GLACIER RIDE PATAGONIA - CHILE

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This is an exciting ride for adventurers and wilderness-lovers. This itinerary is suited to lovers of riding and the outdoors and those who like to get 'off the beaten track'. In the company of our guide and Chilean horsemen, we ride into remote areas where the only access is on foot or horse. The campsites on this trip have been chosen with much care and they are all very different, very special and very beautiful. Some of them are wilderness sites with no 'facilities' at all.

Trip length 12 days / 11 nights Ride only price 2009: 3 clients: £1,489 per person. Small group supplement if only 2 riders booked - £226 per person. 2010: 3 clients: £1,655 per person. Small group supplement if only 2 riders booked: £254 per person. Departure dates 2009: 14 Mar; 5 Nov; 6 Dec; 22 Dec. 2010: 6 Feb; 14 Mar; 5 Nov; 6 Dec; 22 Dec. Approximate riding time per day 4 to 6 hours per day. Riding ability required Confident novice onwards, must be reasonably fit. Min age 10. Group size 3- 12 Meeting point (getting there) Punta Arenas, Chile Transfer Included from Punta Arenas Hotel Flight guide London - Punta Arenas return £700 - £900. See below for flight info. Single supplement 2009: £125 only charged if not willing to share 2010: £125 only charged if not willing to share

SAMPLE ITINERARY - GLACIER RIDE PATAGONIA

Day 1  
Client’s arrival in Punta Arenas.  Taxi from airport to Hotel Terra Sur,  Lib. Bernardo O’Higgins # 723, Punta Arenas, Chile. Meet leader in hotel lobby at 7.30 p.m. to be escorted to restaurant for dinner. 

Day 2 
Morning collection from Terra Sur to start the day’s drive towards the penguin colony to see and photograph the cute burrowing Magellanic penguins. Continue in comfortable transfer vehicle across the Patagonian Steppe where you will have your first opportunity to see some of the unusual plant and animal life that exists in this area. After a short lunch stop in Puerto Natales we will continue on to our campsite situated close to a working estancia on the edges of the beautiful Laguna Verde. Chance to stroll down to the lakeside and enjoy the variety of bird life and spectacular views of the horns whilst dinner is prepared. No showers. Drive approx. 6.5 hours including penguins.

Day 3 
Today your horse riding holiday really begins as we will be meeting our horses and the dedicated baqueanos who care for them.  After assigning horses to riders, we will have a safety check and short familiarization with western riding before packing our saddle bags with cameras, waterproofs, and our picnic lunch and setting off around the shores of this pretty lake through ancient southern beech forests towards the Sierra del Toro. We will then make a steep ascent through forests to climb right up on top of this mountain.  The last section of the ride will often be through snow as we stop to marvel at the views of the entire Park below us. We will then wind down to a pretty authentic puesto manned by one of the cattle ranchers from Estancia Lazo to take our lunch. Afternoon return to our stunning campsite at Laguna Verde. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 3-4.

Day 4 
After a wholesome breakfast and packing up we will be starting our ride eastwards towards the heart of the Park. The morning ride is fairly relaxing as we wind our way through this pretty valley passing a number of lakes and mountain views. Plenty of time to take photographs before we ascend to a lookout with fabulous views of the pampas and lakes below. After stopping to let the horses rest we will start our steep descent of the Sierra del Toro to the pampas below. Lunch will be taken in the valley and we will have a chance to visit the Park Headquarters to look at their relief map of the park. We will then continue with some fast riding to the Serrano River where we will camp beside the emerald green waters of this beautiful river. Showers available. Inside dining in case of inclement weather. Hours in the saddle: 4 – 4.5.

Day 5
After breakfast we will pack up camp and make an early start across the pampas towards the huge and immense Grey Glacier and Lake. This is open pampas riding at its most exciting and there will be lots of opportunities  for nice long canters as we ride towards the huge granite peaks of the Paine Massif. We will then reach the highlight of today’s ride as we dismount and cross the wooden footbridge onto a small trail through the forest. This trail take us onto Grey Beach for a walk along the grey sands admiring the huge icebergs that have carved off the nearby glacier. For those who are interested there’s an optional boat ride across this iceberg-choked lake towards the face of this spectacular Glacier (this boat is very weather reliant and costs $70 per person for the three hour boat ride). If the boat isn’t running or for those clients who prefer to stay ashore, there’s plenty of opportunities for hiking, taking pictures or walking the short distance to Hosteria Lago Grey to enjoy some fireside pisco sours. After this exciting day we’ll rejoin our horses for a lovely long canter across the pampas to our riverside campsite at Rio Serrano. Showers available. Inside dining in case of inclement weather. Hours in saddle: approx 5.

