Our Estancia in Patagonia

Patagonia Horse Riding Expeditions

Ride across towering mountains and through enchanted forests, alongside beautiful lakes, across hidden valleys, rivers and creeks, enjoying rustic luxury accommodation in a family-owned estancia lodging and pop-up campsites along the way.

Trip Overview

One of the best ways to experience Northern Patagonia is on horseback. On this adventure, you’ll enjoy a combination of estancia accommodation and comfortable camping. Each day you will ride to a different area of the 20,000 hectar estancia. Set within the northern section of Lanín National Park, in the most secluded and spectacular area of the Patagonia Lake District, you’ll explore canyons and valleys, climb mountain tops on the quest for the best views, and relax lake- or creek-side enjoying delicious picnic lunches. Camping not only allows you enjoy the heart and soul of this beautiful country, unencumbered by mankind’s edifices, but will also let you explore great distances through the estancia and national park.

Your lodge is located at the heart of the estancia, set on top of a hill, with a breath-taking view of the entire valley below. Our campsite is located at the far end of the ranch, in the Caballadas Valley  (caballo means horse in Spanish). Whether camping or coming back to the lodge after long day’s on horseback, you’ll welcome the four daily meals (yes, four!) served by your personal chef.

Throughout your trip, you’ll have ample opportunity to take in one of the world’s most peculiar trees – the ancient Araucaria Araucana, or Monkey Puzzle tree. Dating back to prehistoric times, this tree has been around for more than two hundred million years. The ones you will see on this trip are descendants of those that survived the great volcanic eruption that flattened most of Patagonia 150 million years ago.

As one of the last truly wild places on earth, a ride through Northern Patagonia, across arid plains, through monkey tree forests, ford lakes and rivers, is the adventure of a lifetime.

Highlights

  • Horse ride through Northern Patagonia! Get off the beaten path and enjoy a truly authentic adventure.
  • Experience life on a real Patagonia estancia in the most secluded, unknown and spectacular part of the Patagonian Lake District.Enjoy three nights camping in a comfortable campsite within the estancia’s 60,000-acre property
  • Stand on mountaintops soaking in breath-taking views of the Andes and the mighty Lanín Volcano.
  • Get a first-hand look at one of the most peculiar looking trees in the world, the ancient Araucaria Araucana or Monkey Puzzle tree.

Day By Day

Trip itinerary may vary based on weather conditions, fitness levels and abilities of participants, and/or the recommendations of the Dolomite Mountains Team and your mountain guide. Daily mileage and altitude gain may vary depending on the device used.

  • Day 1

    (D)

  • Day 2

    (B,D,L)

  • Day 3

    Caballadas Campsite (B,D,L)

  • Day 4

    Caballadas Campsite (B,D,L)

  • Day 5

    Caballadas Campsite (B,D,L)

  • Day 6

    (B,D,L)

  • Day 7

Accommodation

Great hotels with Dolomite Mountains. Whether intimate lodge, family run B&B, or luxury spa resort, our hotels are unique, eminently local, and hard to leave.

The Valley Lodge is located at the heart of the ranch, set on top of a hill providing panoramic views of the entire valley and surrounding area. It can sleep 18 people in 8 spacious double and single bedrooms, with 5 shared bathrooms. A large communal living room with a fireplace, dining room, and a large playroom for the kids with a ping-pong table are also available throughout your stay.
The lodge includes:
  • A host (ranch owner)
  • Personal chefFour meals a day:  breakfast, lunch, tea, & dinner
  • Red and white wine and other alcoholic beverages during meals
  • Housekeeping services
Our campsites are set in spectacular locations across our 55-acre estancia and are only accessible on foot or horseback, and only to our guests.  On camping nights, your campsite will be up and running when you arrive. Your personal chef will have a nice bonfire going, along with some traditional Patagonian food and a glass of wine waiting for you.  After a hearty meal, you’ll sleep under the stars (we provide the tent and the mat, you provide your own sleeping bag). Nights can be cool, so warm clothes and a hat are advisable (we’ll send you a clothing and equipment list when you reserve your trip).
HORSES
Caballadas is home to about 60 beautiful horses that roam free on our 55,000-acre ranch. You will ride well-schooled, local stock horses mixed with anglo-normando, criollos and polo ponies. We have a large selection of horses, which allows us to cater to all riding abilities and confidence levels. They are neck-reined, sure-footed and usually well behaved, making our riding trips safe and enjoyable.
The horses of Patagonia are different. They are a rare breed. What makes them unique is their strength, endurance, and, most importantly, their ability overcome obstacles. A “regular” horse would struggle when confronted with the challenges of the Patagonian terrain. They would hesitate and perhaps become flightly and dangerous for both itself and its rider. But the horses in Patagonia, our horses, stay calm. They look at any obstacle, and, whether it be dense brush on a steep climb or deep water during a river crossing, they move through it slowly and surely, delivering the rider safe and sound.

TACK
Caballadas has a large selection of saddles and tack. Our saddles include Chilean saddles (designed with comfort in mind for long days in the saddle), “pato” saddles (similar to a U.S. Western-style saddle with a horn), old army saddles, and polo saddles. To ensure you have a more comfortable experience, they all have sheepskins on top, secured with a rawhide over-girth.
Our bridles, halters, and over-girths are handcrafted from rawhide leather. At Caballadas, we care very much for our horses, which is why all our girths and pads are made from braided sheep wool, handcrafted by local Mapuche Indian women.
We ask our guests to provide us with details of their riding experience before each visit. This way we can begin thinking about which horse would be best suited to you.

PACE
The riding pace in Patagonia varies as much as the terrain. Some routes are rugged, steep, and narrow, with thick vegetation that requires a slow pace. Other areas are open pampas with plenty of opportunities for long, fast canters for those who are interested, or leisurely and relaxed for those who prefer to take things easy.

RIDING EXPERIENCE
We can tailor trips from intermediate to advanced riding levels. The more comfortable you are in the saddle, the more terrain we will be able to cover, and the more you will see and experience of this incredible landscape!
We recommend you have some riding experience, and are secure in the saddle at a walk, trot and fast canter. This is because Patagonia includes widely varied and sometimes steep terrain, as well as river crossings, so you need experience of riding across varied terrain.
This is not somewhere you come to learn to ride, and you will get a lot more out of it if you are “riding fit.” Therefore, if you do not currently ride regularly, we recommend you get in some “saddle time” before your trip in order to accustom yourself to the long hours you will spend in the saddle at Caballadas.

TERRAIN
The Northern Patagonian landscape offers a wide range of riding opportunities, from wide open pampas to steep Andean mountains, with forests, rivers and valleys between. From our estancia, we will take you deep into the mountains - be aware that the steep hillsides may challenge those who are not comfortable with heights but the views are breath-taking and well worth the climb!  Our horses are adept at covering this terrain, but they will respond to you so you do need to be confident. At times, you may be asked to get off your horse to lead it up or down steep hills, so you should be comfortable walking on uneven and steep ground.

Cost

All itineraries are subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control including, weather, road or trail conditions.

Call for prices

Cost Includes:

  • In/Out San Martin del los Andes private airport transfers
  • Trip briefing upon arrival
  • Excusive use of Caballadas Valley Lodge
  • Local English speaking guide and crew (gauchos)
  • Horses and tack
  • Saddle bags
  • Breakfasts, lunches, dinners
  • Wine and non-alcoholic beverages with meals
  • Transportation in the ranch
  • 1 laundry (up to 6 kg of clothing)
  • Boat ride on the lake (weather permitting)

Area Map