Estancia Ranquilco is breathtakingly beautiful, rugged, remote and pristine – and the best way to see it is from the back of one of our horses. Our horses are reliable, responsive and energetic, and we have one for every rider, new or advanced.
At Ranquilco, we give you the chance to author your own riding experience – a dream come true for equine enthusiasts. You choose the length of your rides and the difficulty, and then head out with a personal guide. Our 100,000 acres reaching all the way to the high Andes and Chile, means your opportunities for great riding are limitless.
2011/2012 Riding Adventures
In 2012, we are excited to offer horse trekking into the Andes. Seven and ten day trips combine luxury lodging at our ranch with camping in the stunning, ever-changing landscapes of the cordillera. Our pack trips allow you to reach areas in the mountains inaccessible by car. Find out what past guests are saying about these incredible adventure vacations:
“Ranquilco is literally out of this world: one day’s ride from the nearest Argentine town and 4 days ride to the Chilean border, you’ll find the estancia perched on a cliff overlooking a canyon and the river below, with the Andes all around. ” – Guest, 2010
In late January, early February 2012 we are offering a chance to work and ride with our gauchos at our annual branding. Learn to drive, cut, and run cattle on the range before working in the corrals. This is an amazing opportunity for the more advanced equestrian to work one of our responsive cattle horses and to experience gaucho culture firsthand.
Riding with the gauchos of Argentina
We offer an authentic experience of the gaucho way of life at Ranquilco, and so provide riders with a learning experience as well as a unique vacation. Most of our horses are Argentine criollos, known for their hardiness and endurance, and prized by gauchos across the county. Working a horse is one of the true pleasures of riding and, as a riding client, we invite you to ride out with the gauchos and join in any horse and cattle work going on at the ranch at the time of your visit.
Horse and Cattle Drives at our ranch
Riding guests who want a more intense cattle work experience with our gauchos are invited to participate in one of our cattle drives. Joining the gauchos and the dogs for these multi-day trips is a unique experience of real life on horseback.
Because we are a working ranch, we move our cattle between grazing grounds based on their health and the health of the pastures. That makes it difficult to schedule drives on your riding vacation, but we are willing to try!
“We also went on a camping trip up to the higher hills. A full day’s riding took us to where the cattle were grazing for the summer in a meadow in a valley between striking peaks. We spent time with the gauchos cooking freshly slaughtered goat over the fire (asado), walking up the hills or swimming with the horses in the lake. Experienced travelers and those who are not fond of being ‘tourists’ treasure authenticity. This was as authentic as it comes. “
We usually move cattle and horses from our winter estancia to Ranquilco in October. We usually take steers to fatten up on our summer grazing lands in December and bring them back down to Ranquilco in March. We move almost all horses and cattle from Ranquilco back to the winter ranch in April.
Contact Ashley to talk about timing your riding holiday with one of our drives. You may want to consider an extended vacation at the ranch in order to be sure of participation.
Read Ryan Bell’s Gone Gaucho, a description of his time riding with our gauchos first published in Western Horseman magazine.
Horses and Tack
Our horses are reliable sure footed criollos born and bred in the surrounding countryside. We love introducing riders to the traditional tack here in Argentina – a more fun and comfortable way to spend hours in the saddle. Read more…
Reserving your horseback riding vacation
We offer a range of accommodations for the rider, including all inclusive lodging in our private cottages or a self catering option in simple adobe houses.
If you love horses and want adventure travel to one of the world’s last frontiers, think Patagonia. Horsemanship here is a way of life. Come join us.
A typical riding vacation at Estancia Ranquilco includes transfers from the trail head by horse, accommodation in one of our three guest cottages, The Castle Room, Dossie’s, or The Apartment, all food and wine, and unlimited riding. Price per person, per night, is $250 (children under 12 half price). There is a 7-day minimum stay. To discuss or reserve your riding vacation, e-mail T. A. Carrithers at: tac.ranquilco@gmail.com.
More options are available. Find out more about designing the perfect riding vacation for you.
