We traveled across country for an Army move and this was definitely the highlight of our trip. Curt was incredibly nice and the views were incredible. We watched the sunset from the hot tub and enjoyed our two best starry nights ever. Maggie the burro is incredibly sweet. The drive to Big Bend is 30-40 minutes. If you're city slickers (like us), remember that this is the boonies. The Wi-Fi works until it doesn't. Also, ask Curt for the alternate route to the property. Both of our vehicles bottomed out several times on the more direct route (we were packed heavy for our move). When Curt showed me the alternative route, there was no further issue. Curt is also wonderful to talk to--he couldn't be any kinder. Would highly recommend Curt, Maggie, and this VRBO!

Truly spectacular views and warm greetings by our quirky host. Maggie the mule greeted us but is quite needy. The cabin is charming and a great size. It is very dirty though and grossed us out. Don’t miss the fine print at the end of the ad to bring all linens, pillows, dishware/flatware, food, drinking water, toilet paper/paper towels, etc… that for us was the most frustrating part as we were already traveling. The host’s reason was due to covid but we thought it was simply easier for him—covid isn’t transmitted from surfaces after all. We couldn’t sit or eat outside, sky or star gaze outside without Maggie being right on top of us. We also couldn’t park at the cabins but needed to be down the hill in a padlock, otherwise Maggie would chew on the door handles and parts of the car she can grab with her mouth. Couldn’t beat the truly amazing views and sky. Housekeeping needs to be seriously improved. The winds that swept through the cabin were wonderful and eliminated the need to use a/c. A true southern Texas experience complete with a interesting host we found entertaining. As we arrived to the property and a storm was sweeping in, he was kind enough to drive us up the hill. In typical Texas fashion, the rifle (with taped on knife/bayonet) lay across the console as we hopped in. Curt- clean/update the cabins, be straightforward about the road, most will not have driven on similar roads—especially after heavy rain, we needed 4wd to exit. Once done, charge more!!!

Where to begin, the location is incredible. More importantly, we had a car breakdown and Curt went above and beyond to help us throughout our stay while we navigated the complexity of finding a mechanic and rental car. My fuel pump died about a quarter mile from the cabin. Curt first picked us up to move our stuff from our car to the cabin. Then, he arranged for a tow the next morning. We had booked a river tour for later that day at 1 PM, and he even gave us a ride into town for that non refundable activity. That was a real blessing because we still got to see much of Big Bend even without a car. Do a 1/2 day river tour with Far Flung! Even as we were still stuck in the cabin, Curt made multiple calls to many car rental places and made sure we had the best options available. Thank you so much for taking care of my family in time of real need. I can see the lure of living off grid with peace and quiet. We went for a hike on one of the side roads up a small hill, and I was in awe of the quiet and beautiful surroundings. The location is worth the drive into town.

The property is on a beautiful spot. Very hard to get to from the main road. Look out for Curt’s (owner) burro. He will damage your car and walk into your place. Good bed but the futons are very old and not very comfortable to sleep on. Good Wi-Fi and nice owner.

Wonderful place to stay, with amazing views, gracious host, and the friendliest burro you'll ever meet!

Overall, it was a fine stay. There are a few drawbacks but first I'll start with the good to great stuff. The location/view is amazingly remote and that's a good thing if you're from the city (all true Texans in the group from Austin and Arlington) and want to get away. I loved the sunsets and sunrises, and feeling like I was almost on Mars. October weather was fantastic, and we got to shoot our firearms on the property (5 minute drive from the lodging) so that was a really cool experience. We enjoyed getting to know the donkey, but she made it hard for us to be outside chillin on the patio because she wanted a lot of attention. Lock the front door! She wiggles the knob during waking hours. Bring her a carrot or two! Terlingua itself is a pretty fascinating place, with nice people and character. The cons of the property- we were expected to sweep up before leaving, which is odd when we're charged a cleaning fee. And speaking of cleaning, it really needs a deep clean. I don't get the impression it's ever been, and it is RUSTIC with a capital R. Adjust expectations to less "nice accommodations" and more like you're in a small house, roughing it, kind of like camping. Things are extremely lived in, and the bedding in the living room (two futons) is in need of an upgrade. Don't forget your own bedding, towels, pillows, paper towels, toilet paper and any cooking supplies as supplies are lacking or minimal. The owner is also a little too chatty for my introverted self, and made me feel like he was too controlling for what we were getting. It was almost like he was another guest for how much we had to talk with him, which is different from all other VRBO stays I've had (5-8), where you don't even see the owner. You have to communicate often, and he must be there in order to let you in the locked gate leading up the property. That means calling him when you're in Alpine, before losing cell reception. Also, be sure your car can handle the 10-15 minute drive on extremely bumpy "road" that's really just a mountain trail that people drive on. I know a lot of small cars have apparently made it in fine, but it was a little scary for me, because it's easy to imagine getting a flat.

