Day 01
Estancia Nibepo Aike Ranch Experience
- Meet your tour guide at the agreed-upon location and depart from El Calafate at 8.30-9.00 a.m. Travel along Provincial Route 15, also known as "the road to the estancias". Along the way, it is common to come across condors, foxes, and hares, with Cerro Frías taking centre stage. After crossing the Río Rico, the landscape changes suddenly from steppe land to mountain scenery.
- Travel along the edge of Lago Roca as you enter Los Glaciares National Park.
- Arrive at the estancia and head to the Quincho, a rustic dining room, where you will be invited to enjoy a hot drink - tea, coffee, or mate - accompanied by homemade cakes and pastries. This is a wonderful moment to pause and take in the magnificent view of the Andes mountain range.
- Start the walk around the main building, a perfect example of a typical Patagonian estancia. Formerly devoted to sheep rearing, it has now become the most prestigious Hereford breeding ranch in these latitudes while still retaining a small herd of sheep.
- Later, meet again at the door of the shearing shed. This is a chance to see inside the shed with all its skilled hands and understand the work of the shearing teams. The process is explained from the shearing of the animal to the baling of the fleece, ready for the wool to be stored and transported.
- Return to the Quincho, where the person doing the roasting has the meat ready to delight diners with tasty Patagonian lamb while you enjoy the impressive view of the mountain range.
