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from £4,660 or €5,300
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Single Supplement – The nature of the accommodation along this ride, dictates that we cannot guarantee single rooms, they are camps, tents, mountain lodge and real homes. BUT we can guarantee a single room at the hotels on the first and last night of your adventure prices on request.
Note: Rates are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations, please refer to our Terms & Conditions for full details.
Included – All riding, guiding, accommodation, meals, drinks, wine with dinner during the ride & transfers
Excluded – Flights & tips.
15 – 28 February
Private Groups – Other dates on request, this is a fantastic adventure to embark on with a group of friends.
Dos Cordilleras: Getting There
Arrival to & departure from San Carlos de Bariloche airport
Transfer
They are included in the package at set times from and to San Carlos de Bariloche airport.
From the city of San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) you enter the Precordillera and Cordillera of the Argentinean Patagonia; ride through the high peaks and deep valleys with their native forests. When you arrive at Lago Puelo, cross the lake by boat and ride in this amazing environment. After twelve unforgettable days, leave Rio Turbio on horseback, cross the lake by boat to Lago Puelo and return by private transfer to the starting point in Bariloche.
On this incredible trip, you will join and cross the Cordillera del Alto Chubut and the Cordillera del Rio Turbio/Lago Puelo. These are two different mountain regions and unusual because they are only 100 km apart in a direct line. The Cordillera del Alto Chubut is made up of low mountain ranges in the eastern sector of the Andean Cordillera with altitudes up to 2000m s. n. m. It is partly gentle, with wide valleys for cattle grazing during the summer, partly enclosed and rocky. Rainfall is scarce in this area, due to its exposure to the Patagonian steppe. Its waters are mainly discharged into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Cordillera del Rio Turbio/Lago Puelo – within the border area with Chile – is wilder. Its peaks rise to more than 2500 m s. n. m. The waters of the Rio Turbio drain into the Pacific Ocean in Chile. It is mountainous with valleys of glacial origin. The slopes are covered with lenga, cordillera cypress, coihuie and ñires.
The cuisine on the trip will be a beautiful blend of flavours and ingredients consisting of an ethnic variety of Patagonian Creole gastronomy. A traditional wood stove in our El Sapucai lodge will give a special flavour to the dishes. If it is the right season, you will be able to taste the delicious rainbow trout. The asado criollo consists of delicious lamb or beef roasted on embers and firewood. As a typical main dish, it is cooked in different ways, usually accompanied with salad, potatoes and, of course, red wine. Vegetables and fruits are excellent and very varied.
Dos Cordilleras Ride: Horses – Criollos Argentinos – This breed descends from the Spanish horse brought by the conquistadors in the XVI century. Since then, the breed has acquired extraordinary attributes of hardiness, resistance and adaptation to the environment. These special horses are well muscled and strongly built, with a low centre of gravity. Known for their good footing and loose gait whilst agile and quick in their movement.
Level of Riding & Pace – Intermediate to advanced riders.
Tack – The saddle we will use is adapted from an “endurance” saddle, but with cushions on the saddle for long rides and straps/ropes to tie different things we need during the day. It is practical for saddling and unsaddling and comfortable for horse and rider on long days.
Weight Restriction – 100kgs / 15 stone 7 lbs / 220lbs.
If you are over this weight, please let us know, we can provide another horse. The supplement is $240 (an additional horse is supplied)
Dos Cordilleras Ride: Group Size – Minimum 4 / Maximum 6
Your Dos Cordilleras Ride horse riding holiday trip has 13 nights accommodation including;
El Sapucai Mountain Refuge – The Patagonian lodge is located on the banks of the Chubut River, in an isolated place in the foothills. The house has a warm kitchen-dining room where delicious meals are prepared with firewood. There are two bedrooms for two people each, a complete bathroom with a wood heater and a living room with a fireplace. Everything is decorated to make this place a unique experience. Outside, a small stream separates the house from the two yurts, located in front of the Chubut River. Each one has a wooden floor, wood heating, private bathroom and full beds for 2 / 3 people. Its solid construction and warm atmosphere allowing you to enjoy a full rest.
