"During 30 years of birding & nature travel, I've been many places. But I recently was at a place that ranks among the best, in the remote hills of Sonora, Mexico - a place called Rancho Los Banos. What's probably best about it is that it is NOW, as places such as Arizona WERE in the past - before "development" brought highways, agriculture, and many people. A place in the US that's quite similar to it is Big Bend National Park in Texas. Yes, from nearly 3,000 feet to over 7,000 feet above sea level, and with canyons, peaks, hills, valleys, forests, and streams, the area of Rancho Los Banos has enough to it to be a national park.
When at the Sonoran ranch of Los Banos, there was much so nature to experience - birds, butterflies, and animals. The early-morning wake-up call, just outside the window, was the howling of coyote. Following dusk, owls called. After dark, the stars shone brightly, including a Milky Way that nearly jumped out of the sky.
As wonderful as the place and the nature were, it was certainly all the more so due to the kind hospitality of our hosts. So much was learned from them, and our excellent Mexican meals bought always to mind, although it was never forgotten, where we were. All of the time, during my visit, I was, simply put, so very glad to be there."
Armas Hill
Focus On Nature Tours
I began planning my next trip to Rancho Los Banos on the day I arrived. Very few places have had that effect on me, but this is so much more than a nice vacation. Imagine your favorite national park with no one in it except you, the friends or family you've chosen to bring along, and a couple of the most gracious, fun hosts you'll ever meet. It will remind you that there are more important things in life than all of those deadlines, emails, voicemails, and traffic you've been worrying about.
Those photos on the website are not just a few nice areas; there are jaw-dropping views literally everywhere you turn. It is impossible to photograph or describe it all; you just have to go and see it. The silence is broken only by the birds, the smell of the desert after a rain is like nothing else, and the food is perfect. The ranch can be as relaxing or as filled with adventure as you want to make it. You could sit on the porch and watch the light change and listen to the birds all day and be perfectly content, but you would miss out on some of the even better aspects of this place that modern civilization has, thankfully, left behind.
A typical day for me began with eating homemade muffins on the porch just after dawn while watching the sunlight travel across the canyons. My friend and I and our hosts then piled into a Suburban for a scenic drive to the beginning of that day's adventure. Some days involved hiking, while others consisted of kayaking down the river or soaking up the sun by the lake. Every day included gorgeous views, friendly hosts and cowboys, delicious meals, and constant reminders of what is truly important in the world. Our evenings consisted of ignoring the huge television in favor of interesting conversation, admiring the stars from the porch, sipping red wine by the fire, and excitedly planning the next day.
Brenna Yursik, Phoenix, AZ
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We had an absolutely wonderful experience at Rancho los Banos. Manuel is a incredibly
knowledgeable guide to the vast ecological wonderland that is the northern Sonoran desert. He
is a wonderful host and his meals were delicious. We stayed for a week at the El Cumaral Lodge,
which had a lovely wrap-around porch. The lodge was a lovely place to rest after a long day hiking
and watch the sun set.
It was an amazing experience for us. We were looking for an escape from our daily routines in
middle-America, and the experience allowed us to truly get outside of our every-day lives and
appreciate the beauty and grandeur that such a vast, serene and ancient landscape can offer.
The experience can be as different or as similar to "regular" American life as you'd like it to be
(there is Direct TV at the Lodge and Manuel is more than happy to help you do your shopping
for whatever you may desire before you leave the States), but I think we'd would both recommend
taking the unique opportunity to embrace nature and simple human interaction.
We'd both recommend taking as many hikes as a person is physically able, but there are many
other opportunities available at Rancho los Banos. We'd recommend talking to Manuel and
finding the right schedule and experiences for yourself.
This is not a resort. It's instead a good old fashioned real life human experience, and wonderful
interaction with glorious amounts of nature, on a scale writ-large with the beauty that only this
amazing landscape could bring.
We give it a 5 out of 5. It's beautiful and memorable.
Strongly recommended.
Willow Fort and Curt Perkins, Tennessee
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"I came to Rancho Los Banos with a nature tour group, not knowing just what to expect. Having heard the property was 'unspoiled' and 'natural', I anticipated a quiet, cactus-studded retreat. No description could have prepared me for the spectacular and remote landscape of Rancho Los Banos! I kept exclaiming that I hardly cared if we saw birds and wildlife, the scenery was so magnificent. However, we did have it all: birds, animals, canyons, mountains, a spring-fed grotto and stream, the lake and enormous dam...... I could go on and on. Our host, Manuel, took good care of us, and shared his knowledge of the land and its history. Next time, I want to do more hiking, stargaze, maybe raft down the river, and again enjoy Mexican home-style cooking and revisit my favorite spots."
