Frequently Asked Questions

NEW for 2010 – All clients and volunteers must present proof of travel insurance with horse riding coverage before they will be allowed to ride at Ranquilco.

What kind of work will I do?

If you are an immersion volunteer you will assist gauchos on their daily tasks. Your work hours will match theirs – typically an eight hour day. As you learn the work, you may begin performing tasks solo. Work in the camps includes all facets of livestock management, fencing and canal irrigation work. You are also expect to take on the care of your horse, monitoring it’s health, checking for saddle sores, rotating it’s pastures etc. Your tack is your responsibility and may need oiling and cleaning. You are also responsible for keeping the camp clean, firewood available and preparing meals with your workmates.

If you are a regular volunteer you will do general work around the estancia. Our needs change constantly, so we ask our volunteers to be flexible. We endeavor to match volunteers’ skills and interests with available tasks and projects. When you arrive, Georgina or Ashley will share ideas with you as to which possibilities will work best. In the past, work has included: gardening, building, fencing, canal work, irrigation, livestock and land management, firewood gathering, lodge maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, trail building, and weed eradication. Since 2009 we ask regular volunteers to rotate through the kitchen with Georgie when guests are present on the ranch. You will do some dishes, bake bread and help prepare the daily meal. In the past she has taught volunteers to make pasta and noquis by hand, along with other traditional dishes such as empanadas and alfahores. You will also work in our organic vegetable garden and orchard weeding, watering, planting, preparing compost and mulching.

If you are a mounted volunteer, you are given horse-related work at the ranch. Sky or Ashley will give you your work assignments, which could include catching, saddling and grooming horses, rounding up horses and cattle, guiding trail rides, and making pony express runs. You will also clean and repair tack and organize the tack room. We don’t have stables to muck out, but horse manure needs to be picked up and composted. You may also ride out with a gauchos to learn and help with his daily task. Some mounted volunteers chose to take part in kitchen rotations to learn how to prepare traditional Patagonian dishes.

Volunteers are expected to be on time and to contribute with energy and willingness.

Where will I live?

You have a range of accommodations available, from our volunteer house to more private options.

The Volunteer House is a large stone house that was once used as a school for the neighboring children. It has a large living room with a stone fireplace, an eat in kitchen with a wood cook stove, and a large bathroom with a wood fired boiler, shower and tub. One bedroom has three single beds, and the other bedroom has one twin bed. The second bedroom in considered a private room for pricing purposes.

The Corner Room is a small abode house just round the corner. Its bedroom has a double bed, desk and heating stove. It’s kitchen has a dinette table, sink and a gas range. You can access the volunteer house bathroom through its backdoor. You may also use the outdoor shower by the swimming pool and outhouses on the property.

The Stone Room is next to the volunteer house. It has a large bedroom with two single beds and a private bathroom. The wood boiler for this bathroom is located inside the volunteer house. The Stone Room is available as a private room, and can also have a kitchenette set up for private cooking.

There are other rooms and cottages that Ashley may discuss with you.

What is provided in the basic board plan?

Clean sheets and towels are provided every week.

What is provided in the basic food plan?

All volunteers cook and prepare their own meals under a system they work out together. We recommend getting to know our gauchos and learning from them, because they are more used to the ingredients.

Please remember that we have to pack all supplies in by mule. As we are striving toward self-sufficiency and living green, we make deliberate choices about the food we bring in. For example, we prefer not to pack in imported and non organic fruits. If a late frost kills our fruit tree buds here at Ranquilco, then we may not eat fresh fruit all year.

Your food pantry will include unlimited amounts of: flour, sugar, yeast, salt, dehydrated milk, potatoes, onions, garlic, pastas, tomato sauce, rice, polenta, white beans, garbanzo beans, dried lentils, fresh herbs, some seasoning, spices and stock cubes and yerba mate. You will also have access to fresh organic meat.

We supply in limited quantities: jam, honey, crackers, tea, coffee, canned fruit and vegetables.

If we have a good growing season, you will have: fresh fruit such as berries, apples, peaches, and cherries, and fresh vegetables. Fresh farm eggs are also available. Depending on our milk supply, Georgie may be able to provide some yogurt and soft cheese. “Snack” food is limited to popcorn.

Not provided: beer, wine, snacks, cheese, imported fruits or veggies,

What else do I need to know about the food situation at Ranquilco?

We are striving for self-sufficiency. Hence the vegetable garden, the orchards, bringing back bee hives, and the milk cows. However, this is a wild and remote place. We pack in all of our basic bulk items by mule a few times a year. It is important to ration some items because it may be a few months before a new supply comes in. We use a lot of dried food (legumes and pulses) because they are lighter to transport and easier to store. We work very hard to bring fresh vegetables and fruits to the table, but crops can fail from early or late frosts, insect or animal incursions, you name it. We are always thankful for what we have and consider every meal a feast.

