raft, kayak, camp, climb or take it down a notch and enjoy cultural tours, artisan markets, tango classes, wine tastings, cooking classes, birding, golf, or sailing. With a warm, accommodating staff, this team ensures everyone in your group has a great trip. 

Greater Europe

Slovenia, Northern Slovenia
When it comes to scenic beauty, fine food and wine, gorgeous trout streams, and a wide range of cultural and adventure activities, Slovenia is hard to beat. The country is safe, friendly, and one of our favorite regions is very much like the Austrian Alps, while another is like the Italian wine country. Our Slovenian outfitters focus on couples, and often groups of couples. Each trip is custom built around each group’s ideal duration and areas of interest. Often, in a week-long trip, the angling contingent might elect to fish for three days and spend the rest hiking, kayaking, rafting, biking, or visiting wineries or cultural sites. Slovenia also works well in winter, when folks can enjoy world-class skiing and target huge huchen (which are essentially taimen) with streamers. 

Alba Game Fishing, Scotland
The people often make the product, and Stewart Collingswood, owner of Alba Game Fishing, is one of those outfitters who consistently makes magic happen for Fly Water Travel guests. He is a fishing and touring guide, an outfitter, a professional photographer, a host extraordinaire, and above all else, a wonderful gentleman who loves sharing the hidden wonders of Scotland with his guests. Couples and couples’ groups are one of his specialties, and he builds each trip to meet each party’s specific desires. Anglers can Spey fish the classic rivers for Atlantic salmon, fish spring creeks for wild browns and grayling, or target pike and saltwater pollock. Itineraries can be as long or as short as guests like, and guests can elect to fish each day—or not at all. While many guests sign up for these trips with a "one and done" mindset, many rebook multiple times, as there is so much to do and see. Alba Game Fishing is also a Sage Experiences outfitter offering their guests an elite experience with premium tackle from Sage and RIO Products available onsite at no extra charge. 

Savelinus, Spain
Not many fly anglers associate Spain with high-quality wild trout fishing, and in part our outfitting partner there is alright with that. He has a quiver of trophy fisheries all to himself! With pristine mountain streams and lakes, countless mid-sized cold-water, scud-rich tailwaters, and a vast array of fly-friendly barbel fisheries, anglers have endless options to pursue with skilled English-speaking guides. Meanwhile, travel companions are equally well taken care of. Quaint, picture-perfect villages, wineries, castles, and cultural sites abound, as well as more adventurous outings and hikes, all overseen by polished tour guides. At the end of each day, you’ll experience amazing tapas thoughtfully paired with exceptional wines. 

Deplar Farm, Iceland
Like most of the Eleven Experience destinations, Deplar Farm was built with couples in mind. But in all fairness, it was not built for all couples, only those who want the very finest and most elegant experience available. Deplar occupies the space at the high end of high-end, and despite their impressive rates, the destination remains in exceedingly high demand. Guests can fly fish for Atlantic salmon and char, heli-hike and ski, surf, ride fat bikes or horses, whale watch, kayak, visit artisan markets, or simply indulge in the spa and other remarkable amenities that have made Deplar famous among the most discerning travelers.

Saltwater 

Turneffe Flats, Belize
Turneffe Flats Lodge offers a comprehensive saltwater fly fishing program for beginners, experienced, and hardcore anglers alike. With good opportunities for permit, bonefish, and migratory tarpon (in season), there’s always a sight-fishing target to be had. Turneffe Flats also features one of the most popular non-fishing activities programs of any lodge we book: the Adventure Atoll program, where guests spend the day exploring the mangrove ecosystem, snorkeling, looking for manatees, or adventuring with a Belizean naturalist. Along with comfortable private beachside cabanas, guests can also arrange private villa accommodations which are perfect for multiple couples or larger families and offer a special experience that feels like a private home. 

Copal Tree, Belize
Copal Tree Lodge sits in a unique position in our catalog offering a first-class eco-lodge set in the canopy of a pristine jungle, with fresh farm-to-table cuisine and a robust list of non-fishing activities that includes birding, snorkeling with the chef, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and luxurious spa treatments. Copal Tree also just happens to be positioned on some of the most productive permit grounds found anywhere, accessed with the famed Garbutt brothers’ stable of guides. For guests interested in luxurious surroundings with a varied list of non-fishing activities and easy access to a famed permit fishery, there may be none better than Copal Tree Lodge. 

Alphonse Island Resort, Seychelles
The Seychelles is often known within fly fishing communities as offering some of the most hardcore and far-out-there saltwater fly fishing venues on Earth. However, in the general travel world, the Seychelles is known for beautiful luxury escapes with pristine beaches, stunning surroundings, and fine dining. Alphonse Island Resort is one such locale in the Indian Ocean that also happens to have a dedicated saltwater fly fishing program, offering world-class shots at giant trevally, bonefish, and Indo-Pacific permit. 

Caerula Mar, Bahamas
Caerula Mar is a modern and beautiful resort sitting on a wild Bahamian beach with miles of access. It’s a truly incredible feat to offer this level of luxury in such a remote location. From fine cuisine, incredibly comfortable rooms, a suite of non-angling activities (complete with an in-house coordinator), and a fully featured, high-tech game room for the kids, this operation checks the boxes for mixing fishing with a luxury beach vacation. Caerula Mar contracts with a fine crew of Bahamian guides who are intimately familiar with the Middle Bight of Andros Island and the famed West Side, where anglers target unpressured bonefish in true saltwater wilderness. 

Kamalame Cay Resort
Lying on the north tip of Andros Island, Kamalame Cay Resort is the perfect beachside setting for a luxury vacation, wedding, family getaway, or romantic couples’ adventure. There is a slew of private accommodation options to choose from, with an onsite swimming pool and a well-appointed restaurant and central clubhouse. The resort sits on a private island surrounded by flats that are largely wadable. Guests are issued an electric golf cart that can be used to access many great do-it-yourself bonefish flats. Contract guides can be arranged for fishing further afield, including access to the incredibly remote and beautiful Joulter Cays archipelago. Kamalame Cay is a perfect match for blending a beautiful Bahamian beachside escape with your spouse and mixing in some hard-bottom and wadable bonefishing experiences on the fly.