Mexico Guest Ranch Hiking and Horseback Adventure

Bisbee, Arizona Horseback Riding

Active Adventure

Rancho Los Baños is a 30,000 acre adventure and nature travel destination, eco adventure guest ranch, world-class horseback riding and hiking wilderness and working cattle ranch located just 50 miles south of the southeast Arizona town of Douglas in safe, secure northeast Sonora.

While we are located in northeast Sonora, we are so close to Arizona that we would like you to consider our ranch for a possible stay. We feel we are a better alternative than any guest ranch in Arizona, and our region is as safe as any in the state of Arizona. Our ranch is more pristine, spectacular and scenic than other ranches. Our offices are based in Tucson. Through our shuttle service, we personally escort and drive you from Tucson to the ranch and back, leaving the driving to us and the sightseeing to you. And, with rates 30-50% lower than at Arizona guest ranches, with so much more offered, a great deal, too.

We are not your typical guest or Dude ranch, but rather a new generation guest ranch for a new generation adventure traveler.

We specialize in outdoors adventures of various kinds and are best known for our box canyon and backcountry hiking as well as our back country horseback riding and trail rides. Both adventures are considered world-class and are drawing worldwide recogntion. However, with 30,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness, we have many more activities for you to enjoy.

Our region is as safe as any in Arizona. Read the section on Safety in our website for a more detailed and factual reality about our state and region.

Horseback ride and hike, walk and trek at a ranch described by one experienced, and well traveled guest, as "the best riding location I have ever found," "with boxed canyon hiking to rival anywhere in the US." Our hiking, walking, trekking and horseback riding adventures are world-class and first-rate, offering stunning landscapes, diversity, scenery and 30,000 acres of pristine, vast wilderness.

We are a unique, original and exclusive guest ranch, unlike anything else around, combining the best of adventure, outdoors and nature travel ideas with the most modern guest ranch thinking.

The full range of activities offered includes: stunning vistas, otherworldly landscapes, scenery and wilderness, with spectacular hikes through wild, exotic terrain, including more than two dozen boxed canyon hikes in our Canyonlands, multi-night treks through river and canyons, canyoneering through canyons, camping and bouldering, geocaching, backcountry horseback riding through some of the most scenic, otherworldly, exotic and unspoiled land you will ever see, excellent birding and wildlife spotting, kayaking and fishing on the Bavispe River and on Lake Angostura (not one boat, jetski or person on it), Dark Skies, incredible geological rock formations/canyons, 2,000 year old petroglyph/pictograph sites, 4x4 jeep ecotours through 80 miles of wild off road style dirt roads, mountain biking, and, of course, amazing rest and relaxation in complete peace, serenity, remoteness and tranquility.

The ranch is remote and secluded, thus having diverse habitats that are pristine and unspoiled, as well as flora and fauna that have been protected for decades. Once here, you will not see a sign of civilization for miles. This land is a wilderness area that, were it located in the United States, would possibly be considered a national park, with comparisons to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Moab and Big Bend National Parks having been made by past guests, including comparisons to Kenya/Tanzania, and compared to a mini Copper Canyon as well.

The ranch's vegetation makes for an ideal birding hot spot. Our wildlife is also abundant, with coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, ringtail cat, ocelot, javelina, coues white tailed deer, coatimundi, fox, skunk, porcupine, badger, squirrel, wild turkey and the occasional jaguar and black bear calling the ranch home.

From riverbed, riparian habitats, full of sycamore, walnut, cottonwood and mesquite trees, to boxed canyons, with temperatures and ecosystems more fitting to temperate climates rather than desert habitats, to open desert terrain full of ocotillo, organ pipe cactus, desert palm trees and mesquite, to mid-elevation hills full of lush grass and bush trees, to high elevation mountains full of oak and ponderosa pine, Los Baños offers the avid nature lover a great opportunity to see myriad numbers of diverse species, be it flora or fauna.

Combined with the majestic El Cajon Canyon, Cajon de la Catedral, Cajon de las Pierdras, Cajon Aguaje, El Pinito foothills and El Alamo/El Palmarito river bed system, Lake Angostura (20 miles long and completely isolated) and the spectacular Bavispe River (which unwinds dozens of miles through amazing canyon scenery), to name but a few locations, this region of northeast Sonora is poised to become a true outdoors, adventure, nature travel destination.

