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Unique & Outstanding Horse Riding Experiences

Horse Riding and Cattle Herding in Patagonia

per person

This horse riding and cattle herding experience in Neuquen is just an incredible and unforgettable adventure. For those who love horses, it has all the must! The horses are great, awake and ready for the action. Riders will have the chance to gallop in the valleys or even in the lagoons. They can even swim in them with their horses. Whatsmore, the cattle herding from the valleys of the foothills to the Andes pastures is a real gaucho experience that will blow your mind.

 

The Cayol family, the hosts of this amazing journey, make all the difference. Their main concern is their guest’s comfort; they will make sure everybody is having a great time and enjoying every minute of the ride. Their Estancia is in Neuquen, in the area of Caviahue. This is a well known ski center. Riders will start the adventure in Neuquen. They can get here by plane, car or bus. The hosts will look for them here and bring them to the Estancia.

 

The place of the Cayol family is very near the border with Chile. Actually, during some parts of the horse ride, the visitors will be only 3.5 kilometres away from the neighboring country. This adventure has limited dates available during the years. This is due to the weather conditions of the Patagonian area. The best time is always between October and April.

 

6 Nights / 7 Days
12+ Age
  • Destination
  • Departure
    Neuquén
  • Included
    Accomodation
    Advanced
    Alcoholic Drinks
    Breakfast
    Dinner
    Equipment
    Full Board Accomodation
    Intermediate
    Lunch
    private Guides
    Riding Horses
    Transport
  • Not Included
    Beginner
    Caballos de equitación
    Economic
    Endurance Horses
    Gimnasio
    Half Board Accomodation
    Jumping Horses
    Local Tours
    Luxury
    Polo Horses
    Spa
    Tickets to National Parks
1

Itinerary

  • Day 1: Arrive at Neuquen and 4 hour transfer to Caviahue, which is a small town near the Chile/Argentina border, a few hundred kilometres south of Santiago, in Patagonia (on the Argentina side). It’s within sight of snow-capped Andes. Accommodation at the Estancia.
  • Day 2: As you have breakfast, you will see from the window the horses being saddled to start the adventure. The task today is to gather the cattle and corral them for an accurate head-count. There’s a knack to it: rule 1 is everyone’s counting has to be silent! And rule 2, you have to count in two’s – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes. This evening the camping will be beside the stockyard. The tents are two-man and well up to the job. This is an authentic cattle drive, so luxuries are left behind, waiting for you at trail’s end. Dinner in camp.
  • Day 3: The day begins early in the estancia and as soon as the riders are ready they will set off on the cattle drive. The Rio Agrio rises in the Andes and begins its long journey to the Pacific; not the most famous of rivers, but it has an absolutely beautiful valley. This is an ancient volcanic area and mid-way through its descent from the Andes, the Agrio flows over a caldera (giant hole left by an extinct volcano), forming a majestic waterfall. Riders will downstream of the waterfall and the herd needs to ford the river before heading on to their summer pasture. The herd moves for between 5 and 7 hours, depending on the natural obstacles such as rivers, and the terrain. You need to be an intermediate or experienced rider. During the whole day, the herd is nudged onwards: the idea is to keep things steady and calm. Some individual cattle will inevitably stray, and need to be brought back to the herd. Riders spread out around the herd and encourage the cattle forwards.
  • The surrounding countryside is timeless and beautiful. The only trails are those cut by generations of Angus cattle: no-one else comes this way. Once the cattle reach the fresh mountain pasture, they are left to fan out and browse the grasses, herbs and shrubs that thrive in this remote, untouched environment. Overnight in camp.
  • Day 4: Riders will go up to the Salto De Agrio where the river free falls over a basalt lip into the lagoon below; a stunning site. They will have lunch down in the caldera. You will be amazed at the rumble of the water as it falls. Swimming there is something you´ll never forget. The dominant tree in this area is the Araucaria, better known as the Monkey-puzzle tree, which tops out at a staggering 80 m. The trees are dioecious (male or female) and the females produce cones containing little edible nuts, not dissimilar to the pine nuts you can buy in supermarkets. But watch out for the needle-sharp leaves. Late in the afternoon they will ride back to the camp where a lamb on a stick is going to be waiting for you to enjoy. Local grass-fed Patagonian lamb is a typical gaucho meal.
  • Day 5: Ride up to another valley where another herd of the estancia will be grassing the fresh natural pastures it offers during summer. In winter, this valley is completely covered with snow. It's a 5 hour ride, and only accessible on horseback. You will camp in a real paradise with a private hotspring and have a bath in it. It’s hard to get any closer to nature than this. Each night you feel as if you’re the first person ever to set foot there.
  • Day 6: Ride up to “Laguna del Cuero”. Chile is only 3 kilometres away, approximately. This is the best day to find some Andean condors. This majestic bird (in danger of extinction) can measure up to 3 meters long with its wings open. It's also possible to come across guanacos, a local mammal whose wool was used by Mapuches for clothing. Camp beside the hot spring again.
  • Day 7: It's time to head back to civilization, but don’t think it’s the end of this adventure because it's a long way. In the morning there will be a 4 hour ride until lunch. After, you will rest for a few minutes beside Maloñehue. This is an incredible mountain, its name was given by Mapuches. It means “malon viene”, it was a strategic place from where the pre-Columbian inhabitants used to keep an eye on groups of horses coming from north during the invasion of Spanish conquistadors. You can guess that the view is astonishing. Everything seems so quiet and peaceful from up there. In the afternoon you’ll continue the way down with a spectacular view all around. You will notice the horses having a renewed enthusiasm as they begin to understand they are going back home. On the way you will come across some ruins of a settlement of the “conquest of the desert” and a monolith remembering those days 100 years ago. Stone arrowheads, bullets, copper uniform buttons, and many other traces of the invasion are still found every now and then.
  • Return to the estancia for a refreshing rest in the main house.
  • Day 8: * Optional (Late check out) 4 hour transfer to Neuquen Airport.
 

Location

The estancia is located near Caviahue. This is a ski resort and a village in the municipality of Caviahue-Copahue, in Neuquen Province in Patagonia. It is on Provincial Route 26, on the shores of Caviahue Lake.

Other activities for riders and non riders companions

 

Most of Patagonia´s activities are related with nature and sport both in summer (trekking, fly fishing, horse rides, lakes) as in winter (ski).

Caviahue is part of Neuquen's province touristic circuit because it is an exclusive ski resort and because of its thermal water hotels and spas. As for skiing, this is a great place to practice the sport because of its location (very close by of the Andes Mountains). The snow is of very good quality and perfect ski days are granted. Also, as it is located in a remote place, it's better for those that are looking for less crowded places. It has top level hotels and every once in a while the town hosts a polo or rugby snow tournament show.

Caviahue is considered one of the best places in the world for thermal waters. These have many healing properties: medicinal minerals, sludge, algae and vapors (that emanate from the Copahue Volcano). As a matter of fact, there is no other thermal destination in the world that gathers all these healing properties.

Other places to visit near this town are Laguna Escondida, Copahue Volcano, the Agrio waterfalls or Puente de Piedra.

 
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