Images @anyacampbell and @martipuente
Riding adventures in Patagonia summary
In Argentine Patagonia we offer two stunning riding adventures from late November until mid-March through wild and spectacular landscapes. The Patagonia Trails ride is guided by the legendary Jakob Von Plessen and begins with a speedboat voyage across Lake Falkner to meet horses waiting to carry guests to base camp in the Fila Hua Hum valley. The following morning a week long ride gets underway that explores the stunning scenery of the Patagonian lake district in Neuquén Province. The ride takes in precipitous ridges affording far-reaching views over the Andes Mountain that are home to magnificent condors, and on the third day features a breathtaking route through the famous Pass of Tears. Four nights are spent amidst the beautiful surroundings of base camp where luxurious Meru style safari tents include ensuite showers, flushing loos and fireplaces. Two more nights are in simple dome tents equipped with camp bed and sleeping bag and the final night is spent in spacious safaris tents close to a typical Patagonian estancia farmhouse. After the ride has ended there is an opportunity for fly-fishers to extend their stay to fish the famous Traful river and surrounding lakes for landlocked salmon and trophy sized trout.
End of the World rides are led by Jakob’s friend and colleague Marcos Villamil, who will lead an exploration of Teirra del Fuego – a vast 18,500 square mile island of legendary remoteness and beauty in the far south of Argentine Patagonia. Guests fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia to begin a ride that is is steeped in the gaucho culture and incorporates a heady mix of towering mountains and sweeping green valleys inviting fast and exciting riding – a landscape that is home to an abundance of condors, beavers foxes and guanacos. On the second day guests can fish the fabled waters of the Rio Grande where it flows through estancia San Jose by prior arrangement. The river is home to the biggest sea run trout on the planet, and keen fly-fishers can extend their stay after the ride has ended to pursue them. Accommodation during the week long ride varies from historic rural estancias to a comfortable converted gaucho outpost, and a night in dome tents where guests feast on meat cooked over an open fire in a location so remote that it can only be accessed on horseback.
The remarkable horses on both rides are sure-footed, fit and responsive criollo types bred on the surrounding estancias and trained to respond to the neck rein. Argentine saddles are similar to western style and are accompanied by sheepskin seats. The exceptional food on both rides includes the asados (meat cooked on an open fire) for which Argentina is famous and copious quantities of wine. It is necessary for guests on both rides to spend at least one night in the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, where Wild & Exotic offers a choice of the best boutique hotels and can also organise sightseeing, tango shows and restaurants. We can extend your Argentine holiday with tailor-made itineraries to other regions of this diverse country. These could include the vineyards of Mendoza, the Iberá Wetlands of Corrientes, the Iguazu falls in the tropical north and the magnificent colonial architecture and dramatic Andean scenery of Salta in the north west over 4,000 kms north of Ushuaia.
Please contact us for itineraries, fact sheet, price and availability on our Patagonian rides.
Our Patagonian riding adventures take place during the southern hemisphere summer between November and March