Cattle round ups are always very popular horse riding holidays and this is a particularly special riding adventure in the Avenue of Volcanoes, Ecuador. It is not a spectacle organised for the benefit of tourists but a time-honoured annual event in the calendar of a working ranch. Here the 'rodeo' - cattle round up - collects bulls that have been grazing in the remote 'paramo' - moorland over 3500 metres high. This work is performed by the 'Chagras' - the horsemen of the Andes. To reach the hidden Andean paramos it is necessary to ride for two long days around the northern base of Cotopaxi before meeting the chagras to start the round up. You will be assigned a chagra to buddy you. Then after two days of being cowboys, we will return by the south side of Cotopaxi completing a full 360 degrees. What a trip - this is the real Ecuador! At 5897 metres above seal level, Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. Accommodation is in excellent haciendas with superb food plus one night in a mountain refuge. For this ride you will need to be a competent rider. However, the itinerary can be customised for non-expert riders.
Day 1 - Arrival and acclimatisation
Transfer by car from Quito Airport or your hotel to the opulent colonial hacienda, situated on the southern outskirts of Quito. Each room and suite has it's own individual character and is appointed with period furniture and a modern bathroom with piping hot water. The immaculate gardens, lined with Jacaranda trees, offer a haven of peace from the hustle and bustle of Quito. Its location on the edge of the city is ideal for access to the historic centre of Ecuador's capital city, and also the central highlands through which you will be riding for the remainder of the week. You will be offered a guided tour of the colonial heart of Quito, or you can choose to spend the rest of the day relaxing by the heated pool, in the sauna, or simply enjoying the beauty of the house. No riding this day.
Day 2 - Quito city tour
If you chose to relax on Day 1, you will be offered a guided tour of the old colonial heart of Quito - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No riding this day
Day 3 - ride up La Viudita
Riding difficulty: Easy. Riding time 4 hours
You will be driven half an hour south along the spectacular "Avenue of the Volcanoes" to your next hacienda. Your host, is passionate about horses and riding, and you will soon see why his operation is famed for the quality of its horses. You will be given the chance to get used to your horse in the safety of the "round" and paddock.
We will then make the four hour ride up La Viudita ("The Widow", 3760m), the "local" mountain. From the top, weather permitting, you will be able to enjoy the spectacular equatorial sunset. Eight of Ecuador's volcano giants are visible from the summit. The spectacular view encompasses Quito city and its surrounding valleys as well as the mountains, high pastures and humid forests where you will be riding during the following days. This mountain is ideal for acclimatizing to the Ecuadorian highlands.
Day 4 - Cloud Forest Riding difficulty: Easy. Riding time 6 hours
Today's ride will take us to the west, where you will witness a completely different landscape. After riding for 2 ½ hours over the Sierra Occidental up to an elevation of 3,500m, we will start to descend towards the coast. As we lose altitude the scenery changes dramatically as thick sub-tropical jungle replaces the Andean vegetation. Riding through unspoiled primary forest you will see a great variety of exotic orchids, giant guneras (marsh plants), natural ferns (the oldest species in the world) and bromeliads covering the trees and high altitude bamboo. This is the famed cloud forest of Ecuador, where luxuriant vegetation thrives in the high humidity of the rising air from the coast. We will ride to the pretty high altitude primary forest of Monte Oscuro. From here there is a panoramic vista along the mountain chain and on clear evenings we can see the lights of coastal villages. We return to the hacienda, dining in the cosy dining room and relaxing in front of a roaring log fire.
Day 5 - Ruminahui
Riding difficulty: Moderate. Riding time 5 hours
We ride out early from the hacienda and across the valley to the east. The morning will be spent climbing the onto a high ridge (4200m) on Volcan Ruminahui (4712m). The night will be spent at a different Hacienda.
Day 6 - Hacienda La Cantora to Pedregal Riding difficulty: Moderate. Riding time 5 hours
The countryside really opens up from here, and descending into the wilderness that lies beyond Ruminahui, you will feel like you are on the set of a Western! The terrain becomes more outlandish as we approach the foot of Cotopaxi, with lava flows, grassy plains, melt water lakes and usually herds of wild horses. We will either camp on the shores of a small lake, Santo Domingo (4150m), or alternatively stay at the nearby llama ranch of Pedregal on the high plateau beneath Cotopaxi. If we camp, our back-up team will greet us there with comfortable tents and warm sleeping bags, a camp fire and a hot meal, and of course a warming glass of Aguadiente!
