Rancho Los Baños, meaning "Ranch of the Springs" in Spanish, is a 30,000 acre adventure guest ranch, authentic, genuine cattle ranch and wilderness conservation area located at the foothills of the Sierra Madres, the Mexican Rockies, just 55 miles south of the southeast Arizona town of Douglas in beautiful, safe, secure northeast Sonora, Mexico. We are a real, genuine ranch for real, genuine people.
We are also a scenic nature travel destination and pristine wilderness area enveloped by some of the most unique, inspiring, diverse and spectacular desert landscapes anywhere, our scenery oftentimes compared to that of a National Park. At the ranch, guests stay inside 30,000 acres of exclusive, serene, remote, quiet and protected wilderness. Active guests with a love of the outdoors, of discovering new cultures and places, and of respecting nature have a wonderful stay with us. If you seek an active adventure travel destination, our ranch might be the place for you.
Not to be outdone, our rest and relaxation are unmatched, as you reenergize and rejuvenate surrounded by pristine and beautiful natural surroundings, as more and more scientific studies are showing. Indeed, at our off-the-grid ranch, you will escape the wired world and enter the natural world.
While we are located in spectacular northeast Sonora, Mexico, we are so close to southeast Arizona that we would like you to consider our ranch for a possible stay. Our offices are located in Tucson, and we personally pick you up and offer roundtrip transportation from Tucson or Douglas to the Rancho, so you can leave the driving to us and the sightseeing to you.
If you love riding, there is no comparision in Mexico or the Southwest. We offer a land, a vastness, seclusion and scenery that is incomparable, a level above any guest/working/dude ranch in Arizona, and more scenic, unique, exotic, pristine and spectacular as well.
Offering high desert terrain and vistas not seen in the US Southwest, our diverse, high desert landscapes offer scenery, diversity and vegetation that make our ranch truly unique and exotic.
Offering a freedom seldom experienced in traditional guest ranches, you will ride as it has always been meant to, surrounded by complete beauty, with little restraints, few rules, no fences, with great horses, in amazing diversity, and in sheer vastness that is breathtaking. At Los Banos, our riding program offers quality over quantity, putting people over profit.
Combined with great all-inclusive packages, accommodations and service, unbeatable rates, Mexican hospitality and cuisine that is second to none, close proximity to the United States, staying in pristine and serene land, with a natural scenery that is spectacular to see, together with world-class horseback riding and hiking, Rancho Los Baños is sure to make your stay an exciting, fun-filled, relaxing and memorable one.
Good time to go
Good time to go is from August through May, from opening to closing. We are an ideal stay year-round. Springtime for wildflowers and great temperatures, green summer for monsoon storms, late summer for green desert and lush vegetation, Fall for near perfect temperatures, November for our yearly roundup, Winter for great daytime temperatures and weather.
Children at the Ranch
Great for children aged 6 and over
Children 0-6 vist us free of charge. Kids 7-10 visit us for a half rate. Those 11 and up visit us paying normal rates. We are a terrific option for those families needing to escape the wired world of screens, phones and tablets as we are a great off-grid, remote and wilderness guest ranch. As we like to say, "Escape the wired world and enter the wild world."
Children of all ages are welcomed at the ranch to join in with their parents in activities and adventures. We have hosted children as young as 9 months [and she had a wonderful time!]. Most children join in with their parents in our many adventures. Of course, adventures can be and are tailored to children in a group, making sure they are suitable to the various physical and mental abilities and limitations of our young guests.
Pre-teens and teenagers, especially, flourish at the ranch. The personal development seen over the course of their stay is very apparent, as they escape the wired world and enter the natural world. Our collection of activities offers fun, entertaining, relaxing, thrilling and challenging adventures that our pre-teen and teen guests absorb fully. Many of them thrive while at the ranch, evolving with each day of their stay. Our ranch is a great opportunity for children to discover mental and physical abilities, and learn a little about themselves in the process. The adventures at the ranch takes them away from their element for a few days, opening their eyes to the outdoors, to being active in nature, and to the beauty of the natural world. With so many kids today wired to TV, video games, cell phones, music, the Internet and more, the ranch offers the opportunity to escape this wired world for a few days. After decompressing and disengaging from their gadgets, our kid guests discover a world beyond the wired, to a world of the wild.
Children under the age of 10 can also have a great time at the ranch. However, the level of fun they have, in our experience, is determined on a kid by kid basis, as well as a group or parental basis. In our experience, the overall fun and entertainment of our kid guests really comes down to the parents and the group they are with. If you are active, your child will be active, and entertained as well. If they are used to the outdoors, or are used to being active, the ranch will be fun. A lot depends on the individual child as well, as each brings their own personality along with them.
Environmental & Social Practices
Environment
We run solar energy in our lodges, practice "Leave No Trace Behind" methods while hiking, and do our best to minimize our footprint on the natural environment.
Community
Ecotourism: We return a percentage of our profits to the local villages where some of our employees work. We also hire people from these locations, offering them very decent wages.
Ranch History
The Valenzuela family, cattle ranching pioneers from the northeast of Sonora dating back to the early 20th century, has owned and operated the ranch continuously since the early 1950's, now three generations strong, as always protecting its wildlife and preserving its natural beauty. Having emigrated originally from Andalucia, southern Spain, in the mid 1600's, settling in northeast Sonora, the Valenzuelas' have a great understanding of this part of the world.
The new generation is American raised and educated, at one time having called Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Phoenix and Barcelona, Spain home. They are both bilingual and bicultural, having previously worked as marketing executives, business managers, in human resources, education and the law. Over the years, the Valenzuelas' have successfully managed the ranch through thick and thin, drought and abundance, helping make the ranch one of the most successful ranching enterprises in Sonora. The family's deep seated belief in living with nature and not at its expense has helped preserve this enchanting land much the same way as it has been for thousands of years.
Our Team consists of a collection of family, old and new school vaqueros, and European, Canadian, South American and American wranglers, guides/hosts and personnel that, together, help make your stay with us a memorable, relaxing and thrilling experience. We are a tight-knit group that strives to provide great hospitality and top-notch service.