LA ESTRELLA FAMILIAR – RURAL EXPERIENCES
A REAL TASTE OF LIFE IN THE ANDES
La Estrella Familiar grew out of the simple, genuine hospitality that is part of everyday life in Maimará.
It all started when we opened our home to friends and visitors coming to enjoy the celebrations of a local comparsa. Over time, and with training in rural tourism, what began as a small family initiative grew into something more.
Today, we invite travellers into our home to experience something very different from a traditional tour: the everyday life of a local family in the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
With Ramona and her family, you won't just watch from the sidelines. You'll become part of the day.
You might help herd the goats, learn how homemade goat cheese is made, work in the vegetable garden, feed the chickens or lend a hand preparing a traditional family recipe.
And, of course, everything eventually leads back to the table, where we'll sit down together and share food made with ingredients grown or produced right here at home.
This experience is perfect if you're looking to slow down, get away from the crowds and spend some time connecting with the land, the animals and the rhythms of rural Andean life.
MEET YOUR HOST: RAMONA
My name is Ramona Rodríguez, and my story is deeply connected to this land.
I was born near the Pucará de Tilcara and grew up among the mountains of Maimará and Huichaira, helping my mother with everyday farm life. She was the hardest-working person I've ever known, and from her I learned how to raise goats, grow corn and potatoes, and appreciate the simple reward of picking the best fruits after months of hard work.
My professional life later took me to small villages across the Puna of Jujuy, but in 2017 I felt it was time to come home to Maimará for good.
Today, I spend my time doing what I love most: looking after my goats, making cheese from their milk and growing vegetables for my family's table.
I first opened my home to guests during Carnival in 2018. There's a famous local comparsa just a block away, founded in 1950, and every Carnival people come from all over to join the celebrations.
I had a few spare rooms, so I decided to prepare them and welcome my first guests.
It turned out to be a wonderful experience for my whole family. We discovered how much we enjoyed meeting people from different places and sharing our way of life with them.
Since then, whenever someone stays with us, we don't really treat them like a hotel guest.
We welcome them as someone coming to visit our home.
WHERE ARE WE?
You'll find us on Belgrano Street, in the San Francisco neighbourhood of Maimará.
It's a peaceful part of town, where water still runs through the traditional irrigation channels and feeds the gardens and small plots of land surrounded by native molle trees.
The easiest way to reach us is via the northern entrance to Maimará, along Bernardino Rivadavia Street. We're just three blocks from the intersection of Belgrano and Rivadavia.
RURAL EXPERIENCES
LIVE IT. FEEL IT. SHARE IT.
Come spend some time at our home and join us in the things we do every day.
We live close to the land. We have a vegetable garden, goats and chickens. We make our own cheese from the goats' milk, and the eggs from our chickens go straight to the family table.
You don't need any farming experience at all.
That's actually the whole idea.
Come as you are and join the rhythm of country life, our routines and our traditions.
You can spend a morning with us, stay for the afternoon, enjoy a full day, or even sleep over in one of our simple but comfortable rooms and completely switch off for a while.
It's a chance to discover what everyday life really feels like in this corner of the Quebrada.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
We'll welcome you into our home, introduce you to the family and tell you what's happening that day.
Activities change depending on the season, the weather and what needs doing around the house and farm, so every visit can be a little different.
You might:
And when the work is done, we'll sit down together.
Depending on the experience you choose, we'll share a snack, lunch or afternoon mate and something to eat.
Because around here, some of the best moments happen around the family table.
THE EXPERIENCE – STAY WITH US
Arrive at around 2:00 pm and start your stay by sitting down for lunch with the family.
Afterwards, settle into your room and join us for the afternoon's rural activities.
Stay overnight in our home, slow down and experience the sunset and peaceful evening atmosphere of rural Maimará.
This isn't a hotel stay – it's a chance to spend some real time with a local family and experience everyday life in the Quebrada.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?
Easy.
You don't need to be particularly fit and you definitely don't need any previous farming experience.
Ramona will show you what to do and guide you along the way.
Just remember: this is real country life.
You'll be around animals, plants, soil and gardens, so don't wear your best clothes. There's a pretty good chance you'll leave with some dirt on your shoes, clothes or under your fingernails.
That's part of the experience.