KING RANCH

The ranch is located 48 miles southwest of Corpus Christi, on Highway 77 down to the Mexican border. King Ranch is known as one of the largest ranches in the world. But be warned, not all its land is next door. It's divided into four sections, only two of which are contiguous. To put that in perspective, this ranch alone occupies 85% of the area of the smallest state in the USA, Rhode Island. Quite simply, it covers 3,340 ^km2. It's easy to see why the ranch's owners claim that it takes at least a week to tour it... Whether it's worth it remains to be seen. However, a day's visit already gives an idea of the diversity of plant and animal life that can be encountered on the ranch's lands, all at an affordable price. It's like a nature reserve with a touch of safari about it. In addition to thousands of head of cattle and almost 300 horses, there are snakes, fallow deer, wild boar and countless birds. The day-long guided tour immerses you in the Texas past, starting at Santa Gertrudis Creek, where Captain King first camped in 1852. Passing historic buildings, including the Captain's early ^20th-century mansion. This tour lasts an hour and a half, and if you're convinced, why not extend it with a four-hour tour?