Rancho Los Baños is ideally situated less than one mile to both the lake and river, with boat and kayak expeditions available to explore either, or both. We also offer a Bavispe River Trekking Expedition, a 2-3 day trekking adventure that hugs the river and takes us down stunning canyon scenery to the town of San Juan, as well as a Canyonlands Trekking Expedition, a 3-4 day trekking adventure that takes you through some of the most spectacular boxed canyons in the world.

With so many diverse habitats, encompassing lake, river, mountain, canyon and riparian ecosystems, avid nature lovers are sure to enjoy their stay. Devoid of human activity, lights, noise, smells and of modern civilization itself, you will fee relaxed and reinvigorated as you see and feel yourself surrounded only by wilderness. At night you will look to the heavens and be amazed at the hundreds of thousands of stars you can see with the naked eye, including the haze of the Milky Way.

Combined with great accommodations and service, Mexican hospitality that is second to none, close proximity to the United States, staying in pristine and isolated land, and a natural scenery that is spectacular to see, Rancho Los Baños, through our tourism branch, Tierra Chamahua EcoAdventures, is sure to make your stay a very enjoyable one.

Typical Day

Nature. Adventure. Nature. Adventure. Stunning Scenery. Relax. Rest. Reinvigorate. Reenergize. Nature. Adventure. Stunning Scenery. Great Time.

You might wake up early at the crack of dawn to see and hear the Elegant Trogon. You may decide to hike into El Cajon Canyon, a surreal boxed canyon where there is stunning beauty at every corner. You may hike all the way inside the canyon, seeing a family of coatimundi on the way to 2,000 year old petroglyphs painted on cave walls. You look up at 300 foot tall canyon walls, and you pass through a perpetual tunnel of sycamore and cottonwood leaves as you walk through the river bed.

After a delicious breakfast, as always cooked on an outside oven heated by mesquite coals, you may decide to explore the Bavispe River. On the way there, your guide and you will have a great conversation as you look at the stunning scenery that reminds you of a national park in the US. Once near the river, you hike through an amazing canyon with a tropical feel to it. You get your feet wet as you walk through a warm stream fed by natural spring water. You trek further into the canyon and feel like you have entered something out of Indiana Jones, as the canyon walls narrow to about 12 feet apart, boulders strewn everywhere, the only path through the comfortable water of the stream. Finally you reach the river and get into a canoe for an unforgettable 14 mile journey through stunning canyon scenery.

In the afternoon, after gourmet lunch, you and your guide take a jeep tour through some of the ranch's most beautiful areas. You see scenery that is inspiring, breathe air that is pure and fresh, and all the while you glance at a natural wonder devoid of human activity or footprints. On your way you spot beautiful coues deer and wild javelina as well as a vast assortment of diverse birds.

Once back at base camp, you enjoy a great meal next to a fire, seeing the sky seem as if it is burning in a raging inferno, just as the sun disappears over the horizon. In time you see hundreds of thousands of stars, looking at a haze that you later learn is not a cloud or haze at all, but the Milky Way itself. You discover that this region is perfect for stargazing, and you see that no human lights interfere with your ability to rediscover the stars.

Finally, you pass out, ready to reenergize and do it all again tomorrow. You don't know who got more of a workout, you or your camera. As you fall into dream land, you realize you are staying in a land called the "lost frontier," "the land lost in time," "some of the wildest land you will ever see." In the morning, you decide, you will hike up 7,400 ft tall El Pinito, and you will go on a boat tour of Lake Angostura.

Life could not be better. This adventure vacation is a trip of a lifetime.

Age range, type of group

Adventure Travelers, Outdoors Enthusiasts and Nature lovers of all kinds, from ages 10-80. This ranch is ideal for horseback riding enthusiasts, thrill seekers, birders (it is a hotspot), wildlife enthusiasts, nature photographers, hikers, mountain bikers, trekkers, backpackers, amateur astronomers, adventure travelers, kayakers, fishermen, petroglyph seekers, geology lovers and adventurers of all kinds and levels. This land is perfect for relaxing, resting and escaping the stresses of modern life. This is an ideal getaway with nature and the ranch activities as your only entertainment.

