Tanque Verde Guest Ranch

It's a good dude ranch. The staff is super friendly. Horseback riding is amazing.

My daughter and I had our birthday girls trip here and it was perfect. Amazing and challenging snd beautiful and peaceful .

Location: Amazing scenery. Ride like you're in an Old Western surrounded by saguaro cactus, prickly pears, and rolling sandy hills. Adjacent to Saguaro National Park. Expansive 60,000 acre private ranch feels secluded. Activities: 1) Horseback riding for both novices and experienced w/ walk and lope rides. [5/6 people in our cohort failed the lope test. Lope test involves trotting and loping without any bouncing. One hand on reins and other hand not holding anything else. Hand must be in front of the saddle. Toes up, heels down. Given one lap around the arena and then decision made. Quite strict]. Enjoyed the sunrise and sunset rides (surcharge $100 per person per ride). 4 hour Saguaro adventure ride was also excellent because we went into the national park. Ranch has over 100 horses including 20 new ones that just arrived. Expect a different horse for each ride. Bring a cowboy hat with strap, boots, long pants (jeans best and joggers/ yoga pants don't count), and long -sleeved shirt. Spines from brush and cacti will end up in your clothes. Bring a water bottle.. Free helmets and saddle bags provided. Bring cash for tips for wranglers. Horsemanship lessons are popular so recommend signing up 1 week in advance. 2) Archery- fun and easy. Great for kids. 3) Fishing- small stocked pond. Fish with hot dog as bait. Good for kids. Sign up for activities online up to 1 week prior to your stay. Signing up on arrival is too late. Can sign up for 3 activities per day prior until the day before. On day before can sign up until 8PM and can sign up for more than 3 activities. Can sign up in dining room area during dinner time until 8PM. Book activities with attached QR photo. Rooms: Stayed in the desert garden sala room which was spacious with fireplace, lounge chairs, mini-fridge, wifi, safe, and good A/C. (No TV.) Western decor with dark leather chairs and wooden furnishings. Has Bath & Body Works shampoo, conditioner, lotion. If possible, would pay more to avoid the Ramada Salas which are on the main walkway (everyone will pass in front of your room to go to the dining hall) and room is smaller. . Service: Check-in and out was quick and easy. Online activity sign up website needs improvement. Have to input your weight/ height for every single horseback ride again and again. No compilation of all the activities already signed up so hard to remember what is already scheduled. No way to cancel activities online either. Dining: Breakfast/ lunch have buffet and menu options. Waitstaff pushes very heavily towards buffet. Food is decent but not gourmet. It’s ranch dining, not Michelin star dining. Steer towards steak options because this is their stronger suit. Free water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate. Soft drinks and alcohol are extra. Cowboy cookouts are on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Reservations required for dining. Overall, a fun-filled adventure in the Wild West.

Highly recommended!

I would have to say the ranch was a very laid back and relaxing environment to enjoy nature. I would definitely return back to enjoy this place.

The room was tiny for being $400. Think motel 6 size. also think motel 6 amenities in the room. AC unit only came out of the bathroom so it would either be insanely hot in part of the room or insanely cold. Water heater was broken for over half of our stay. We got charged for a breakfast that was “covered” by our room package. The walls were super thin and so any noises by others in rooms next to you would wake you up. The wifi was slow/awful/ didn’t even have a password so very insecure. If you had to work a job where network security mattered before logging into your work network, you would not be advised to do so on their wifi.

I recently returned from a trip to the Ranch for a conference. The conference bought out the entire ranch. My first impression was that it was old and maybe needed some updating. But, once I read the story of the ranch, and experienced what it was, my opinion changed to loving the authenticity of the grounds and the rooms. It is not a luxury resort, and doesn't pretend to be. But, you aren't booking this place for luxury, you're booking it for an authentic great ranch experience. The staff was top-notch...incredibly friendly and helpful and there to make sure every need was met. The pool was beautiful. The dining hall and buffet was perfect for our group. Though my conference schedule was packed full, the number of activities for adults and kids was impressive. Upon returning home, I told my husband that we need to book a vacation at the ranch for our entire family which includes 2 married daughters with young children, and a 19 year old son. I'm convinced everyone in our group would have a wonderful, memorable experience.

Tanque Verde is a special place due to the location and natural environment where it's located. It's just the right size (not too big or small) and it feels like family every year.

A group of guys went here for a long weekend to bonds and we had a great tilearning horsemanship and riding the horses.