The Mexican health spa Rancho La Puerta has helped shape modern wellness travel

National Geographic

14-03-2025

Before sunrise, I shuffled into a gazebo, clutching a weak cup of coffee and a portioned banana chunk, joining 15 other guests bundled up against the desert chill. After briefly learning about the 5-mile trail ahead of us, the other hikers suddenly bolted forward in a mad rush for the mountain. Welcome to Rancho La Puerta, where the day begins with gusto at dawn.
At this Tecate, Mexico, wellness resort, guests are encouraged, if not explicitly instructed, to join daily early-morning hikes during their week-long stay. As avid hikers (my husband Scott and I had recently completed the 10-day Tour du Mont Blanc in the Alps), we expected a leisurely pre-breakfast walk that aligned with the resort's ethos of mindfulness and tranquility. When our fellow hikers sprinted for the hills, we were caught in an unexpected race to the top.
For the next six days, we huffed and puffed up and down Mount Kuchumaa, trying to beat our previous day's finishing time (and yes, our fellow hikers, too).
Rancho La Puerta's founders might frown at our competitive mission. These daily 'health walks,' which have been part of The Ranch's programming since it opened in 1940, were designed to encourage movement and connection — with the environment, other guests, and oneself.
Though there wasn't much talking during the 6 a.m. hike, we had plenty of time to connect during communal meals, where the most common ice breaker isn't 'Where are you from,' but 'How many times have you been here?' Answers of 20 to 30 times are common, as are guests who stay for multiweek (and sometimes multi-month) stints. According to Barry Shingle, director of guest programming, The Ranch boasts a whopping 64 percent return rate.
What draws guests back to this wellness oasis in the desert? We'd have to consider its origins.
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Rancho La Puerto has an interesting past, including a diet where people lived on three pounds of grape juice a day.
Photograph Courtesy Rancho La Puerta
The visionary beginning
Rancho La Puerta was founded by an unlikely couple on the Baja peninsula in the mid-20 century. Edmond Szekely, a Romanian philosophy professor with an expiring US visa, and his new wife, Deborah, crossed the southern border to avoid returning to Eastern Europe, where Szekely, a Jew, was not safe. They settled in a rented shed at the base of Mount Kuchumaa, a land sacred to the Indigenous Kumeyaay people.
Fortunately, the couple's new home turned out to be a fertile oasis. Szekely quickly mobilized the small group of followers he'd gained as a speaker to visit him in Tecate. Early guests paid $17.50 a week to pitch tents and listen to the professor's revolutionary ideas about healthy living. His message — emphasizing organic food, clean air and water, safe sunbathing, and a low-fat diet — resonated in the World War II era.
A 1949 San Diego Union headline read: "Romanian Professor Founds Cult Across Border at Tecate," describing a "health cult to end all health cults," where guests survived on three pounds of grape juice a day, raw produce, and vigorous exercise and sunbathing routines.
Today, that article is placed in every casita with a note from Deborah, who is still involved in Ranch operations at age 102: "I cried when I first read it, but as the years passed, I realized that most of the health precepts he thought so strange have become the accepted way of life today."
There's an active daily schedule that includes everything from water aerobics to yoga to arts and crafts.
Photograph Courtesy Rancho La Puerta
The Ranch today
When Edmond left Tecate in 1969, Deborah took over. Today, she and their daughter, Sarah Livia Brightwood, continue to run The Ranch in a slightly softened iteration from its austere beginnings. The founding principles are still present in the morning hikes, lectures, and emphasis on self-growth, with a sprinkle of comfort (and, even wine these days).
Perhaps most importantly, the infamous caffeine ban was lifted (coffee lovers should visit the on-site cafe).
The once-strict vegetarian menu now includes seafood, and cookies make a
splash — and disappear quickly — every Friday. The Ranch diet is lacto-ovo pescatarian, meaning eggs, dairy, and seafood are in, but meat is out. Fruit, vegetables, and legumes are plentiful and often sourced from the property's organic garden, where guests can take cooking classes with visiting chefs. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style and dinner is a pre-set coursed affair.
Most guests visit from Saturday to Saturday and enjoy an active daily schedule that includes everything from water aerobics to yoga to arts and crafts. Each week, a rotating cast of visiting experts lead sessions on topics such as gut health, life coaching, and dance. Between activities and spa services, it's easy to become so busy at The Ranch that you forget what's missing: Wi-Fi is limited to a few of the 86 casitas, cell service is nonexistent, and phones are discouraged except for photos.
"Health walks' have been part of The Ranch's programming since it opened in 1940.
Photograph Courtesy Rancho La Puerta
While digital detox resorts are now common, Rancho La Puerta was one of the first escapes to prioritize mindfulness and face-to-face connection, as well as locally grown organic food, daily exercise, and life-long learning.
(Related: Why you should head to Tuscany for a spiritual reboot)
While we won't miss the grape juice cleanses, repeat guests often cite the friendships they've forged at The Ranch as their top reason for returning — many book the same casita, the same week, every year to reunite with friends made while building prayer arrows or pressing tortillas on their first visit. Those moments of using your hands — and not just for texting — is something we can all stand to do a little more of.
The Ranch has successfully shaken off its initial cult label, but the magic that draws people to this desert sanctuary remains as powerful as ever. In an age of constant connectivity, Rancho La Puerta offers something increasingly rare: A chance to disconnect from technology and reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the natural world — just as its founders envisioned more than 80 years ago.
How to do it
When to go:
The climate in Tecate is mild year-round, though summers can get hot and there are occasional frosts during winter. The dry air gets chilly at night and warms up significantly during the day, and the temperature rarely exceeds 90°F. Annual rainfall averages just 12 inches, so you'll rarely need to pack a raincoat. The Ranch is busy all year, but spring and fall are the most popular times to visit, when garden produce is at its peak and the temperature is comfortable for outdoor activities.
Getting there:
San Diego, the closest airport, is about an hour from the property. The Ranch provides regular complimentary shuttles to and from the airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Ranch is about three hours by car from LAX. In addition to a passport, visitors crossing via land need a Mexican tourist visa, known as a Migratory Form (FFM). You can process the visa online in advance or at the border (this can take some time and is not recommended). The FFM costs $40.
Lizzy Briskin is a New York City-based travel and food writer. Her work appears in Real Simple, Food Network Magazine, Bon Appetit, Wirecutter, Insider, and Shape.