Day 6 
Today we will be enjoying some beautiful trails which cross the heart of the Park. Known as the ‘up and over’ our trail cuts through some incredibly diverse scenery from verdant green valleys and beech forests to azure lakes and wide open plains. We will see magnificent condors hovering high above mountain peaks whilst down on the plains herds of guanaco scatter as we approach. We will be surprised at every turn of our path as we cross over 30 kilometres of this amazing riding country dominated by the Paine Horns and Towers after which the park is named. Finally, after a truly memorable ride we take a short vehicle transfer to our beautiful campsite nestled in a small valley with only a gaucho ‘puesto’ (small wooden hut) and awesome views of the Towers for company. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 7-8.  (NB: we hope to have showers here for next season. Please request update at start of season)

Day 7 
After enjoying breakfast in our stunning campsite we will set off on an exciting and unique adventure into the hills and forests of the Sierra Contreras. Our destination is the pretty waterfall known as Cascada Zamora. After lunch we will ride out to a remote puesto ‘mercado’ riding up high over the pampas with views off to the Las Chinas Valley and the Sierra Baguales in the distance. Return to our camp at puesto Tercera for night. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 4-5.

Day 8 
After packing up camp and loading up the pack horses we will set off on our exciting ride towards the Torres and Lago Paine. Just before Laguna Azul we head north towards Laguna Stokes where a large natural vega or pasture exists and which attracts wild criollos from the surrounding hills to graze in the summer.  There will be many excellent photo opportunities on this route as we pass through forests, pastures and the lake where Lady Florence Dixie first camped having sighted the Towers. We will be camping riverside at Lago Paine. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 4-5 - 5.

Day 9
After breakfast, we will be riding out to Lake and Glacier Dickson. Dickson is one of the more remote and rarely visited glaciers in the Park due to its inaccessibility – in our opinion it is also one of the prettiest. Our ride takes us past the northerly peaks of the Paine chain where one of the peaks is topped by a black, craggy rock in the shape of a Tuhuelche Indian Face where the ‘headband’ is decorated with snowdrifts even in summer. The trail then heads north passing ancient southern beech forests and scattered lakes before reaching our solitary perch and viewpoint above this beautiful lake and glacier. This will be our picnic spot for lunch – a truly memorable destination. In the afternoon we ride back to Lago Paine. No showers. Hours in the saddle: 6-7. 

Day 10 
Today we will be continuing on to Laguna Azul via a different route. This is a beautiful ride through forests and flower filled meadows and southern beech forests. Lots of opportunities for long canters before we reach the edge of the aptly named Laguna Azul. On arrival at the campsite we will put the wine in the lake to chill and serve canapes before our dinner is served. During the evening we can enjoy our final view of the Towers across the lake whilst swapping tales of the adventure of the previous days. Hot showers and a quincho for inside dining. Hours in the saddle: 2-3. 

Day 11
Pack up camp for our transfer back to Punta Arenas to arrive late afternoon. We will once again make a lunch stop in Puerto Natales and this will give clients an opportunity to purchase any souvenirs/books/postcards etc. Clients will be dropped off at the Hotel Terra Sur in Punta Arenas at around 6p.m which signifies the end of the riding holiday.   Transfer time: 5 hours.

Day 12 
Taxi to airport for onward travel.

The weight limit for this ride is 15st /210 lb/95 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

FURTHER DETAILS
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WHAT IS INCLUDED
Eleven nights accommodation (9 camping, 2 hotels in Punta Arenas) based on twin share throughout; eight days riding; transfers to and from Punta Arenas and whilst in Park; meals whilst camping (including wine with dinner); all equipment (except sleeping bags and mats which can be rented locally on request); English speaking and local guides; Baqueanos who care for the horses; pack horses for luggage; waterproof stuff sacks for trip; use of saddle bags; entrance fees to park and penguin colony.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Flights, airport taxes, airport transfers and meals in Punta Arenas, lunch in Natales Day 2 and Day 11, local gratuities ($60 recommended).

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