About the Hidden Glacier Ride

by Majo

This last January was a very special month for us because for the first time in ten years me and Cami went back together to Southern Patagonia Calafate. This is, for far, our favourite destination for horse riding.

There are several reasons why this is a super special place for us. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the far west, actually you can read about my far west trip in my blog (Wild West Trip). Following this, I found Southern Patagoniaas wild as how writers describe the west and that gives a special touch to this place.

When our followers and clients ask us about rides in South Patagonia we always try to give them two combined options. In one, they are able to live the immense Patagonian steppe and feel free cantering as long as they want by the shore of the lake or between the “mata negra” bushes. During the Riding to the Glaciers in Patagonia, they are able to take a look at the other landscapes South Patagonia offers such as breathtaking mountain views, enchanted forests and of course the view of the glaciers.

Location & History

The ride starts very early in the morning. We woke up at 7 am and we headed to the pick up point in the town of Calafate. A quarter past eight, right on time, Alexis the driver picked us up to take us to the starting point: an old estancia located in the other gate to the Glacier National Park.

There was a couple from Boston going with us in the car, so on the way we had a nice chat with them sharing all of our knowledge about Calafate. Once we got to the estancia we were welcomed with homemade bakery and coffee. A while after that Juani – the head guide – came to pick us up and took us to the corral where all the horses were gathered.

As always, we were excited to know which horses we were going to ride. We asked about their attitude, as we always look to fast forward horses willing to take us on long rides. My horse was named Taki – light brown mare, super sweet and easy – and Cami´s horse was named Ginger, a chestnut mare. She was named by Rachael – a french girl who contacted us last year to work as a volunteer in South Patagonia and she ended up working as a guide in this ride.

Once horses and saddles were chosen, we started the adventure.The dates before this ride we were riding at Estancia Alice – our place in the world – whose main landscape is the steppe. Here the landscape looked very different: mountains, trees, lots of green and stones. It wasn’t the best floor for cantering but we knew this ride wasn’t about that.

We did part of the way trotting and chatting about the Estancia history, which is actually very interesting. Long story short, the first owner of the estancia was called Santiago Peso. He arrived to this far away land at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1908. Like many immigrants he first got by boat to the port of Punta Arenas in Chile, and after that he explored the land by horse. Can you imagine how it was for this man to ride free, with no limits and maps around this untamed land? Finally he found this paradise land located by the south arm of the Argentinean Lake and decided to settle here with his wife.

Some years laters, the Argentinean government decided to take part of the land to preserve it and they created the Glacier National Park, taking from him around 10.000 hectares away. Santiago died some years later and his wife stayed here with her three daughters taking care of the land. Their main business used to be sheep breeding, but due to the constant mountain lion attacks, they decided to breed Hereford cows, as these ones are more difficult for pumas to attack.

While riding, we took some short gallops and suddenly we were in one of the old shelter spots called El Cachorro. Its name was given due to the water stream that runs just beside the place and had the same name. Here Juani changed his role from riding guide to cook and he did some beef and chorizo on a grill. That was the perfect spot to relax, rest and hear the powerful sound of the glaciers moving. It sounds like thunder. This post is on the half way between La Rosada Post and the 3rd of April pong (Laguna 3 de Abril).

The Trail

The ride offers very different landscapes. The first kilometers we followed a marked road for trucks that goes near the coast of the lake. From there the views are very nice, and gently the landscape turns to Ñire woods. Our favourite part was after lunch when we started heading to the summer lands. This landscape reminded me of the TV Show Heidi: a large green meadow painted in different types of greens and tiny delicate mountain flowers and tiny berries that we were able to try.

We did some short canters and started to follow the water stream. We crossed the water a few times from one side to the other until we found ourselves in the heart of a canyon. Even though we could feel some tiny water drops, here at the canyon we were protected from the wind and the weather was just perfect. Indeed, it was hot and we stopped to drink some fresh cold water. My horse Taki seemed to love the mountain water as she was asking to drink every time we went through the stream.

I was quite concerned about going of the walls of the canyon because sometimes I suffer of vertigo. Juani said going up wasn’t that bad and he always asked me if I was Ok. Luckily, it wasn’t that bad, I’ve done much more steep claims in other rides like Salta and Neuquen, and also I trusted my horse Taki. She seemed to feel very comfortable at the mountain.

Once we got up to the canyon walls we found ourselves in a high field which looked like a forest cemetery. Juani said that many years ago a fire destroyed this part of the forest. We kept on climbing the mountain, till slowly we were welcome to another magical Lenga Forest. This was really a huge one that made my sight a bit dizzy as I could see thousands of trees. I felt like I was in the Rivendell Forest of the Lord of The Rings (also, on my top ten of best movies and books).

Juani was guiding and finding the way in this infinite labyrinth. We kept on going up tiny trails and suddenly we climbed a small hill and we were surprised by the most stunning view. From up there we were able to see all of our favourite land: the Dickson Glacier, the South Arm as well as the Rico Arm of the Argentinean Lake, we were also able to see the Frias Mountain (a place we’ve been thousands of times in the past), the huge Patagonian steppe, and far, far away we could see the Commission hill and Estancia Alice.

Now it was time to start heading down, and yes, it was steep and very windy but we managed to do it ok. We took some nice pictures and gently went down the Crystal Mountain which ends at the back of the estancia’s main house. The ride took a whole day. We weren’t able to do the 3 night ride because we were running out of time, but we did see all the trails where the ride goes through and it’s really worth it!

The Guide

Juani has been guiding rides here for 6 years and he shows a lot of knowledge about the land and history. We also noticed he took good care of the horses and was very sweet with them, hugging them and giving them love.

He also showed a lot of interest in how we were doing, and he made us try different berries and even fungus. One was the Indian bread fungus, which to be honest I didn’t try but Cami did. She said it seemed like chewing gum and had no taste at all. When we arrived he offered us a glass of wine and we cheered for such an amazing day!