Estancia Rincon Chico

This working ranch is owned by the fifth generation of two settler families who pioneered the Valdes Peninsula more than 120 years ago.

Constructed in the style of old English houses of the late 19th century, the ranch has 8 ensuite rooms with bathtub, a spacious living room with large windows that open to the vast Patagonian steppe, and a varied library of books about the fauna of the Valdes Peninsula, photobooks and scientific publications about the area. Home cooked fare is served in the dining room adjacent to the wine bar and living room, all decorated with antique furniture that belonged to the family.

Electricity is wind and solar-powered 12 volt current during the day, with a diesel generator providing 220 volts, hot water to shower, and satellite WiFi in the evening. There are no laundry facilities available.

Excursions are shared with other ranch guests and include wildlife watching and photographic opportunities guided by resident naturalists to the various beaches of the property, horseback riding across the steppe and cliffs, hiking on trails of varying length and difficulty, mountain biking, identification of native flora, bird watching, and opportunities to observe and even participate in ranch livestock activities (in season). On the coastal areas of the Estancia there is a southern elephant seal colony and colony of South American sea lions.

It is also possible to see southern right whales, orcas, dusky dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins, all sighted along the Estancia’s private, protected coastline. On short walks and hikes from the lodge a wide variety of inland and coastal birds can be observed including lesser rhea, penguin, and several owl species, as well as many of Patagonia’s native terrestrial mammals. Centuries of erosion have also left important geological traces rich in marine fossils, such as shells, oysters, bivalves and sea urchins.