Horseback riding high in the Chilean Andes near Santiago, custom vacations, day trips & rides

pictures of rides on horseback in the Andes close to Santiago
Horse Riding in Chile next to Santiago

Take a riding trip into the Chilean countryside outside of Santiago for a day, or a few days, riding trails into the high Andes mountains on horseback. The perfect activity vacation – get away from it all to mountain streams, lakes and flowers. This is horse riding at its most magnificent with small groups and tailor-made tours. It might be a day out snatched from a business trip or a conference in the city; a day or two’s horse trek as part of a longer holiday in Chile; or a full riding holiday of a week or more. All our riding tours are customised and we can fetch you from Santiago. No one does it better.

riding tour in the high andes with Horse Riding Chile near Santiago

Ride on top of the world next to Santiago

email: ridingsantiago@gmail.com •  Tel:(569) 88272304

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El Avion Ride

This ride is so named because an aeroplane crashed into the side of the mountain in 1965, leaving no survivors. The passengers were local taxi-drivers and bus owners going for an expedition. There are[more about this ride]

Short Trip

Camping in the mountains gets you closer to nature and has its special delights. We offer from one night/2days to four or five days going out from El Toyo in spring and early summer, or from the same [more about this ride]

Family Expeditions

Taking children on rides into the mountains is a huge pleasure to families, but it is more difficult and with more risk and extra responsibility. For this reason prefer to take children over 7 years o[more about this ride]

Marmolejo Ride

This ride involves negotiating rivers which adds a touch of drama even though they are not difficult to cross and the horses, once again, are familiar with the terrain. Then a ride up, first through a[more about this ride]

Long Trip

We take rides of a week or more in summer, going out into the high cordillera from a campsite around 2000 metres. From here there are many different day’s ride to choose from. You can do them al[more about this ride]

Glacier Ride

The Morado Natonial Park of Chile, accessed from Bano Morales, is famous for its red river and its glacier. Many tourists visit it, but we take a different approach, where you will see almost nobody e[more about this ride]

One Day Ride

The most popular 1 day ride goes out from our parcela in El Toyo, just over an hour’s drive from Santiago. It winds up through native Chilean trees and follows along the top edge of a river vall[more about this ride]

Valle Engorda Ride

This is a more gentle day’s riding, with nothing very steep or difficult, although the river is crossed twice on horseback. The valley is full of flowers and there are horses and cattle grazing.[more about this ride]

Fossil Lake Ride

This is the most challenging ride as although it is not difficult or dangerous, it is a steep climb, not advised if you suffer from vertigo. The horses do not find it hard but they need to rest from t[more about this ride]

Refugio Plantal Ride

Some of our visitors have voted this the best ride of all. It starts from the Valle Engorda and goes up steeply through what is known as the funnel (embudado)- a narrow steep gorge- and emerges at a p[more about this ride]

Horse Riding Chile overview

Riding up on horseback from our parcela in El Toyo, Cajon del Maipo

Rides in the cordillera and pre-cordillera

A camping trip on horseback in the pre-cordillera takes us up high and the beauty is as unexpected and spectacular as in the high Andes, but the scenery is beautiful in a different way. We reach rugged rocky parts, but much of the scenery also has wonderful trees and bushes, cacti and exotic plants. There are streams and pools rather than lakes at this level. It is less cold at night and we can also provide day rides, which are popular with people looking to get an experience of the Andes in a day out from the busy and hectic pace of Santiago.

Vacations in Chile riding on horseback in the Andes

A day in the country ride, going up on horseback from our parcela in El Toyo, Cajon del Maipo

Rides in the high Andes, the ‘alta cordillera’

Rides on horseback in the high cordillera of the Andes in Chile start up there at over 2000 metres (6,500 feet), with no long preliminary trail up through the pre-cordillera. The views are always spectacular and, depending on the time of year, you will also find myriad exotic wild flowers, snow and always water to bathe and refresh after the day’s riding, whether it be an ice blue lake or rushing streams. The beauty is truly indescribable. In all of time very few people have been there before, even though now, in addition to the local arrieros, or horsemen, a few intrepid tourists are beginning to find this place. There are mountaineers and walkers, but horse riding is the pleasantest and easiest way to access these high mountains, where there are nearly always trails, made in the ancient of days by arrieros (horsemen) driving for cattle to and from Argentina, and riding up to care for the horses which are pastured there.
For some time mountaineers, solitary and on foot, have been exploring these mountains, sometimes to practice before an expedition to Everest. Now it is possible to go on horseback and experience the same contact with nature at its wildest and most inspiring, and also at its most beautiful and reassuring.
In addition to riding in the Andes, you can walk and have your baggage and equipment carried for you. We have a service for mountaineers in January and February.

Harse riding chile in the andes

Crossing a deep river on horseback in the mountains near Santiago

The paths and horse riding trails in the Andes

The paths and trails are sometimes steep but our horses are bred in the mountains and are sure-footed and strong. They are well looked after and well fed and have no difficulty with the steepness, even with a heavy load on board. The skill of the horses, and the unimaginable beauty of the landscape, is such that the rides are fascinating and entertaining for advanced and less experienced riders alike, even though we rarely go out of a walk. We offer camping or hotel alternatives, or a mixture of the two, since although the tracks are remote there is a dirt road to a small nearby mountain resort, Bano Morales, where there is also a national park with some good walking.

