Horse riding trip in the Ecuadorian Andes
Standard class package
Specific departure dates from Quito
8 days, 7 nights
All nights are spent in old haciendas (often the elegant, original buildings of historic estates) in a tranquil, rural setting.
Some of these haciendas are still working farms, whose friendly owners have been welcoming guests over the past few years. They offer an authentic taste of Ecuadorian rural life.
You start off on the first day with a gentle ride (2-3hrs) through the patchwork fields of the lower slopes of the sacred Imbabura Volcano, and visit Otavalo’s market
Over the next few days the number of hours in the saddle gradually increases to a maximum of about seven hours as your body becomes accustomed to it, and the scenery becomes gradually wilder: from trails through tiny weaving hamlets, farms and orchards, you will climb to wide, grassy and windswept plains where you can let fly at a gallop if you wish.
Cross the equator shaded by eucalyptus trees, drive down the stately Avenue of the Volcanoes, visiting Saquisili indian market en route to Cotopaxi National Park, to ride across the wide, barren plain at the base of the Cotopaxi Volcano. Part of this route follows the main Inca highway which linked Quito with Cusco, Peru.
You then ride across an unexpected ‘lunar landscape’, onto rolling grassy hills and arrive at a final charming, working hacienda, where the journey ends.
Our comment
"This is a marvellous riding experience through unspoilt, varied and frequently dramatic scenery for those who like to spend several hours a day in the saddle." |