Horseback Riding in Southern Patagonia, PATAGONIAN ESTANCIAS (7D/6N)

Day 1 We recommend you take the early flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas (4 hours), flying over the Andes and observing incredible views of the Patagonian Ice Fields. Upon your arrival in Punta Arenas, the most southern city on the continent, a private transfer will be waiting to take you to Estancia Las Chinas. (Chile Nativo will offer a pick-up from the airport at 2:50 PM, corresponding with LAN airline, Flight # LA285, or at 02.30 PM from your hotel in town). (Flight numbers and times subject to change)
As we leave the airport we can see the Straits of Magellan and the mystical Tierra del Fuego. During the 3-hour trip we will drive across open pampas passing huge ranches (estancias) and with luck we will be able to see one of the most typical animals in this area, the ñandu, (a rare South American ostrich). We head north to Puerto Natales, located on the Sound of Last Hope, a small fishing town surrounded by mountains. From there we will follow an unpaved road to Las Chinas Valley for our overnight stay at Estancia Cerro Guido. This Estancia is one of the last remaining establishments still retaining many of the typical characteristics of the period when The Sociedad Explotadora of Tierra del Fuego was functioning. The Estancia has 128.000 hectares and about 50.000 sheep. The village has a beautiful view of the Paine Massif and has preserved all the typical buildings including the lodge, main house, administration office, workers' houses, kitchen, bakery, school, carpentry workshop, forge, dairy, stables and sheep-shearing shed. We enjoy a Patagonian Lamb BBQ as a welcome dinner!
(5 hours by private transfer) (D) (Night spent at Lodge Cerro Guido)

Day 2 In the stables we meet our baqueano (local cowboy) and we will head south to the River Baguales. This river descends from the Sierra Baguales before winding through the Patagonian steppe and pre-Andean shrubland. The accompanying view is amazing and the prairies provide us with many opportunities for long canters on our criollo horses; a hardy breed of horse that is able to endure the hard winters in Patagonia.
After about three hours we will arrive at Estancia Las Flores, where is located the only house in the region built with adobe, a typical mixture of grass and clay used mostly in the northern part of Chile. This is an excellent place to have our lunch and rest our horses. After lunch we will head in the direction of Estancia Las Chinas (a fine example of the architecture of the former estancias) which has an amazing view of Torres Del Paine.
(6 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night spent at Estancia Las Chinas)

Day 3 Today we will ride south from Estancia Las Chinas crossing the valley. The first couple of hours will be across the Patagonian steppe, which is found on flatlands and plateaus with semi-arid, cold climates and an annual precipitation of up to 400 mm. After 5 hours riding we will reach Laguna Azul, which is located at the limit of Torres del Paine National park and with spectacular view of the Towers. From here we take a private transfer all the way to Estancia-Hotel Las Torres, located at the bottom of the path leading to the viewing point of Torres del Paine and Valle del Silencio. After an amazing day riding, you may want to visit the hotel spa for a massage, sauna or Jacuzzi.,br> (5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 45 minutes by private transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel-Estancia Las Torres)

Day 4 We will start early in the morning, meeting our baqueano (local cowboy) and assigning the saddles and horses. We begin a journey crossing lakes and valleys following an old gaucho path with incredible views of the mountains. We will have lunch on the shores of Lake Sarmiento whilst observing its strange calcium formations and then continue on through forests and small lakes with wonderful views of the Paine Massif, to arrive at Hostería Lazo, located just outside the park. The hosteria is part of the Estancia Lazo, a large cattle ranch dating from the last century, which has magnificent views of the Paine Massive and Laguna Verde. The rooms are very comfortable; the estancia´s main house has been remodeled into a cozy, country-style dining room-bar.
(6-7 hours walking, trotting and galloping) (B-BL-D) (Night spent at Estancia Mirador Del Payne)

Day 5 We will begin our ride through native Nothofagus forests, going around small lagoons, with incredible views of the Paine Massif and surrounding areas. We reach the highest peak of our day with excellent picture taking opportunities of the Paine River emptying into Toro Lake (the largest in the region). From this view point we will begin our descent to the park’s visitor center, where we will spend the first of two nights on the shore of the Serrano River with amazing views of the “Cuernos” Del Paine.
(4-5 hours, slow riding, trotting and cantering) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Rio Serrano)

Day 6 We will start our day by riding to Grey Lake. We will be crossing huge pampas and a bridge over the Grey River to reach a superb viewpoint of the lake full of icebergs, which have broken off from the Grey Glacier, part of the southern ice field which is the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world. Our lunch will be in front of this magnificent view. After lunch, we will take a boat ride to view the glacier up-close. In order to get to the boat we will walk through a mature beech forest where we might observe woodpeckers and Austral parakeets. We will navigate about one hour through icebergs of different tones of blue up to the Grey glacier, where we will stay for a while in front of the glacier in the hope of seeing icebergs calve. Our return journey offers views of Paine Grande with its impressive ice mushrooms. We will return in the transfer to spend a second night at the hotel.
(4-5 hours slow riding, trotting and cantering, 30 minutes walk, 3 hours by boat and 30 minutes by transfer) (B-BL-D) (Night at Hotel Rio Serrano)

Day 7 We will take a private transfer to Punta Arenas. (Clients should take the flight at 05:00PM, from LAN airline, flight #LA996, arriving to Santiago at 8:20 PM) (Flight numbers and times subject to change), if you decide to stay the night in Punta Arenas; we will drop you at your hotel.
(5 hours by private transfer) (B)

REGARDING THE SCHEDULE
The schedules indicated above are subject to change due to weather conditions or unexpected circumstances beyond our control, but we will try our best to keep them unaltered.

