Day 1
Riding: No riding.
Depending on your arrival hour you can meet the horses and have a short ride, followed by dinner at the hacienda.
Accommodation: La Alegria
Day 2
Riding: 4 hours
Ride in the arena and try the horses and a variety of tack so that you can be paired with a suitable horse that you will enjoy. Afterwards ride around the neighbouring Haciendas in the west Andes. Today is designed to help you get acclimatised to the altitude, so you will experience your first ascent and descent but only ride for around 4 hours. Afterwards you will have lunch in the Hacienda, visit the milking barn, the aging cheese cave and enjoy the hot tub.
Accommodation: La Alegria
Day 3
Riding: 3 - 5 hours
Another day of acclimatising and riding in and around the hacienda. There are lots of different rides available, so you may ride to Lagchig and the Black Lagoon, or around Widow Mountain, or up onto the Aichapicho Pucara. Return to Alegria for another night.
Day 4
Riding: 6 hours
After breakfast you set out on your first full day ride, crossing extensive pastures and eucalyptus forests and getting spectacular views of the "Avenue of Volcanoes". From here you can appreciate the green and fertile Machachi Valley and view the route you will be taking over the next few days, across the eastern mountain chain.
Ascend along Corazon volcano up to 4000 metres and then descend into the cloud forest. In this now endangered ecosystem you can observe a great biodiversity of plants and flowers, including giant guneras, orchids, and birds. In the afternoon you will ride to Hacienda Bomboli at a height of 3000 metres and relax by the fireplace enjoying the sunset and watching the lights of the villages near the coast while being served a hearty meal.
Accommodation: Hacienda Bomboli
Day 5
Riding: 6 hours
In the morning you will have the chance to walk through the hacienda's gardens to learn about the incredible variety of orchids and cloud forest plants.
You then set out riding up hill, admiring the forest and the hundreds of plants and flowers. You ride along an ancient road which was built in 1873 to connect Quito to the coast, and arrive back at Hacienda LaAlegria in time for a late lunch. In the afternoon you can relax or enjoy the hot tub or fireplace.
Accommodation: Hacienda La Alegria
Day 6
Riding: 8 hours
Today's ride is a long one. You are first transferred by vehicle one hour south of the hacienda to start your four day journey into the southern Andes. You set out riding along an old Inca trail, along dirt paths and roads which lead to Sigchos - this village is known as the last home of the Inca general Ruminahui. Your adventure from here will take you through dramatic landscapes including steep ravines and narrow passages. Even though you can see where you are heading and it looks close, there are many mountain chains to cross before reaching your destination. The area is a combination of forest, rock peaks and land which has eroded over the last centuries. You arrive at Hacienda San Jose, a working dairy farm and guesthouse in time for a good meal, jacuzzi and sauna. Here your horses will be able to graze on lush grasses in the paddocks.
Accommodation: Hacienda San Jose
Day 7
Riding: 8 hours
After breakfast you set off south to the Quilotoa crater lake. Your trail heads west along a high mountain route where you will see a smattering of farms with dairy cattle or making cheese. As you head down into the canyon the land is very dry and the soil is composed of pumice from the eruption of Quilotoa volcano in 1280. In the afternoon you arrive at the summit of Quilotoa at 3800 metres and view the breathtaking Quiltoa crater lake.
Quilotoa is a crater lake caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3km caldera was formed by the collapse of this dacite volcano following an eruption.
Accommodations: Quilotoa Hostel, beside the crater
Day 8
Riding: 4 hours
There is time this morning to take a short walk for photos of the crater lake before mounting to ride down the volcano on a beautiful old path. It takes half a day to descend into the canyon, passing a few villages which may remind you of old photographs of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! The volcanic pumice and dry soil makes this a really poor area for agriculture and so there are only a few people living here.
You then ride into the paramo (above the treeline but below the harsh mountain tops) and the change in soil and water makes a difference. After crossing several hills you reach a small village called Insilivi which was founded in 1857. You stay in a hostel which was started 16 years ago by a UK entrepreneurial lady but is now Dutch owned.
Accommodations: Insilivi hostel
NB. Please note that the itinerary may run in reverse, with you visiting Insilvi, then Quilotoa, then San Jose, but you will still cross the same landscapes.
Day 9
Riding: 6 hours
Your final day in the region sees you riding along several narrow paths as you ascend to the high Andes paramo, from where you can view the scenery stretching from one valley to another. The colours on the mountain sides make it easy to see where the paramo changes to eroded land and then farmland. Continue your ride until reaching Hacienda La Alegria for a final dinner.
Accommodations: Hacienda La Alegria
Day 10
Riding: No riding.
Transfer back to Quito airport
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