Day 7 - Pedregal to Rodeo Riding difficulty: Moderate. Riding time 5 hours
Today's ride is shorter but no less spectacular. Leaving the back-up team to strike camp, we travel light to the rodeo, taking only a change of clothes and essential items on pack horses. The romance of the trail, travelling through open countryside, is highly evocative. Small groups of wild bulls punctuate the high grasslands, and it is not unusual to come across herds of alpaca and llama. As it is rodeo time we may encounter chagras on their way to Rodeo Farm.
We stay at one of the beautiful haciendas or "tambos" (a Quechua word meaning inn) nestling in a spectacular valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, connected to the rest of civilisation only by a seasonal track winding through the mountains. The current structure is on a site that has boasted a tambo since Inca times. It is built in the traditional straw and adobe style and is extremely picturesque with its straw roof. The interior is rustic and comfortable, and there is always a roaring log fire to welcome visitors. This will be home for the next two nights. In the afternoon there is an opportunity to explore the valley on horseback or watch the young bulls being branded and tagged in the corral.
Day 8 - Rodeo!
Riding difficulty: Advanced. Riding time 5 hours
Today you will be given the chance to ride with real chagras, mustering wild fighting bulls in the most incredible mountain environment. The day starts with a hearty breakfast, don't hold back: you will earn it! We saddle up and gather in a circle on our horses to be given our riding instructions for the day by the head chagra. The circle of mounted chagras is a colourful sight. You will be assigned to a chagra who will take care of you for the day and make sure you are not in danger at any point.
We ride up the paramo to the high ridges surrounding the local mountains, climbing from 3600 to 4000 m, and through a series of calls and whistles the chagras communicate to each other, indicating the position of the various groups of bulls – "vaca jaja!", "vaca carajo!". Gradually each rider works his/her way down pushing the cattle ahead down into the valley bottom. Some of the "bravo" bulls are lassoed with two ropes and expertly driven into the corrals.
You can participate in this exhilarating work or hang back and watch. These bulls are effectively "wild" and have bred from Spanish fighting stock, so you must be an experienced rider to join in. When the bulls are safely corralled it is time for a late lunch and a relaxing afternoon of watching the chagras tag and brand the livestock. Some amateur displays of bullfighting may also be put on. The evening meal will consist of a traditional barbeque and you can indulge in the knowledge that you helped round up the animal in question! The chagras sing traditional songs in Quechua and the Aguadiente is sure to be passed round. And so to bed!
Day 9 - Rodeo to Hacienda La Cantora
Riding difficulty: Moderate. Riding time 4 hours
After bidding a sad farewell to the hospitable cowboys we ride further east for a short while towards the spectacular snowy cone of Antisana. Skirting round to the north, we ride across the truly awe-inspiring country which lies between Quilindana, Cotopaxi, Sincholagua and Ruminahui. We spend the night at the same hacienda as day 5.
Day 10- return Riding difficulty: Moderate. Riding time 5 hours
This is Day Five in reverse. We return to well deserved creature comforts! Late transfer back to Quito and maybe say goodbye to Ecuador.
The weight limit for this ride is 15 st/209 lb/95 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.
FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.
Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
10 full days riding, 9 nights accommodation - some camping (tents and sleeping mats are provided), all transfers to/from Quito, meals, horses, tack and bilingual guide, support vehicle, city tour, accident insurance, and park tickets.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Flights, airport tax, alcoholic drinks, sleeping bag
Note - it is possible to customise the ride for less competent riders. Contact us for details.
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What you see on our web site is exactly how much your invoice will come to and this will not change once booked. Unlike some other companies the prices on our web site are fully inclusive of often hidden extras such as: VAT, Sales Tax, state taxes, city taxes, service charges, non-optional tips, fuel surcharges which can add 20% or more to the advertised cost. Prices are available in £ sterling, Euros and US$. Once invoiced, prices are guaranteed against adverse currency fluctuations. Contact us for package prices which include flights from the UK and see each ride for exact details of all items in individual itineraries.
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