Information about:

Other destinations:

With only 28 years old, Don Héctor Manuel Guerrero begins the tree growing on the lands of “Dos Montes” cottage, that included the “Médanos” grounds with 5km in front of the ocean and 3,5 km backwards. Resisting the ferocious weather storms and winds, combating ants and hares, struggling against the lack of roads and adequate transportation, fighting against the little information known about growing on sand, and standing up to the scepticism that after the first difficulties defeated even his closest assitants were not easy to overcome. The difficult task included building out of nothing, learning what was not known in the country and opening new paths, and growing a green landscape on a desert.
From the begining, Hector Guerrero displayed his green fingers and his abilities to develop a paradise from a desert. The fact that the land inherited from his father Carlos had only had three bamboo trees was not an impediment for him. In a few years, he had built a farmhouse and surrounding buildings, an unthinkable park disigned by the reknown Carlos Thays, and a fruit tree plantation covering more than 200 hectares (8,094,000,000 acres). There it was also built the famous Cabaña Charles (Charles cottage) known for the Aberdeen Angus planting for the first time in the country.
Being a land of 1,700 hectares along the coastline covered by constantly swaying sand exposed to the inclement weather with not even three bamboo trees, did not deter Guerrero from his purposes. He started to travel around the world´s deserts to find out information and import grass seeds to stop the moving of the sand. He also brought plants from different parts of the country until he managed to grow his first green houses in Charles, from which the sprouts were moved daily along 17 km by wood carts to the Medanos area. Ten carts each pulled by eight horses, travelled through marshes, lagoons, ravines, and paths opened while they passed. This five hours jurney was even exhausting for the horses, which were replaced by a different herd able to return.
Growing a green paradise was not as fast as Guerrero would have liked. In 1938, the green houses were moved from Charles to Dos Montes to speed up the process. Guerrero´s testimony from 1947 explains that by that time he had nearly had 700,000 plants to sow. In 1948, on a dune in front of the sea and the forest at the back, he opened “Divisadero” o “Casa Grande” (big house) his main house. Having completed the forestation and soil fixation, in 1970 the green houses are removed. The change of the habitat had changed the local ecology, and the birds started to nest on the lands that Guerrero called “Cariló” –meaning green dune-. The founder´s sons mamed the streets with local plants and birds names in alphabetical order.

After long years of hard work, continuous organization and big amounts of private investment, Guerrero´s dream was achieved, the plantations reached the coast line. As Don Héctor Manuel Guerrero said it in a conversation with Buenos Aires gobernor, “during the last years of my life I hope to put my efforts on this country, as an example of the private enterprise, transfering to my children and descendants the possibility of continuing and, if possible, improvement, shaping a place that will keep my ancestors´ name, allowing the access to every economic possibility” (“Es la esperanza de mis últimos años brindar ese esfuerzo al país, como ejemplo de la capacidad de la iniciativa privada, dando a mis hijos y descendientes la posibilidad de su continuación y, de serles posible, su mejoramiento, formando en tales lugares un núcleo de población que perpetuará el nombre de mis mayores permitiendo el acceso a todas las posibilidades económicas.”)

Urban Planification
Apart from its natural resources, its unique vegetation and animals, Cariló offers a range of 52 hotels and apart-hotels from different levels. On its extensive beaches only three seaside resorts and one state owned beach were allowed to be opened in order to keep the wild and virgin appearance of the dunes, the beach and the sea.
The reservation has been divided among its owners –the founder´s family- and each of them has introduced a project to separate the land into different allotments and continue the urbanization of the area. The land owners and the municipal authorities agreed on an Urban Order Code (COU –Código de Ordenamiento Urbano) by which every allotment must have a generous measure so the unbuilt areas are larger than usual too, and in htis way insure low density building areas avoiding the detriment of the forest.
The Fomento de Cariló Society –SFC- is in charge of conserving the characteristics of the area, of defending the nature, of preserving the animals and the vegetation,and restraining the building growth.

Timeline
· 1920 - 28 years old Manuel Guerrero displays a Project to begin the forestation and fixation on the “Dos Montes” dunes. This area included the dunes called “Médanos”, a wild landscape with no roads and therefore, no transportation; a desertic zone invaded by ants and hares and ferocious weather storms; and a geographic challenge since no information was known on plants or trees sowing on sand.
· 1935 – The forestation reaches the coastline. The change in Cariló´s habitat had changed the regional ecology. Different species of birds started to inhabit the area that Guerrero named “Cariló”, meaning green dune (médano verde).
· 1938 – The green houses from “Charles Viejo” are moved to “Dos Montes” (today Cariló´s area)
· 1947 – 660 thousand of plants are ready to be transplanted.
· 1948 – The main house “Divisadero” or “casa Grande” (big house)is oponed on the dunes, in front of the sea and with the forest at the back.
· 1970 – Completed the forestation and fixation of the private property, the green houses are closed. The founder´s descendants name the perpendicular to the sea streets with plants and local birds, in alphabetical order.
Cariló in numbers
· Beach length (facing the sea): 3 km
· Surface /area: 1.700 hectares
· Surface alloted: 600 hectares
· Reservation surface: 1.100 hectares
· Number of allotments: 3.500
· Number of houses: 1.760
· Hotels and apart-hotels: 52
· Number of seaside resorts: 3
· Number of state owned beaches: 1
· Local Newspapers: 1
· FM Radios: 3
· Police Stations: 1