Explore Zapata Ranch

Quite simply one of the most incredible vacations our family has ever had. The staff, five star chef, horses and simple but beautiful rooms made our stay so special. The staff has one common goal to help run a cattle and bison ranch with sustainable practices. We felt lucky and humbled to learn and be a small part of this experience. We can’t wait to go back, thank you so much Zapata Ranch!

The Zapata Ranch is unlike any place I’ve ever been. I could have easily stayed forever. The location and scenery are stunning, with dramatic contrasts to the sky and landscape. Riding horses through said landscape was incredible and liberating, and the horses were perfectly matched to each rider in our group. It was also very clear that these horses are well-loved and appreciated for their unique personalities, which is a special thing. All of the staff members are incredible people in their own right and together make an amazingly generous, interesting, and fun-loving team.

Book ahead – there are a limited number of guest places and you don’t want to miss out on this. Planning starts well before your arrival with email discussion of your riding ability, your interests and, basically, what you want to do when you are there. There are many more options than riding so if you don’t want to ride every day, there is almost certainly something that will take your fancy, or, simply, chill out doing nothing. Most vacations can be made or broken by the staff that you meet. From our first enquiry email to our final departure everybody that we communicated with and met was of the highest standard. Very friendly and helpful but supported by true professionalism in their respective areas.

I am an international traveler – and this is only the second time (EVER!) that I leave a review. Because this place is heaven on Earth! I booked 4 nights at Zapata – based on a recommendation of a friend who is as I am – a horse lover! The stay exceeded my expectation. The team goes above and beyond and I never experienced such a personalised and enriching vacation. The team makes you feel like being at a home away from home from moment one onwards! Based on my rider level, the team and wranglers customised an itinerary that didn’t leave any desire uncovered. The wranglers are not only knowledgable, but really deliver a personalised experience. The landscape, to die for. You are riding through a Nature Conservancy Preserve… no more words needed. The chef, recently joined from LA, prepared every evening fantastic food – hands down, some of the best dishes I had in the entire U.S. Be prepared, you never want to leave again!

Be warned that if you stay at Zapata Ranch you may never want to leave. It is hard to find the best thing about my stay as everything was awesome. The accommodations are very comfortable (and the view stunning), the meals were absolutely delicious (excellent chef) and the team so knowledgeable, friendly and responsive. They personalized your stay and experience based on your needs and expectations, and remain very flexible everyday to whatever change you might want. The limited number of guests (a maximum of 16 during my 1 week stay, but most of the time we were around 8) makes you really feel like a part of a community.

The best thing at Zapata? The people! The wranglers who attend to your experience were each smart, educated, hard-working, kind, informative and talented women. They tailored each days experience to your comfort level and ensured that we had a memorable time. They really were outstanding!

Every single person and animal at this ranch was a complete joy to meet. From booking the trip to leaving, we felt completely welcomed and cared for. My family is vegetarian, and the chef and all staff were so considerate of this, with delicious vegetarian options at mealtimes. The food is fresh, healthy, and delicious farm-to-table from nearby farms.

As horseback novices, we were skeptical about this 3-day segment of our trip before going. However, it ended up being the best part of a wonderful vacation! The small group rides of just our family were awesome and the wranglers gave us new things to learn each day.