Sleeping and meals

Great natural and organic food, snacks and drinks. Many Mexican dishes as well as American styled food. All meals included in the price. Your choice of bottled water from the US or natural spring water that is 100% pure and delicious. We will gladly cater to the needs of vegetarians and vegans.

Restrictions

Pets with prior consultation and small fee. Smoking outside. This is remote, rugged land. Consideration should be taken if you suffer health related illnesses that would be compromised spending days in pristine and isolated nature. If you feel you cannot go days without the comforts of modern life or are not willing to walk, hike or otherwise sweat a little, consideration should be made whether to be our guest.

There is limited cellphone reception; no Internet or electrical services. We have solar and generator power, natural gas and running hot/cold water. Modern amenities. Refrigerators run on natural gas, as do our indoor ovens, which are also wood burning. Our highest tier lodge, however, does have a 40 inch flatscreen TV with DirecTV and DVD, if interested. CD player, microwave, coffeemaker, heat and AC provided.

The over 100 miles of roads inside the ranch are rugged and bumpy, the land is wild and exotic. This is not a resort and not a Dude Ranch. We are a guest ranch that limits our footprint on the natural world. We are unique, exclusive and unlike anything else around. Your vacation here will be the same. This is not Disneyworld or Six Flags. Here you will never find congestion, overcrowding, lines or annoying tourists. We offer no Hollywood productions or Old West themes. Here, nature is your show, your entertainment.

We restrict our guest capacity to 10-12 at any one time and oftentimes, it might just be you and your fellow adventurers enjoying the ranch and all it has to offer. Our small guest numbers is designed so that we may offer you the best possible service and attention to detail, the best hospitality and the best possible experience, with the feel of enjoying your own personal National Park.

Rates

By taking advantage of our current specials your Daily Rate can drop from $155/person/night (double occupancy, $175 single occupancy) to as low as $99/person/night. Rates at Guest Ranches do not get much better than this. In fact, our rates are 30-50% lower than at other guest/dude/working ranches.

Our rates include all inclusive packages: three meals/day, transportation to and within the ranch, drinks and snacks, Jeep Tours, Mountain Biking, Horseback riding (2 hours/day), stargazing, Nighttime Wildlife Safari, warm springs, lake kayaking and Unlimited Use of 30,000 acres of pristine land, which includes your personal English/Spanish speaking guide/chef/driver.

Send us an inquiry for more information and for our website address.

Extended Backcountry Horseback Riding: $30/person/day (4-6 hours)

Other Information

Roundtrip transportation to the ranch is provided by Tierra Chamahua EcoAdventures from Tucson and is included in the Rate.

Be sure to check out our additional adventures and activities, such as great bass fishing on the lake and fly-fishing on the river.

Discounts Offered

Contact an Adventure Consultant by phone, inquiry or email for more information or questions.

By taking advantage of our current specials your Daily Rate can drop from $155/person/night (double occupancy, $175 single occupancy) to as low as $99/person/night. Rates at Guest Ranches do not get much better than this. In fact, our rates are 30-50% lower than at other guest/dude/working ranches.

Packages and Specials:

Four or Five Night Stay $115/guest based on double occupancy. $135 Single occupancy.
For Stays 10 April-30 September, All Inclusive Plan.

Stays of Six nights or more: $99guest based on double occupancy. $119 Single occupancy.
For Stays 10 April-30 September, All Inclusive Plan.

Especial de las Señoritas: Two or More Guests (Ladies Special):
Four or more Nights; All Inclusive;
Price: $ 130/Night/Guest Double Occupancy only; For Stays August-May:

Backcountry Horseback Riding Package: 4 full days of riding (4-6 hours/day), 2-3 days of up to 3 hours/riding/day. For 7 nights/8 days stay; All Inclusive;, For Stays August-May; $1,038/guest based on double occupancy. Single occupancy rate is $1,178.

Tax Rate is 7.5%

Be sure to visit our website. We look forward to having you as our guest. Bienvenidos!

Bisbee, Arizona Horseback Riding

Bisbee, Arizona Horseback Riding