You may face some initial challenges in the kitchen. All your cooking will be done on an open fire or wood cook stove which takes some getting used to, and you have to split the firewood yourself. Bread baking can take 3 – 8 hours depending on the recipe. Most dried legumes and pulses should be soaked overnight and can require several hours cooking. The seasonings and spices may be different that what you are used to. You will likely have to find substitutions for your normal recipes.

We have some suggestions for volunteers coming to Ranquilco. Before you come, read up on how to make basic pasta sauces, stews and soups. Practice making homemade bread. Take the time in Zapala to purchase some special items that you know you will miss e.g. chocolate. But mostly, just become immersed in the experience of living with less – less options, less convenience, less ease, less luxury – and find out how that can actually turn into more. We value the simple things in life and believe getting back to basics can bring you a sense of peace and accomplishment.

What if I am a vegan or vegetarian?

Meat is big in Argentina and on our estancia. However, plenty of vegans and vegetarians have come to stay. You will have to work with more dried food stuffs and get used to not having access to so many fresh ingredients. Bring some extra vitamins and minerals and recipes that use our readily available ingredients. Stock up on extra things in Zapala such as dried fruit and nuts. We also recommend purchasing the “bio pills” in case we don’t have fresh yogurt.

What does the daily room and board charge not include?

It does not include transportation, snacks, beer, wine or fruits and vegetables not produced at the estancia.

What can I do during my free time?

Hiking, camping, exploring, visiting neighboring shepherds, reading, relaxing, swimming, sauna, town trips, leather and wool crafts, and for horse able people, riding. Hanging with the gauchos is highly recommended – playing music, drinking mate, and chatting, or maybe a volleyball challenge. Try to study Spanish as much as possible before you come as it will heighten your experience of this transcultural immersion.

What is the weather like?

November through March is all delightful – warm, up to 90 degrees daytime with always cool nights. April is outrageous with autumn colors and in May we start seeing some cold. June through August is winter, with some snow and temps down to mid 20’s in the night times, days see 40’s.

What do I need to bring?

All volunteers are REQUIRED to bring a sleeping bag.

In addition, we suggest a warm jacket, sleeping bag, sun hat, work boots, gloves, flashlight, rugged clothes and some good books to share with our lending library. Bring a sense of adventure, cooperation, and fun.

Georgie suggests these additional items: lots of extra strength hair conditioner, acidophilus supplements (to substitute for fresh yogurt in your diet), a scrubbing brush to get dirt out from under your nails, a reading light to clip to your book if you are an avid reader, and some work clothes you really wouldn’t miss.

What about laundry?

Change your sheets and towels once a week up at Casa Grande. You can also turn in kitchen towels etc. for washing. However all personal laundry is hand washed in the washtub and then put out on the line.

What communication is there?

There is no internet or telephone. A satellite email system is available for necessity and emergency – no attachments and short messages only.  We do have an emergency short wave radio. There is a cell phone (Movistar, not Claro) reception mountain 90 minutes from home. Internet and phones are available in the pueblos at El Huecu or El Cholar “nearby” (5 hours by horse).

What is the electrical situation?

We have installed a new hydro system to deliver 220 volts – you may need an adapter to use with your devices. We have solar inverted to 110 (USA) for charging. No hairdryers or other power draining devices please!

How many other volunteers are there usually?

We have room for 3 – 5 volunteers at Ranquilco and 5 immersion spots.

How do I get there?

From Buenos Aires take an overnight bus (see www.viabarilcohe.com.ar for their tutto letto with full reclining bed seats, hot dinner, videos, comfortable ride, and few stops – it leaves at around 4pm and gets into Zapala at around 8am). This saves dinner, hotel, and gets you right into Zapala at a good time. The busses are way, way good and far cheaper than air fare – around $100 one way. From Zapala there is a Cono Sur bus leaving daily for El Huecu at 1330, getting in around 1630, which costs about $12.

Can I take a town trip?

Yup. You can take an “escapade” whenever you like: down to the ski town of San Martin de los Andes in the lake district, over to Chile, or just into the little pueblos scattered around the cordillera. The closest pueblo, El Cholar, is a 5-6 hour horse trip.

Once aboard at Ranquilco, we are happy to facilitate any other travel plans such as “escapes” to nearby pueblos on horse, an extended camping trip on the high lands, or a trip to San Martin de los andes or over to Chile. If the absence exceeds a week, we then can discount half the daily charge, but we need advance notice so as to manage our housing and work responsibilities. The $300 paypal deposit is non refundable.

Is there work available year round?

Immersion Volunteer work is available year round. Regular volunteer work is available at Ranquilco from August until May of every year.

Payment?

Volunteers must either pre pay or bring the balance in cash to be paid before beginning their experience – either U.S. dollars or Argentine pesos (Be aware that there are many cash machines but there is a daily limit of around $300). We do not accept credit cards or travellers checks.

How do I apply?

See How to Sign Up for our Volunteer Program. Wait for us to e-mail you with a confirmation before sending payment.

What if I have more questions?

E-mail Ashley, or get in touch with previous volunteers through our Facebook page.

Return to Volunteering main page.