Juliana Jansma, what were the beginnings of your stay like?
Estancia Nibepo Aike is a family business with more than 110 years of history. It was founded by three Croatian immigrants who arrived in these lands when the province of Santa Cruz did not yet exist as such, and the national government leased public lands to begin populating Patagonia.
Santiago Peso, my great-grandfather, was the one who settled on the shores of the South arm of Lake Argentino, and together with the capital provided by his partners, he began to work with sheep production like most livestock establishments at that time. In the beginning, the ranch was called ”La Jeronima” in honor of the mother of one of the partners.
In 1924, during a trip to Río Gallegos, Santiago met María Martinic, a young Croatian compatriot whom he married the following year and had four children: Adolfo, who died after a year and a half; Radoslava, nicknamed Niní; Angela, nicknamed Bebe; and María, nicknamed Porota.
Unfortunately my great-grandfather died very young, leaving María a widow with her three very young daughters. My great-grandmother, along with the help of her family, decided to buy the entire ranch from Santiago’s partners. It is at this time that she renamed the ranch with the name “Nibepo Aike”, where “Aike” means “Place of” and “Nibepo” comes from Niní, Bebe and Porota, the nicknames of the three daughters of Santiago and Maria.
How was the stay developed and what services do they provide to the public?
Along with the creation of the Los Glaciares National Park, in 1937, the main activity, which was livestock, began to suffer some limitations due to protection restrictions on this area. The ranch was reduced from the original 20,000 hectares to 12,500, which is what it is today. Along with these changes, people began to think about an activity that could complement livestock farming. Around the mid-’70s, Juan Enrique Jansma, my grandfather, married to Nini, began to make traditional barbecues to receive visitors who were entirely the national public.
As the years went by, the creation of the El Calafate airport, and the international tourism boom of the destination, we began to offer different options to visit the ranch. Currently, we have a ten-room inn, we have daily visits where our visitors can experience a typical field day in a Patagonian ranch, horseback riding lasting several days and trekking.
How are they different as a stay?
We are the only one within the National Park that still maintains its livestock production as a secondary economic activity, offering tourists a real experience in an authentic Patagonian ranch.
Contact information:
[email protected]
Tel: 02902-492797
WhatsApp: 2966594719
Photo credits: Luis Franke, Florian Von Der Fecth, Daniel Wagner and Martina Pibert.
by CEDOC