Horse Riding Holidays like this Dos Cordilleras Ride expedition, are part of the Zara’s Planet collection of Horse Riding Holidays Argentiana.
Please Ask About
Day 1: Bariloche
On your arrival to the Bariloche International Airport, a driver will take you to your downtown hotel. The city of Bariloche, surrounded by lakes and mountains, is located in the very heart of the Patagonian Andes mountain range. We recommend that you arrive quite early to enjoy the city. At 6pm, you will have a meeting with your guide that will allow you to get to know the team and the following days’ activities. You will also receive some security instructions. Dinner will be at a traditional restaurant.
Day 2: Bariloche / Cerro David
Transfer to the area of the Pichileufu River, located 35 km from Bariloche where we will meet our guide, his assistants and the horses with which we will spend the next few days. To get to Pichileufu, we cross one of the most important ranches in the area, the “El Condor” ranch, whose activity is the breeding of sheep and cattle and most likely we will see some of these large herds of cows or sheep that graze in this field. Assignment of horses and equipment. Brief talk about safety and details of the ride. The ride takes us to the heart of the pre-cordillera located between rocky mountain formations and the openness of the Patagonian steppe. After lunch at a ranch post we continue our journey in this pristine environment. Overnight in camp, surrounded by nature and without any noise from society, we review this first day of our adventure.
Riding time: 5-6 hours
Day 3: Cerro David / Foyel Arriba
After a delicious breakfast, we will leave behind the landscape of gentle hills and deep valleys and begin to climb a trail used by the local people to move their animals to reach their verandas. We will arrive at the “Paso Sin Nombre” at 1700 metres. Leaving this area among the rocks, we find a landscape that opens to the immensity of a huge valley in the middle of the mountain range, the area of “Alto Chubut”. The journey continues for a few more hours until we reach an idyllic location surrounded by an ancient lenga forest where we stay in a mountain refuge.
Riding time: 6-8 hours
Day 4: Foyel Arriba / Veranada Miranda
This morning we will go down the valley of the Pantanoso stream, leaving behind the wooded area of the Foyel. First, we pass by some solitary lagoons and finally we return to the waters of the Chubut River, which the day before appeared as a small stream in its source area in the high peaks and which is becoming more and more important. The landscape is wild, sometimes almost violent, but always breathtakingly magnificent. We set up our camp on the banks of the river and spend another night in this environment of nature in its purest state.
Riding time: 5-6 hours
Day 5: Veranada Miranda / El Sapucai
We will leave behind the forests of the rocky mountain range and continue descending, leaving the area of Alto Chubut, to first pass by an old and abandoned gold, silver and lead mine and surely the inhabitants of this place, the Miranda family will tell us some stories of the past and also of their present life. Now we are only two hours away from our special mountain refuge “El Sapucai” where a delicious meal, a hot shower and time to rest and enjoy the comforts of our small establishment awaits us.
Riding time: 5-6 hours
Day 6: El Sapucai / Las Lagunas / El Sapucai
We will climb the mountain range to appreciate the panoramic view of the surrounding Andes. We are fascinated by the dexterity of the Creole horse crossing different terrains: mallines, lenga forests and rocky terrains. At the end of this climb, a 360 degree view, where we will be able to appreciate the lagoons where we will have lunch in front of the Cordillera with the eternal snow. We will return by another trail that goes through forests of stunted ñires and old lenga forests until we reach our refuge.
Riding time: 6-8 hours
Day 7: El Sapucai / Lago Puelo / Rio Turbio
Today will be a long day… we will continue down the banks of the Chubut River for about 3 hours until we reach the Escuela Vieja. A quiet ride, which offers us another spectacle of unique landscapes. Little by little we will see the first villages of the people who live at the exit of this valley. After saying goodbye to our horses, a private transfer will take us to Lago Puelo, a 2 hour trip to our boat with which we will cross the southern arm of the lake for 20/30 minutes. Arriving at the other side of the lake, we will assign the horses for the second part of our adventure. We leave the shore of the lake to enter the valley of the Rio Turbio. We advance along a cart track that quickly turns into a horse track, the same track used by the villagers to enter this remote area. Along the banks of the Rio Turbio we enter the native forest, leaving behind the civilisation we passed during the short transfer between these two stages of the Dos Cordilleras Ride. Late in the day we arrive at the village of Bahamonde where we will spend the night.