We were delighted with our stay at Tarantula Ranch. On our first day, we had some car trouble, and Curtis could not have been more helpful in connecting us with a repair person. He even came the cabin to follow up on Thanksgiving Day! He went above and beyond as a host. The cabin is exactly as it is depicted in the pictures with the listing. It is rustic, but that is part of the Big Bend experience. Maggie the burro was friendly and funny. The setting and view are beautiful. We also spent an evening in the hot tub, and the star gazing there was incredible. I would encourage anyone visiting the Big Bend area to stay at Tarantula Ranch.

Great experience! We loved our visit to the Big Bend area. Everything is a bit of a drive but that's Texas! Enjoyed the property & Curt is super nice. It is rustic and yes, dusty like others have said. That being said it is a desert and should be expected. The road/driveway is bumpy and I would recommend a high clearance vehicle. We had a F150 & a Nissan Rouge and they did fine. Didn't need 4 wheel drive. A good part of the road was smoothed out. Maggie is ever present but we found her amusing. She does like to nibble everything so keep that in mind. Bring her some carrots. The no curtains in the bathroom was an unpleasant surprise for my 75 year old mother but we adapted, lol. No one can see in. Beautiful views and skies!

Property was not as described. What was called queen beds are futons that were very uncomfortable and had toe nail clippings on them and they were not ours. Lost Wi-Fi every day at 6:00pm. The bathroom has no window coverings. As I was getting dressed someone drive by just feet from the window. We were told to park our pickup in what was called a corral. Then you had to walk up a hill to get to the property. We could not park in the covered part, there were many openings. It hailed the first night. He claims the road was not bad to travel on. We had a pickup and it was very rough. After the rain it was bad. The guest in the other cabin could not get out. There was a hole in the window and there was a bad in the hole and then covered with duct tape. We left early, it was not a good experience.

Property was exactly as described by Curt & the views were incredible.

We had a lovely weekend in Terlingua. Curt was extremely friendly and welcoming. His property is beautiful and the views are amazing. We enjoyed loving on his sweet burro. There were a few things that bugged us. First, the cabin was pretty dirty. I'm not just talking about the stains in the shower and sinks. But the two futons that were in the front room for sleeping on were covered in stains and just looked disgusting. There's also nothing to cook with. 2 pots and a cat iron pan and one wooden spoon is it. We made due because it was only my husband and I. But if I had brought our kids it would've been awful. We literally had to go by salt and pepper. His driveway to the house is also pretty bad. So if you don't drive a truck with good tires you will have a hard time. There is also no internet at all. Which was fine with us, but I know some people need that. Lol It was fun for a weekend, but we won't go back. The property really is gorgeous with the views and all. It's about an hour from Big Bend so we drove out there for a day and hiked the window. There's so many VRBOs out there. Look around for one that's close to what you want to do or you'll just be driving most of your vacation. Everything is pretty far.

I'm an outdoors person who appreciates Mother Nature and everything that it comes with. For people who are used to tent camping like us, this place was spectacular! I for one was glad the wifi only worked some of the time. I'd have been fine w no wifi to tell ya the truth. But it's available. The cabin has 2 sleeping areas. One is also the TV room with 2 futons. (We never turned the tv on. ) The other room has a full/queen? size bed. 1 bathroom with toilet, 2 sinks, shower and the most spectacular view I've ever seen from the thrown! Full kitchen. A/C. Everything works. We loved it. My wife's parent's loved it. Our FOUR dogs loved it. Mr Swafford was an excellent host who is available if you need help with anything. We saw amazing views and wildlife and made friends with a Burro named Maggie. Already talking about going back in the spring. Do note: The road in is rocky but my in-laws small Nissan Versa made it up there. It is secluded. That's what we wanted and what we got. Oh.. don't forget to bring carrots. Lots of carrots. They're Maggie's favorite. Not too far from Big Bend and the drive there was kick ass gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer. Next time we will.

