Estancia Ranquilco offers a full immersion program in gaucho culture. Live the life of an Argentine cowboy on one of the world’s last frontiers.

You will be assigned a cattle horse and traditional gaucho tack. This program is for experienced riders only and you will be primarily responsible for your horses’s health and welfare. You will live, work and eat alongside one of our gauchos or alone. Our immersion program is not for the faint hearted. You will spend long days in the saddle performing livestock management. Your work will be physical and our gauchos speak only Castillano. Volunteers who have completed this program consider it one of the best experiences of their life.

AVAILABLE EXPERIENCES

Buta Mallin, November through April, 2 spots available

Live and work with cattle in our large grazing meadow Buta Mallin, three hours ride from El Huecu and two hours ride from the lodge at Ranquilco. Work alongside one of our gauchos who has lived on these lands for over 30 years. Participate in all areas of livestock management – driving, counting, rotating, branding and vaccinations. Additional work can include fencing pasturelands and digging irrigation canals. Live in the stone gaucho bunkhouse or sleep under the stars on your saddle sheepskin. Spend one weekend a fortnight camping at Ranquilco.

Confluencia, October through April, 1 spot available

Live and work at one of the most beautiful places on the ranch – the meeting of the Trocoman and Piccunleo rivers. Confluencia is only a one hour ride from the lodge at Ranquilco. You will live in a traditional puesto built by last year’s volunteers.  Meet your neighbors and learn our land boundaries. Learn to find, count and move our animals in the pasture and to drive off animals infringing on our grazing lands. Spend Saturday and Sunday nights camping at Ranquilco.

Sally’s House

Live in a traditional one room adobe house on Sally’s property. The house has a single bed and wood cook stove but no running water. There is an outhouse. Look after Sally’s three horses, including a 2 year old. Perform work around the property which could include mending fences, painting, digging canals, cutting firewood etc. The property is a 20 minute walk from the lodge at Ranquilco. Help out the gauchos at Ranquilco or the Confluencia volunteer with cattlework and other tasks.

Colipilli, May through October, 3 spots available

In May we move with the livestock to Estancia Colipilli, the winter estancia. Winter weather, since we are in the extreme north of Patagonia, is relatively mild, some snow and rain, with the odd storm, but many days of sunny, crisp weather. Winter work includes daily rounding up and feeding of 500 weanlings, canal cleaning, tack maintenance, horse feeding and care, fencing maintenance, plus routine livestock surveillance. Colipilli is a 25,000 acre holding, combining large valleys with steep mountains. There are fossils and wild guanaco herds for exploring. In the spring is the calving season, beginning in September, along with field irrigation. In late October we begin the livestock migration to the high country.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

To sign up for our immersion program, e-mail Ashley at ashleykentc@hotmail.com with details of your Spanish and riding experience.

Pricing: This program has a two month minimum. The price is just $1050 for the first two months – that is only $20/day for the first month and $15/ day for the second month. The third (and forth etc) month is $300 per month. A one time fee of $150 covers your entry and exit to the estancia by horse, including a pack horse or mule for your luggage, plus an orientation to our traditional tack and riding western style.

All potential volunteers must read:

Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions
A Message from Ashley
Volunteer Accommodation Options & Pricing
How to Sign Up for our Volunteer Program

Return to Volunteering main page.