Riding time: 6-7 hours
Day 8 : Rio Turbio – Cerro Plataforma
After a quiet night, we leave the main valley of Turbio to climb the Cerro Plataforma. Our path takes us along a trail with many rocks and steep slopes. Quite a technical day. We will climb up the trail with our horses, which initially follows a stream, into a forest of tall lenga trees that become stunted as we go on. There are some difficulties for us and our horses, but finally we approach the warm lagoon whose name refers to the temperature of the water, which has to do with the shallowness of the lagoon. We will set up our camp and due to the altitude where we are – we are almost 1200 metres above sea level – the clarity and the little air pollution during the night, the Milky Way, the Southern Cross and the other stars will give us an unforgettable show.
Riding time: 5-6 hours
Day 9 : Plataforma – Falsa Cumbre
Today we start a quieter day, enjoying the unique landscape of the high altitude. We will summit the “false” peak of Cerro Plataforma at 1500m. Millions of years ago this hill was the bottom of the sea, so we will find incrustations in the stones and remains of marine fossils. First we go on horseback and then on foot, crossing an area of mallines and peat bogs. The final part to reach the summit is rockier. After enjoying the view we return to our camp. A quiet afternoon to review everything we have experienced.
Riding time: 3 hours
Day 10: Cerro Plataforma – Familia Marolt-Pitte
This morning we prepare for the descent from Cerro Plataforma to the Rio Turbio Valley. Another day with some difficulties for us and our horses, the trail has many stones, big steps and we have to descend very carefully at every step. There are two different tracks for the descent and our guides will decide which of the two we will go down. This depends mainly on the weather. Once we reach the bottom of the valley, we are again at 200 m above sea level, the trail becomes smoother and more pleasant for riders and horses. A few metres from Rio is the house of the Marolt-Pitte family, who have been living there on their almost self-sufficient farm since 1999.
Riding time: 5-6 hours
Day 11: Marolt-Pitte – Poblador Bucci
Today we have a very changeable day: We leave the valley of the Rio Turbio. This mountain river has a high content of glacial sediment, because of this, the water has an incredibly opaque and turquoise colour. It is a river that must be respected because of its floods in case of storms in the High Cordillera. We pass the old post of Coyo, climbing a very steep track into the forest, to reach a path parallel to the valley of the Upper Turbio. We have lunch at a small lake hidden in the forest; the Laguito Negro. An incredibly beautiful place that invites us to stay for a while. In the afternoon we reach a viewpoint with another impressive view of the valley, to finally spend the night at Bucci’s place. An ideal and magical place to rest.
Riding time: 4-5 hours
Day 12: Poblador Bucci – Campamento “Las agujas”
After a morning in the forest we head towards the surrounding waters, passing in front of a rural school and in the afternoon we will cross the impressive Rio Turbio – if the river allows it. On this occasion we remind our clients that to cross this kind of river, which is wide and because of its opaque/turbid colour you can’t see the bottom, you always have to look towards the other bank to avoid getting dizzy. If we manage this challenge, we will arrive early at the needles camp, another very beautiful and quiet place on the shores of Lago Puelo.
Riding time: 3-4 hours
Day 13: Turbio – Lago Puelo – Bariloche
Our last day of adventure on horseback in the Argentinean Cordillera. We leave our camp and the Turbio River Valley towards the trail that goes to the Esperanza Lake area, to have lunch in an unbeatable panoramic spot. In the afternoon we will descend again to cross the river and say goodbye to the wonderful scenery of the Turbio Valley. Finally we will arrive at the meeting point on the shore, where the boat will be waiting for us to cross Lago Puelo. We say goodbye to our fellow adventurers and start our journey to the other side of the lake. The water laps against the bow of the boat and leaves images that will remain engraved in our memories. On the other side of the lake, a private transfer awaits us to take us to our hotel in San Carlos de Bariloche.
Riding time: 3 hours
Day 14: Transfer to San Carlos de Bariloche / Airport
Breakfast at the hotel. A private transfer will take you to the airport.
All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.
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