Booked 3 nights, left after 1. As others mentioned, you absolutely need a high clearance vehicle unless you want to ruin your alignment and/or damage your car. Kurt suggests, “just go slow, move rocks in your way, etc.,” but a small low clearance vehicle will struggle a great deal and likely be damaged going too and from. Parking requires locking your car in a corral, and behind a locked property gate, making coming and going inconvenient, in addition to the time it takes to crawl through the rough terrain. Cleanliness is majorly lacking. One expects dust in the desert, but the layers of dust in this house appear to be from a lack of deep cleaning. The one hundred and five dollar cleaning fee is questionable, considering no regular cleaning appears to be done. If all food isn’t in the fridge, you will have rodents. You’ll also want to bring bug spray for the bathroom because it is not properly enclosed or sealed. If you are changing or showering at night, there is no telling who might be watching on the other side of the wall of windows since there are no curtains. You’ll need to leave the bathroom door closed so the rest of the house, which does not have central air, doesn’t get hotter than it already is. The provided fans had to be cleaned to properly run. We had to wash the filters and clean the water in the tank, which were filthy. In addition to sheets, pillows, toilet paper, paper towels, bath towels, eating utensils, cooking utensils, - again, you’ll want to also bring bug spray for around your bedding as you will be visited by spiders/bugs while you sleep. Hot tub in the listing pictures, did not see one. Perhaps it is Curt’s personal tub at his house? I fully expect Curt to personally attack me as he has done to other negative reviewers (calling them liars, immature, not Texan… or that they “must have brought the mouse with them!”). This lack of character is reflected in his accommodations. When Curt proceeds to personally attack me for this factual review, ask yourself who sounds more credible, and then proceed with caution. TLDR: Wasted a lot of money and time on this trip, could not leave fast enough!

Our stay was so bad we left a day early. Do not book this unless you want to be 100% off the grid. Wi-Fi hardly worked, mice running all over and ate through our cereal, biscuits, and bread. Scorpion jumped on our 7 year old in the middle of the night. Killer bees and yellowjackets on the porch. The beds are so uncomfortable we barely slept. It's over an hour from ANYTHING. The property owners communication was little to none and should have made sure the place was clean and safe before we even arrived. When I booked the description said it's a bigger cabin and smaller cabin but when I called for check in instructions he told us we had to pay separate for the smaller cabin. That's fine but we paid way to much to sleep in an old TACK ROOM and FEED STORAGE!!!! I tried to message the owner after we left telling him the situation and that I wanted a refund for the last night. The reply I got was "." Very unprofessional and unsatisfied. I will only be booking through actual companies from now on.

Host Curt is quite the charm and the story teller. Has any information you’d need about the big bend area, and also very tending and available. We stayed in the large cabin- Curt warned us about possible “brown outs” but we conserved our electric and ac and never experienced one. Cabin had full kitchen and working stove/full size refridge. It also did a good job keeping cool. Shower water pressure was surprisingly strong- ideal. My only warning is Curt’s driveway. We parked at the bottom because we did not want to brave the incredibly steep and very rocky drive way. The walk to the cabin was 5 mins so worth the walk. Big bend is about 25 miles south and took no time- definitely check out panther junction-ross max scenic dr. Overall we would absolutely come back and reach out to Curt again he is absolutely wonderful.

First, the host was as nice and accommodating as one could hope for. The views are breathtaking. Unfortunately, the entire area experienced a blackout during a storm so our stay had zero electricity and no water to shower from the desert heat the next morning. Not the host fault but extremely uncomfortable stay. With the storm also came no view of the stars, and an uncomfortable drive up hill to the house. The donkey was too funny and brought warm welcomed smiles as our night needed them. Very clean.

My friend, my sister, and I planned a trip to hike big bend np and wanted to stay somewhere close since all of the campsites were full for the weekend of our trip. We were happy to find this place. The description is pretty spot on, everything was as we expected it to be. My main concern in booking was people's reviews about the road, but we had no issues with it. It's just a gravel road, but a tad bit rockier, and you are only briefly on that part of the road. We were in a small crossover SUV. You don't need high clearance, just drive slow and pay attention and you're good. We drove to and from the national park easily. Curt gives perfect, precise directions on how to get there. We wanted a place with good night sky views, and this property delivered. It is very secluded, so dark enough to see the milky way. It also had beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Maggie the burro is a treasure. At night when we wanted to see the stars but were a little afraid of what we couldn't see in the dark, we felt so much safer with Maggie right there with us. She is the friendliest donkey I've ever met. If you stay here, bring her carrots. She deserves it. It was nice to have a/c and a shower after a long day of hiking in the heat. We're used to camping, so this felt like a luxury to us. You do need to bring your own towels, sheets, plates, cutlery, etc.. but Curt gives a detailed list of what you need. Curt is also very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Definitely use him as a resource if you're new to the area or just want some suggestions on where to go and what to do. We had a wonderful time and would definitely come back.

The description should say that your vehicle must have high clearance and be good for off-roading due to the private property road to get to the rental cabin is mostly large broken rocks and occasional boulder surfaces. Should also mention property has livestock that live at cabin rental site.

Kurt is inviting and knowledgeable of the area. I told him what we were interested in doing and he told us how to get there quickest and other handy tips. The house was the perfect size. We were only there in the evenings so we didn’t spend much time inside. The animals are an added rarity but the donkey interrupted our sunset watching on the porch because she kept getting up there and rubbing on us. We had to keep moving our chairs away from her. An easily removable barrier such as a rope or chain would stopped her from getting on the porch while we were watching the sunset. Overall our stay was great!

