Estancia Harberton (Harberton Ranch)

Estancia Harberton (Harberton Ranch) Review

Estancia Harberton consists of 50,000 acres of coastal marshland and wooded hillsides. The property was a late-19th-century gift from the Argentine government to Reverend Thomas Bridges, who authored a Yamana-English dictionary and is considered the patriarch of Tierra del Fuego. His son Lucas wrote The Uttermost Part of the Earth, a memoir about his frontier childhood. Today the ranch is managed by Bridges's great-grandson, Thomas Goodall, and his American wife, Natalie, a scientist and author who has cooperated with the National Geographic Society on conservation projects and operates the impressive marine mammal museum, Museo Acatushun (www.acatushun.com). Most people visit as part of organized tours, but you'll be welcome if you arrive alone. They serve up a tasty tea in their home, the oldest building on the island. For safety reasons, exploration of the ranch can only be done on guided tours (45-90 minutes). Lodging is available, either in the Old Shepherd's House or the Old Cook's House (US$300 for a double, with breakfast). Additionally, you can arrange a three-course lunch at the ranch by calling two days ahead for a reservation. Most tours reach the estancia by boat, offering a rare opportunity to explore the Isla Martillo penguin colony, and a sea-lion refuge on Isla de los Lobos (Seal Island) along the way.