L. Lawrence
Toronto, Canada
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My stay at the Rancho Los Baños in the fall of 2008 was an experience I will enjoy remembering over and over again.
As we made our slow ascent along canyon roads to the ranch house the crescent moon hung low over the mountains in a star-studded sky. This was my first visit to Mexico and what a wonderful first impression!
My whole experience was one of joy in this spectacular setting. I listened to evening lullabies by elf owls and morning wake-up calls by coyotes! The various tours of the ranch given by our ever considerate hosts revealed wonders I felt privileged to see.
Always thinking of our well-being and our desires, Manuel and the Valenzuela family made sure all our needs were met. For instance, meals were delicious and nutritious!
Their deep love for the land and its wildlife and for the pets in their care was inspiring. A rescued dog was gently being given time to adjust to its new home and all their other animals were obviously enjoying their lives – all the while being truly cherished.
I would definitely recommend a stay at the ranch for as long as possible. It will enrich your soul.
Doris Potter, Montreal, Canada
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When searching for adventure, tranquility, or even home away from home, we are often surprised by what we find and where we find it. For me, Los Baños turned out to be more than everything that I was hoping for plus home.
Each turn, each vista, each canyon, each piece of ancient history came to light as part of the wonderful discovery of the authentic, pristine, and natural setting for the “home ranch”, which, with its’ simple surrounding and practical function, defined “the real thing”.
Sheer sandstone canyons carved out by time unlimited and following the natural water courses, make for endless hiking in untouched nature. Wildlife galore speaks to the natural habitat, safe haven, and remote paradise that lives undisturbed by the greatest predator of all….man.
Graciously and humbly presented by the stewards of the ranch for over 60 years, the Valenzuela family introduces and hosts Los Baños for each guest by proudly offering the area for what it is and always has been. A real working cattle ranch nested in an environment unsurpassed for natural beauty, ruggedness, history, and wildlife. Trails upon trails through some of the most diverse and glorious landscape on earth punctuated with pure silence and star filled nights.
Los Baños was far more than I ever expected and will be recorded in my memory as a “trip of a lifetime” waiting to be enjoyed again and again.
Lynn Wallack
Chicago, IL
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My husband and I came to Los Banos as experienced horse people who were interested in riding the ranch's backcountry and to experience ranch life. Los Banos did not disappoint! We had some amazingly scenic rides that were fun and challenging. We saw lots of country—gorgeous wet canyons, rugged mountaintops, rough, thorny desert, and wildlife too.
The ranch's horses were tough and surefooted and very responsive, like good ranch horses should be. They were safe, but definitely not slow, dull tourist horses. Our guide, ranch vaquero Carlos did not speak English, but we had made a a new friend when we left the ranch—his good nature and our pleasure and interest in the ranch seemed to overcome any barriers. We helped him move cattle, shoe horses and even milk wild range cattle!
When our days on the trail were over, it was wonderful to come back to the ranch house and have a terrific meal full of local flavors waiting for us, even tasted Carlos' menudo and homemade cheese. We wound up our evenings up with a star strewn night on the porch with a cold beer chatting with our fellow guests.
We also enjoyed a paddle on Lake Agostura and a terrific canyon hike.
Manuel and his family are gracious, knowledgeable hosts, and the ranch is as remote and spectacular as it looks on the Web site. I would highly recommend Los Banos to anyone who enjoys outdoor activities, beautiful wild places, or is interested in experiencing traditional Mexican ranch life.
Trudy Balcom, Northern Iowa
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My inadvertent adventure in time travel began innocently enough with the firm handshake and genuine smile of Manuel Valenzuela at the Tucson airport and was packaged as an eco-adventure tour. The change began as we drove South and East through the sere Arizona landscape talking like old friends, but I didn't catch the beginning of the regression until we passed through Tombstone. By the far side of Agua Prieta, it was clear to everyone in the vehicle to some degree or other that time as we know it in the United States was no longer relevant and the demands so inferred were lifted.
On the ranch time took wing as we explored the canyons of the ancients, our hands using the same holds they had when they climbed up to scribe the cavern walls. We sat on our heels and pondered the meaning of the glyphs. We lay beneath the overhangs and felt echoes of the heartbeats that reverberated into the living rock. We swam in the pools that healed or cleansed. We aligned our lives to the natural rhythm of the sun and moon and opened our hearts and lives to each other as is only possible in the uncomplicated timelessness.
So powerful the draw of the timeless life, that even now as I write these words from the year 2010 in my mind's eye I can still view the youthful stars that dance in the night sky over Rancho los Banos to the chorus of the coyote and I plan my future return to the past.
Mark Saltus, San Diego, CA