We are not Texans so the 2 mile "lane" was interesting. Taking all linens, silverware, etc. was a bit of a pain. The night sky is amazing but having only a single chair that wasn't plastic seemed odd. Neither futon was in the upright position to use as anything other than a bed. It is 20 miles to the main park entrance outside Study Butte. I understand there is "rustic" and there is "rustic." The larger cabin needs some TLC and a deep cleaning.

We had a great visit to the Big Bend area of Texas. It was very remote which was what we wanted. The host is great. I swear - he should be a travel agent or tour guide. He gave us great ideas on where to go in the park and we did almost everything he suggested. The only thing is that the wifi only worked the first day and after that we didn't have it at all. We were able to drive to the gas station and get cell service and there was wifi in some places in the park. We definitely enjoyed our visit!

We had a great time the property was beautiful and the seclusion was everything we hoped for. Curt was a wonderful host and I really enjoyed the tour. Also Maggie was so sweet and it was so fun to meet her.

Do not walk, run to Tarantula Ranch. If you are looking for a real West Texas getaway this is it. The property is incredible and feels like an adventure. The views will take your breath away. There is a donkey, dog and horse on property. The owner Curt is such a character, and truly determined to make sure you have a wonderful time. I cannot say enough good things about Curt and his property. Thanks for having us!

Weekend away with friends. The location was great, secluded and relaxing . If your looking for a place with a view this is it. And the owner is so kind and helpful.

Tarantula Ranch is one of the most beautiful places in the Big Bend area. It has an amazing view of the mountains. Curt was a gracious host with PERFECT directions to get to his ranch. He is very funny. Very nice rustic cabins. I took advantage of renting both cabins for my birthday. Curt does tell you ahead of time what to bring with you i.e. your own beddings, towels, utensils, etc (Covid) but the cabins (both) are equipped with refrigerators, oven/toaster oven on the smaller cabin, AC, heart etc. Curt even invited us to the deck that sits on top of the mountain to witness one heck of a sunset. It is called “God’s Country,” for just that reason, its spectacular views. Curt was especially nice to my dog Peppa-Pig, which I did appreciate that very much. I highly recommend Tarantula Ranch to everyone. I WILL BE BACK to visit and stay there, that’s for sure! Thank you, Curt and God bless. Gracie V—Austin, TX

Tarantula Ranch is one of the most beautiful places in the Big Bend area. It has an amazing view of the mountains. Curt was a gracious host with PERFECT directions to get to his ranch. He is very funny. Very nice rustic cabins. I took advantage of renting both cabins for my birthday. Curt does tell you ahead of time what to bring with you i.e. your own beddings, towels, utensils, etc (Covid) but the cabins (both) are equipped with refrigerators, oven/toaster oven on the smaller cabin, AC, heart etc. Curt even invited us to the deck that sits on top of the mountain to witness one heck of a sunset. It is called “God’s Country,” for just that reason, its spectacular views. Curt was especially nice to my dog Peppa-Pig, which I did appreciate that very much. I highly recommend Tarantula Ranch to everyone. I WILL BE BACK to visit and stay there, that’s for sure! Thank you, Curt and God bless.Gracie V—Austin, TX

This property was disappointing. We’ve stayed at VRBO locations all over the West and this was best described as “Spartan”. .Description was deceiving. Overall, it was one notch above camping out. Price was very high considering the accommodations. Remote. Need at least a high clearance vehicle to get there. Definitely more than 2 miles from nearest paved road. Directions unwritten and verbally poor. No cell service. If you want to get off the grid, really off, this is the spot.

Go here if you want to get away from it all. Very remote. About an hour drive from Big Bend National Park. Beautiful sky at night.

We had a great time! The views were amazing and the place was just what we needed for a stay in Big Bend. Curt was a great host and helped answer all of our question and gave us great recommendations for things to do inside/outside the park. We will defiantly be back!

This property is secluded - perfect for stargazing, but a bit of a drive to Big Bend National Park or anything else. We enjoyed the rustic place and the burros and beautiful old horse that came along with it!

My husband and I travelled to the Big Bend area for a quick getaway and do some hiking with views. The Trantula Ranch offered us a great stay with as Curt says “at the end the road”experience! Close enough for a scenic drive back and forth from Big Bend and far enough to enjoy the peaceful, dark skies of West Texas. Road in was a little rough, but we made it with no problems in our SUV without 4 wheel drive. Overall great experience.

We had a great time exploring around the property and loved the proximity to local attractions like Big Bend and the ghost town. Our host, Curt, was knowledgeable, engaging, and very welcoming. The burros commanded attention and added and quirky charm to our stay. The amazing views from the cabin and hot tub make the rough drive up to the property well worth it.