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North America: Mexico:Moonbeam Ranch |
| What: |
This property with down home cozy south of the border comforts welcomes you to their three bedroom ranch house, complete with its own kitchen, patio and living/dining room which becomes the home for single grouping of two or more riders up to six. With full service, transfers to and from local airports and wonderful trails to ride this becomes a year round escape for folks in need of some serious down time with riding. With riding times up to six hours per day, the most experienced riders should find a heaven on earth here, the low mountains in which the ride offer coolness and moderate weather year round.
You can ride your horses into the surrounding
cobblestone towns, and horse and rider will be perfectly
at home. |
| Dates and Rates: |
Open year round
8 days/7 nights/6 riding days:
2 persons minimum: $1400 US per person
3 persons minimum: $1200 US per person
4-6 persons minimum: $1000 per person
5 day/4 night/3 RD:
2 person minimum: $899 pp.
3 person minimum: $799 pp.
4-6 persons: $ 699 pp.
Included: Transfers from Guadalajara to Moonbeam Ranch, all drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, meals, horses, tack and bi-lingual guide, accommodations and riding. |
| Horsesense: |
The horses are selected on a daily basis from the general stock of horses available from the village where horses still have to work to make their living. The village is full of horses, David, our own cowhand and guide has his choice of over 30 horses in his own family alone. The Charro horse of the Mexican cowboy are generally quarter horse crosses. The saddles are Mexican, the riding style Western although we can scare up some English saddles if necessary.
The pace can be adjusted to the group. The trails are wide and easy, so anything from a walk to a gallop. These are horses used to being worked all day long (long days 12 hours or more in the field) and used for roping and chasing down stray cattle. Although we are at 6,000 ft. the terrain is high hill, mesas, valleys, very few narrow trails, gorgeous views of the Volcano of Colima from the high spots. A lot of blue agave for tequila is grown here, corn, and pastureland. This is a semi-arid climate, but with irrigation often used so there is some green all year round. Definitely not a “desert” type of atmosphere.. Rainfall comes almost totally from mid June to mid Sept., generally just a few hours late afternoon or night. Trails are always rideable, just a bit muddy in the summer. |
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| WHAT TO EXPECT: |
| Room and Board* : |
The ranch has three bedrooms and two full baths. There is a snack bar in the kitchen and also a separate dining room. Three delicious meals a days will be served and we welcome your participation in the kitchen. Cooking is Mexican home cooking with fresh tortillas made in front of you every morning. Picnic lunches for long rides. Tamales made some evenings over an open fire. Food is not generally spicy, hot sauces served on the side. No table wines, plenty of beer, tequila, and other drinks like mescal and raicilla (moonshine) locally made. |
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| Weather: |
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The combination of altitudes ranging from 4500 to 6000 feet falling within the tropics produces an almost perfect climate. The rainy season is from June to September and even during the rainy season in the summer months it is a very rare day that the sun doesn't shine and a typical day will begin with cool temperatures rapidly rising to 90 degrees until around 4pm when the cool breezes bring an hour or so of rain to cool things off until the cycle begins the next day. In some areas magnificent thunderstorms provide their own show but seldom last long. This is Jalisco at its most beautiful with the tropical plants growing at an astounding rate and the countryside colored with shades of green and bright wildflowers.
From November to May, there is little rainfall and it sometime gets to
0 degrees or below at night, but again the tropical sun soon warms
everything up and by noon you will have a pleasant 70-80 degrees
until the sun begins to wane in the late afternoon.
Bring your jackets for the evening, your bathing suits for the
daytime. The temperature has a range of more than 75 degrees in
the winter and 50 degrees in a 24 hour period! |
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Itinerary: |
| Day 1: |
Arrive Guadalajara International Airport and transfer to Moonbeam Ranch. Welcome dinner of homemade tamales cooked over a wood fire. Introduction by your hostess, Katrina Michel, owner of the ranch, to the history of the ranch and charreria in Mexico, and some of her own fascinating history of being one of the few women ranchers in Mexico.
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| Day 2: |
Charro roping demonstration of mares and selection of
horses and saddles, only Mexican saddles available. Your cowhand, David and his family are known far and wide as the best ropers in the area and will happily help you learn some of their techniques.
Ride through the valley of Miraplanes, and the ranch. Home cooked lunch at the ranch. Evening sunset ride to the top of the mountain on the ranch for margaritas and magnificent sunsets. Aprox.
riding time 4 hours. Horses available for free riding through the many trails on the ranch. *Depending on the availability this day will include a visit to one of the local charreadas with the opportunity to ride in the charro ring and get to know the charros.. |
| Day 3: |
Up early for freshly made tortillas and our own special family breakfast recipes. Check on the cattle and fences with our cownhand on the ride to Juanacatlan, a small typical village, across open mountain vistas and across cattle ranches. Lunch at private home of one of the local charros in Juanacatlan. Return to the ranch in the afternoon via alternative route through the 16 th century town of Tenamaxtlan with its unique herringbone patterned walls and lovely plazas. Aprox riding time 6 hours.(Alternate route can be arranged for easy ride to 4 hours) |
| Day 4: |
Follow the river to the mesas and most beautiful vistas in Mexico, ride can be adjusted from 2-4 hours. Easy open trails, with cattle, blue agave, and lots of other workers on horseback around to chat with. Lunch and dinner with homemade Mexican cooking at ranch. |
| Day 5: |
Time for some work! Try your hand at milking and the famous drink of “pajaretes”, a natural cappuccino foam straight from the cow with grated Mexican chocolate, and alcohol. Help the ranch cowhands in taking the herd to the pastures. Lunch a Moonbeam. and afternoon free for free riding on the many surrounding trails
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| Day 6: |
Ride out to the pastures with your guide and help him in his daily activities or free riding on many, many miles of trails. |
| Day 7: |
Ride to San Pedro, through tiny villages and ranches for Barbecue lunch along the way. Farewell dinner at Moonbeam. |
| Day 8: |
Transfer to Guadajara International Airport. |
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