Lodge Cerro Guido

Located in the Las Chinas/Sierra Baguales sector and in close proximity to the national park, this authentic estancia and comfortable boutique hotel has country elegance and international cuisine with stunning views of the Torres del Paine peaks. The lodge invites you to come and visit these imposing landscapes and, through the culture and traditions, experience the way of life in Chilean Patagonia. Lodge Cerro Guido has three sections: the Lodge, the owner´s house and the barbecue area (quincho). The ranch has around 20 old buildings. The administration building, office, workers´ houses, kitchen-bakery, public school, shearing shed, carpentry workshop, ironworks workshop, dairy and stables are just some of the interesting buildings which provide a real taste of the olden days.

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Estancia Las Chinas

A simple ranch house recently converted into a cozy guest house as an annex to the Lodge Cerro Guido. Each room has 2-4 bunk beds with warm down comfortors. Shared baths have hot water and modern facilities. Relax next to the fireplace or walk around the ranch taking in the views of Las Chinas Valley, one of the most pristine valleys in the area.

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Hotel Las Torres

Ideally located at the base of the trails leading to the viewing point of the Towers peaks, Valle del Silencio, and “W” hikes, this former estancia turned Hotel, offers 57 comfortable rooms with central heating and telephone and a the only full service spa available in the park. The excellent quality of both service and food is the main characteristic of this Hotel.

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Hostería Mirador Del Payne

Located on the park border and part of the working estancia, Lazo, a huge cattle ranch dating from the last century, if offers magnificent views of Paine Massive and Laguna Verde. The rooms are comfortable and simple; the main Estancia's house has been remodeled as a dining room-bar, keeping it cozy and country-style.

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Hotel Rio Serrano

Strategically located in the Serrano River area and at the Torres del Paine park border, it affords guests a panoramic view of the Paine Mountain Range. The hotel has 95 rooms (66 superior and 26 standard rooms) all with private bathroom, central heating and telephone; a comfortable hotel, refined yet cozy.
It also has a large lounge with comfortable armchairs, television and heating, where you will be able to enjoy a relaxing end to the day or simply admire the scenery.

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Riding with my daughter

“Mom, let’s do a mother-daughter horse trip in Patagonia,” my 20-year-old e-mailed me from Santiago, Chile during her semester abroad. I thought she was nuts. At 53 years old, I had serious doubts that my aging hips would survive a horseback trip in rugged mountains at the end of the earth. My daughter was insistent. “You can do it, mom,” she said. I finally caved in, bought a big bottle of Iboprofen, and agreed. But then I was faced with the daunting question of how to arrange a horse trip in Patagonia — which is thousands of miles and another language away from my home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Based on a recommendation from the Rough Guide to Chile travel book, I contacted ChileNativo. I also searched the Internet and contacted several other outfitters. From the beginning, ChileNativo was the most responsive and flexible. Especially important, given the meat-centric nature of Patagonia, ChileNativo was unfazed by my daughter’s vegetarianism. Today, four months after first contacting ChileNativo and two weeks after returning from my once-in-a-lifetime, 8-day horseback trip in Patagonia, I have nothing but good to say about ChileNativo.

If you’re reading this website, you don’t need testimonials about Patagonia’s magic vistas and awe-inspiring scenery. But you may have doubts on choosing an outfitter. I found that ChileNativo delivered all that it promised — and more.

Our guide, Andre, was responsible, knowledgable and wonderfully bilingual, with an infectious smile and good humor. Much to my surprise and delight, he was also a gourmet cook who, among other things, appreciates fresh-brewed coffee in the morning rather than Chile’s ubiquitous Nescafe packets. And instead of dry, tasteless sandwiches for our box lunches, we were treated to home-made bread, fresh avocadoes, tomatoes, goat cheese with herbs, salmon, chicken breast, mango juice and chocolates. Dinners were equally superb.

And then there was the horse ride: magnificent horses and even more magnificent “baqueanos” (cowboys) accompanying us — especially the incomparable Manual. It goes without saying there is also the ever-changing yet always breath-taking terrain, from pampas to forests, glaciers, crystal clear lakes and the mountains of Torres del Paine. I shall never forget our first full-throated gallop across the pampas, the ground disappearing beneath us as if in a fast-forward movie. (And then there was the time when my horse decided to jump over the mud rather than walk through it…)

Even now, weeks later, I laugh in amazement at all that we did and how this desk-bound mother from the dairy state of Wisconsin survived her fantasy as a cowgirl adventurer. My enduring thanks to Andre, Gonzalo, Manual, and Oleman. And last, but not least, thanks to Angelo, who makes the best campside “flaming banana” I have ever had in my life and who returned my daughter safe and sound from a night of disco-hopping and dancing in Puerto Natales. — Barbara Miner, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A., November 2004 (e-mail: barbaraminer@ameritech.net)

Barbara Miner

November 2004

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