Chilean Patagonia

Horses & Riding

Tack

The saddles are "cangallas" which are the traditional gaucho saddles used in this area. They are designed for riding up and down mountains while keeping the rider in good balance and for comfort over long days in the saddle. They are mostly handmade by the gauchos using animal leather and sheepskin.

Horses

The horses used on these rides are all Chilean Criollo. They live out all year round in thousands of hectares of pampas and grazing. They are fit, strong and although small in stature, they are perfectly adapted to the terrain that you will be riding through.

These Criollo horses originated form Spanish stock bought over to South American by the conquistadors and released to adapt to the harsh environments of this continent. They have a specialised musculature enabling them to be fast over short stretches but with plenty of stamina to survive in remote mountainous areas. Their double coat acts as a perfect rain barrier, which is long in winter to shield them from the cold and short and glossy in summer, allowing them to be comfortable in hotter temperatures too. They are incredibly sure-footed across the rocky terrain of the national park.

Riding

There are 2 itineraries:

• Seven Day Trail Ride is a trail ride
• Ten Day Trail Ride is a trail ride

Ages

18 years and older

Health

You should have a good level of physical fitness for this ride as there may be some areas where it is necessary to hike. General good health is also a requirement as you will be travelling to some remote areas with limited access to health facilities. Altitude does not usually cause any trouble for visitors to Patagonia as the elevation is relatively low (below 3000m).

Weight

90kg /198 lbs / 14 stone 2 lbs

Food & Accommodation

Food

Meals are traditionally Patagonian, designed to keep you warm and energised for a full day in the saddle. Dishes typically will include a lot of meat (in particular lamb) and fish, such as salmon which is easily caught in the numerous clear rivers of the region. Meals will include some drinks (typically a selection of soft drinks, some wine or a beer per person, per meal), but others are available to purchase locally at a small extra cost.

Lunches are usually simple sandwiches in a lunchbox that you carry with you on horseback.

Vegetarian guests can be accommodated with advance notice, and some other dietary requirements may be possible to cater for as well - however, please check with us on booking to confirm your needs will be met.

Accommodation

You will stay in a variety of accommodations throughout these trails, which can range from comfortable and wild glamping domes to much more traditional estancia homes. Rooms and tents are either twin or double bedded generally with private bathrooms.

Some of the accommodations used include;

Baguales Glamping domes, built onto wooden platforms with proper beds inside. These domes have private showers and toilets, as well as wood-burning stoves for heating. Estancia Cerro Guido and Estancia Tercera Barranca are both working estancias that feature on-site guestrooms. These allow guests to experience the true working gaucho culture of Chile. In Rio Serrano there is a choice of quality hotels on offer for guests - the exact one will be booked once the dates have been confirmed, depending on what is available at the time. These will always be of a good standard and will include en-suite or private bathrooms.

Itineraries

Seven Day Trail Ride Standard accommodation.

Ten Day Trail Ride Standard accommodation.

Other Activities

The Torres del Paine National Park is a renowned hiking destination and we would recommend taking some time to explore the local area independently if you can before or after your tour.

During the riding tours, there are some non-ridden activities included already in the itinerary, such as a boat trip across the majestic Glacier Grey Lake. There is no purely non-riding alternative offered to this tour, so non-riding friends and family will need to make their own arrangements for transport if they wish to join.

Travel

The nearest airport is Puerto Natales Teniente (PNT). There are no direct flights and you will have to route through Santiago de Chile (SCL) and likely another major hub airport too. LATAM routes through Brazil and is a good option.

Regardless of your chosen riding itinerary, you should ideally aim to arrive before midday so that you can take part in the farm presentation that afternoon. You may need to plan to spend a night in Santiago to facilitate catching an earlier flight to Puerto Natales that day.

On departure, for the seven and five-day rides, you will be back in Puerto Natales c. midday so should book an afternoon flight.

On the ten day ride, you will be back in Puerto Natales in the late afternoon, so should plan to overnight in town before departing the next day, or book a late evening flight out.

If you cannot find suitable flights to Puerto Natales, then it is also possible to fly into Punta Arenas and take a bus to Puerto Natales from here - the bus takes about 3 hours, so you will have to arrive a day early to accommodate this extra journey time.

Testimonials

Carol P., Jan. 30, 2023

It was another bucket list item with Far and Ride, and like the Botswana trip, it was magnificent. The landscape was otherworldly and seeing it on horseback was definitely the way to go. We hiked for a week after the ride and were able to appreciate the opportunity to really get out and see so much by horseback even more. I think my favourite part of the holiday was the first day in the eco-tents. The landscape was so vast and the location of the tents was so private that it immediately put me in a place of awe. I loved that we were given one horse to ride for the duration rather than switching up. It took a lot of trust to ride up and down some of the hills and I wouldn't have wanted to ride a new horse every day for that. My horse was generous and trustworthy and a pleasure to ride. The trip was quite an adventure and although the description clearly says that there are long rides, I might stress the fact that some of the rides were 10 hours and it really takes a lot of stamina to be in the saddle for the long.

Susan C., Jan. 23, 2023

The adventure of a lifetime! I was up for as much riding as possible. However, you should note in your description that those long days in the saddle are a continuous 8 hours with no opportunity to change your mind! I LOVED it! It was beyond my expectations. But I'm a pretty tough girl who wants to be outside and in motion all day, which is not for everyone. Favourite memory? Exploring new trails with Osvaldo, rescuing a baby guanaco from a wire fence and Baguales Glamping.