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The horse rides – length and difficulty:

Rides in the high Andes can be for anything from one to seven days, or even up to two weeks if required. We have a heavenly campsite in a ‘vega’ (green meadow) by a little river, with flowers, birds and the occasional fox and condor to accompany you. We have cooks who will provide a delicious evening meal, around the camp fire, after a pleasant day followed perhaps by a bathe in the small nearby lake. Most of the rides can go out from this one place with no need to keep changing campsites, although for longer rides we might need to change occasionally. Also, there is a small, clean, simple hotel accessible from where the rides start out, so that visitors who prefer not to camp can sleep there.

We can tailor the rides to be long or short, more or less challenging and all variations according to your taste. Because the mountain paths are often steep and the terrain is rugged, we rarely go out of a walk. The rides are still exciting and fascinating, because of the nature of the mountains, the paths and the incredible views which cannot be accessed in any other way, unless you are a mountaineer.

mountain pool in El Toyo

A nice spot for a dip after a hot ride up on horseback

Camping at 2000 metres in a secret valley

We pitch camp in a little green valley crossed by a small river and many little streams. The valley is full of birds and flowers and is a delight in itself. Close by there is a small lake where you can bathe after a the ride. Evenings can be spent walking around to look at flowers , or relaxing with a book on our camp chairs, glancing up from time to time to see the hummingbirds gathering nearby in the evening light. They behave like flycatchers and hover near us catching the few insects that survive up there, rather than sipping from flowers as they do down below.

The camp site is so delightful, and the daily rides can so easily be tailored to individual needs – longer or shorter, more or less difficult – that this place would be suitable for a family with children. Parents need to be aware that the cordillera de Los Andes is not a country club park, and there are dangers, but our guides are experienced and careful so that the pleasure of a campsite, barbecues, lassooing and managing horses and mules and so forth, could give enormous pleasure to children. Not to mention riding out to a glacier, or crossing easy rivers on horseback. This is the perfect holiday on horseback.
It is difficult to think of a vacation which could help you relax, free you from pressures and stress, more effectively than riding in the cordillera – the mountain chain – of the central Andes. Easy access from Santiago and its international airport. A holiday which combines extreme location and activity with the relief and relaxation that comes form being well looked-after and cared for, surrounded by the most incredible beauties of nature.

tents in a high encampment

El Clarillo the secret camping ground

Riding Season for the high Andes rides: Longer rides with camping are usually only possible in the 3 months from January to early March.

Riding out on horseback from Bano Morales, a spa in the Chilean Andes, there is a choice of incomparably beautiful rides for your vacation.

There are six complete days’ riding to choose from, plus, if you enjoy camping in the high mountains alongside sparkling streams, accompanied by flowers and birds, two days’ extra riding, up to the camp site and down again.

The individual rides are listed below, and you can choose any mix and match of the first five rides, plus camping. The eighth day’s riding goes in a different direction and we recommend spending the night before the trail in the local hotel.

It is impossible to say which day’s ride is more beautiful than another. All are magical, and very different from each other.

The first is a long ride, but one of the most popular, to the glacier and lake.  (El Morado Glacier).

Another is breath-takingly steep, although not difficult riding (La Rubilla). foto

Another is more pastoral, a valley full of flowers and cattle and horses grazing, with rivers to cross and high mountain scenery.(Valle Engorda).

The ride to Marmolejo base involves crossing rivers and sometimes we ride on snow. (Marmolejo)

The ride up to a refugio for mountaineers at the base of Volcan San Jose is steep but beautiful. (El Plantal)

The individual rides are described posts with accompanying photographs to help you choose. Also, if any member of the group does not wish to go on all the rides, the campsite is a lovely place to spend the day and so visitors have complete freedom to do what they like with their holiday- ride every day, or only on some days if they prefer. We can do shorter rides around the campsite, but still exciting, for families with children.

Email us for more information at ridingsantiago@gmail.com

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How to contact Horse Riding Chile and get a quote.

All our trips are bespoke and cater to your needs. We can organise most trips at short notice. Here is our mobile number for any urgent inquiries: 56 (9) 88272304 Please use the simple contact form b[more]

quote & information

Email ridingsantiago@gmail.com Website www.horseridingchile.com Telephone (569) 88272304 In addition to numbers of riders, where you would like to go and for how long, we ask: - Do you speak any Spani[more]

what customers say

“thank you for arranging our favorite day in Chile… Please continue to offer this high-quality opportunity for visitors.”
Jennifer who came with husband and 2 sons in August 2011. (1 day ride)

“Rigo was an excellent guide and very patient and understanding! I thought the scenery and weather made this a perfect trip!! Thanks again”
Claire, El Toyo August 2011. (1 day ride)

” The best thing about this company is that they offer CUSTOMISED TOURS. I laid out what I wanted (higher altitudes, further distance etc.) and they managed to organise a tour at very short notice.”
Derek, who went out riding in May 2011. (2 day ride)

“We had a fantastic experience horseriding in the Andes. One of the most amazing things I’ve ever done”
Isabelle, after vetinerary conference in Santiago. (1 day ride)

“I don’t know quite what I expected but it certainly wasn’t that! But perhaps the best 4 days of my life.”
Jack, aged 83, camping in El Toyo, sleeping under the stars. (4 days ride)

“The ride was one of the highlights of the last 10 years.”
Aaron Kolpelowitz riding in the high Andes. (5 day ride)

“Our day at the mountains was just amazing. I can’t describe what I felt that day”
From Luiz and Mari trip in El Toyo. (1 day ride)

“Great experience – absolutely one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life!”
Hanna who’d never been on a horse before. (2 day ride)

“We came for 2 nights and stayed 4 because we enjoyed ourselves so much”
Kim, Daniel and Liam in El Toyo, nights in Hostal.(4 days ride)

Full versions of our customers quotes can be found at Testimonials.

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