If you arrive at El Calafate in the morning or if you depart at night, the half-day program is perfect to experience the Patagonian rural life and complements the tour to the glaciers. It can be visited either in the morning or the afternoon and participate in different activities according to the time of each one. Among the activities, visitors can attend tests for horse reins and sheep shearing demonstration, and hikes. The trip includes an exquisite lamb grilled on a traditional Patagonian cross stake.
If you are available for the entire day, you can opt for the Full Day Option where, after lunch, you will have the opportunity to take a 3-hour horseback riding with a profesional guide.
Posted By : Fiona_M
Nice property. Horse riding fun. Journey to and from El Calafate far too long. Lunch ok. Authentic ranch.
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Posted On : 2024-03-16 14:52:07 
Posted By : Oli C
Beautiful scenery, friendly staff, got to ride for the first time and everyone was super friendly and patient with me. Definitely book this tour!
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Posted On : 2024-02-27 12:12:36 
Posted By : Anureet_S
This was a beautiful experience. The views were spectacular and the hosts were kind and informative. We loved horse back riding. We are not experienced at all, but the horses were gentle and well-trained. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-02-21 22:45:01
Posted By : Sand1967
Tourist traps to avoid
Our agency had reserved lunch
From El Calafate it takes more than 2 hours to drive on a dirt road there and back for an uninteresting lunch.
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Posted On : 2024-01-14 17:51:37
Posted By : matthewo415
We had a wonderful day at Nibepo Aike Estancia. The place is absolutely beautiful and calming. After the shuttle ride to the property we had some coffee, and chatted with some of the other guests. Our guide Julieta was warm and charming, she took us to different parts of the estancia for a short hike to see the property then demonstrations by the guachos working there, milking a cow, taking the sheep to pasture, sheering a sheep. We then enjoyed a nice lunch plenty of food, then a horseback ride for three hours. The riding was great, the horses are very calm and easy to ride, and the property is just incredible with fantastic views. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2023-12-04 18:41:32
Posted By : Q6928AM
Highly recommended, from the friendly welcome with coffee and cake; through the variety of interesting and well explained activities about the history and running of the estancia; and the delicious lamb asado to finish. Such a pleasure to be made welcome to this estancia and to ride in this spectacular setting. Top marks to all.
(Good to know that you may wait 30/40 m after pick up time as people are collected from a variety of different accommodation)
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Posted On : 2023-03-11 08:15:47
Posted By : Jingying_P
We booked the 3 hour horseback riding version of this excursion.
We were picked up in the morning at our hotel Los Ponchos in El Calafate. The third party tour coordinator, Tangol, provided multiple communications via WhatsApp and contacted our hotel to let us know Nibepo Aike transport would pick us up at 8:30 AM in the morning. However, the transport was about 15 minutes late with no communication, which worried us until I contacted Nibepo Aike directly via WhatsApp and asked for an update.
From El Calafate it was about a 1.5 hour mini bus ride to Nibepo Aike. The farm tour and sheep shearing activities were a bit gimmicky, and lasted too long since they were trying to time lunch with multiple different group activities (people who went horseback riding in the morning, people who were just there for the tour, and people who were coming in just for lunch). Lunch was filling but average, you’re assigned seats at communal tables.
We weren’t given instruction about where to go and when to leave for our afternoon horseback rides, so we had to ask around. The horseback ride itself was wonderful and was closer to 2.5 hours, with the horses walking at a very leisurely pace and the guide picking trails at random. There is very limited direction and conversation during the ride, so if you enjoy watching scenery on horseback in peace and relative silence, you’ll enjoy this. If you’re looking for more interaction with the guide or a more exciting ride, you’ll definitely be bored. We found the experience very serene, particularly because we had excellent weather and the scenery truly is stunning.
When we got back from the horseback ride, we also received no communication about how we’d be transported back to El Calafate. After asking around, we were told to wait until 6 pm for a car. We were the last remaining tourists so when 6 pm came and went, no car showed up, and staff started heading home, we got pretty nervous (especially since there is no reception at the estancia). Luckily the car finally showed up and we made it back safely, but the overall experience was a bit soured by lack of communication and predictability.
Overall we thought the peaceful horseback ride and scenery made up for these snafus, but I could definitely see this being a frustrating experience for those who only came for lunch / the tour. The experience could be significantly improved with more proactive communication from the staff.
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Posted On : 2023-03-02 14:42:20
Posted By : Elsen_B
The farm was really so far from el calafate and the road was very bad but the people who welcomed us were nice. Horseback riding was really tough. We did another one nearby Areco, and it was easier for the beginners. This one was with hills fulled with rocks/ climbing and all ..but still quite nice.The half day @ranch & lunch do not worth €300. You have to be even pay the bottle of water at lunch. You have just the one glass of wine…
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Posted On : 2023-02-22 15:41:30
Posted By : Rhoffmann11
You had a wonderful day at the estancia Nebepo Aike! The head gaucho Goncalvo was a excellent host and gave us a detailed briefing on the estancia and what it does. The area is beautiful and very remote. Out horses were gentle but responsive and had an interesting ride. Lunch was excellent and the demonstrations of sheep shearing and horse barrel racing very interesting.
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Posted On : 2023-02-10 20:28:45
Posted By : barbaracO3451YE
5 friend took this long awaited (rustic) 5 day Horseback Glacier excursion (cancelled twice because of covid). If you like adventure, solitude, beautiful scenery, mountains, horses, nature, you will love this magical journey. The horses are excellently trained to cover steep terrain, streams, rocks. The saddles are extremely comfortable, which you will appreciate after riding 5-7 hours a day. Forget your cell phone, the world. It's rustic, majestic, amazing. Our guide cooked all our food over a fire until we reached the last Estancia, but still with a wood stove. Nibepo Aike gets a 20 out of 10. Our Guide Gonzolo also get a 20 out of 10 rating.
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Posted On : 2023-01-10 15:05:55
