If you have a riding holiday on your summer bucket list, tour operator Ranch Rider will be regularly updating its Dream Book Ride blog, with posts featuring the best seats in the saddle
(TRAVPR.COM) UK - April 19th, 2022 - An unquenchable thirst for the great outdoors combined with a pent-up demand for adventure has left travellers with limited availability at guest ranches across North America. Luckily, for those of us who still have a riding holiday on our summer bucket list, tour operator Ranch Rider will be regularly updating its Dream Book Ride blog, with posts featuring the best seats in the saddle. The specialist has long-established partnerships with over 50 ranches across the US and Canada and its seven-night stays are priced from only £1,187pp (two sharing). Including working, guest, and luxury resort ranches, here are seven of the hottest trails for this season. Ranch Rider's advice: book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
From covid cabin fever to being cocooned in nature, a stay at British Columbia's Three Bars Guest Ranch is the perfect antidote to two years of four walls travel. Think wide open spaces, 35,000 acres to be exact, trails aplenty, ready and waiting to explore on horseback, and an abundance of wildlife, elk and deer roaming across the sprawling meadows. Situated at the foot of BC's snowcapped Rocky Mountains, the ranch caters weekly to 50 of the truly adventurous - hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, fly-fishing and ATV rides thrilling alternatives to horse riding. Enjoy a fabulous deal and SAVE £220pp, or bunk down in the ranch's latest deluxe log cabins, the Black Series a set of modern suites with glass walls overlooking the scenic wilderness, that is the Kootenay Rockies. The perfect jumping-off point for more big adventures, the ranch is set between the Banff and Glacier national parks. Six nights with Ranch Rider from only £2,366pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes, transfers and gratuities and return flights. Departing 12 June. Seven years plus.
The K-Diamond-K is a family-friendly guest ranch where kids willingly give up screen time for real-life adventures in the saddle. Based in Washington state, its location might not be an obvious choice for a ranch holiday, but Ranch Rider is offering seven nights from only £1,187pp (two sharing), so stays this summer are a steal. The 1,600 acre Guest Working Ranch offers a taster of the simple rural lifestyle, with the Colville National Forest and Indian Reservation bordering the property. Expect plenty in the way of adventure, with trail rides, fly fishing, gold panning, and real cattle work on offer to guests. Prices include accommodation, meals, most ranch activities and taxes. Excludes return flights from £600pp and transfers as car hire recommended. Six years plus.
Yellowstone is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, and with Montana's Lone Mountain located a mere 18 miles from the national park, the luxury guest ranch is one for the 2022 bucket list. All guests are offered a riding or hiking tour of Yellowstone with expert naturalists; the ranch is one of the elite few to hold permits. The park's famous landmarks, such as the Old Faithful geyser and plentiful wildlife, from bison to grizzlies, make it a must-see. As an added bonus, the ranch's private tours showcase areas that remain inaccessible to other visitors. Promising non-stop adventure, horseback riding, mountain biking, guided hiking, fly-fishing, canoeing, and paddle-boarding are available back at the ranch. Seven nights with Ranch Rider (for a family of four including, two adults and two children under the age of 13) from £33,000 including accommodation, meals, Outdoor Youth Adventures program (ages 4 – 12), yoga, archery, guided tour of Yellowstone National Park, horseback riding, ropes course, hiking, canoeing, ranch BBQ, live entertainment, taxes and transfers. Excludes return flights from £889pp. Six years plus.
If you want the inside track on all things cowboy, head to Montana's Lonesome Spur Working Guest Ranch. Set in the shadow of the Beartooth Mountains, the property is owned by a former champion bull rider and a star barrel racer. Under the same ownership for five generations, the Schwend's have ranching in their blood, and the family follows the old-fashioned values of the west by helping friends and neighbours at branding time. Learn to catch and saddle your own horse (under supervision), and earn your spurs on the range as you help to gather and move the herd to new pastures. Travel between 01 June and 31 August, and there might even be a chance to visit the thrilling Cody Night Rodeo. Six nights with Ranch Rider from £1,584pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes, transfers, and gratuities. Excludes return flights from £650pp. Departures on request. Eight years plus.
A family favourite during the summer months, Colorado Trails Guest Ranch is based just outside of Durango in the South-Western corner of the Centennial State. Prime horse riding territory, the trails are diverse and well-kept, the paths stretching across 1,000 private acres and into the adjoining San Juan National Forest. One of the best fly-fishing spots in Colorado, the ranch lays claim to over two miles of private water on the Florida River, with additional access to cold mountain streams and other rivers in the area, as well as fully-stocked private ranch ponds. Adventure all the way: half-day guided rafting trips on the Animas River, rock climbing, archery, trapshooting, and jeep tours are additional pursuits. Ranch Rider's tip: spend a day in Durango, either before or after your ranch stay, and book the Durango to Silverton Railroad excursion. Six nights with Ranch Rider from £2,335pp (two sharing) including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes and gratuities. Excludes return flights from £650pp. Departures on request. Five years plus.
Located at 6,100 feet, Montana's Sweet Grass Guest Working Ranch sits at the edge of the Gallatin National Forest at the base of Montana's Crazy Mountains. The property is surrounded by miles of meadowland and has the Sweet Grass Creek running through its 20,000 acres. In the same hands for six generations, this is an established cattle operation, and guests are invited to play a hands-on role in checking livestock, fencing, doctoring cattle, and moving the herd to new pastures. Offering unlimited riding, there is also the opportunity to enjoy more leisurely scenic rides; hiking, fishing, and swimming with the horses in the river are additional activities. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £1,885pp (no single supplement), including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities and taxes. Excludes return flights from £650pp. Departures on request. Six years plus.
Falling later on the ranch calendar, the ever-popular Fall Round-Up at Arizona's Tombstone Monument Ranch has limited availability. A genuine city slicker experience, beginners are welcome as all guests receive training for this hands-on Western adventure. When not on cowboy duty, there's always plenty of action to be had, shooting with replica guns from the Wild West period a popular pursuit. The perfect place to soak up the nostalgia of a bygone era, the ranch is only a short ride from the centre of the West's most iconic cowboy town, the property surrounded by historic mines, hand-dug wells, old railroad trestles, and ancient Indian Petroglyphs. Seven nights with Ranch Rider from £2,100pp (two sharing), including accommodation, meals, most ranch activities, taxes, transfers, and gratuities. Excludes return flights from £620pp. Departing 01 November.
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Ranch Rider also offers riding holidays in Argentina, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya. The specialist tour operator is part of the Frontier Travel collection, which also includes Frontier Canada, Frontier Ski, Frontier America, American Round-Up, Holidays 2 and Independent Traveller's Africa programme. The company offers tailor-made skiing holidays, bespoke itineraries, including fly-drives and escorted holidays, and ranch holidays.
For more information on Ranch Rider please contact (020 8776 8709; ranchrider@frontier-travel.co.uk; ranchrider.com). ATOL PROTECTED No 5405 ABTA W3207.
Editor's Notes:
Good news if you are hoping to saddle up in Canada. Fully-vaccinated travellers are nowallowed entry with no requirement to test before arrival. Take up the reins with us in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, or Alberta – and why not add on a bespoke self-drive – the Sunshine Province, home to the Calgary Stampede.
South Africa eases travel restrictions - now's the time to take a ride on the wild side: On 23 March the South African government relaxed its Covid19 protocols. Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in South Africa no longer require a negative PCR test for entry, but you will need to show proof of vaccination. The update is perfect timing for anyone planning a more exotic Easter, Ranch Rider's holidays including horseback safaris amongst plains game and the Big Five.
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