Horse riding holidays in the Chilean Andes, from
Bano Morales, cajon del Maipo near Santiago |
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Riding Season: Longer rides with camping are usually only possible in the 3 months from January to March. After a winter with little snow it might be possible in the second half of December. Shorter rides, or hotel based riding tours, are possible from November to April. It is important
to read the terms and conditions before booking a trip. |
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Ride VII, 7 days and 6 nights - level moderate to difficultDay 1, drive out from Santiago to Bano Morales from where we startThis is a gentle ride up to the campsite. We arrive in time to make camp and perhaps bathe before .a pisco sour round the fire. This is a 2 to 3 hour ride, easy but still beautiful and with a small river to cross. The idea is to have an easy day to set up camp, relax, get to know the guides, the horses and the place on day 1 Day 2 :Ride to the glacierThe Morado Natonal 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 except possibly a mountaineer. This approach is from the other side of the mountain, where the glacier is equally spectacular and where the red river begins its flow towards Bano Morales. The approach after a heavy winter is a ride over snow, while after a dry winter, or later in the season, there will be less snow. It is exciting and surprisingly easy to ride across the firm snow - the horses are used to the snow and have no problem - to the foot of the glacier where there is a lake, blue in late summer and frozen white in early summer. We picnic among dry rocks at the base and enjoy incredible views, both of the glacier and further up into the snow-clad mountains. Riding back gets us into camp in time to relax, read, bathe, play cards, photograph flowers or whatever, before a pisco sour and a hot evening meal in the delightful campsite where the horses are let loose to eat their fill of the rich grass. Day 3: Valle EngordaThis 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. As you ride further up the valley the flowers get more interesting and a final picnic near the water and below the steep mountain at the end of the valley makes a pleasant end before riding back down. Day 4: To the fossil lakeThis is the most challenging ride as although it is not difficult or dangerous, it is an immensely steep climb. The horses do not find it hard but they need to rest from time to time as we climb the altitude very rapidly. The ride up is past an incredible slab of cleancut stone, casting a dark shadow where it goes in front of the bright sun. When the horses reach the first ridge the view is almost unbelievable. You can actually see, as if reading a map, or a view from an aeroplane, all the routes of the other rides, including the campsite with its little river Clarillo meeting the red Morado river and the tents hard to pick out as they are so small. It is enough for some people to have arrived here, to picnic and look at the view, but the more energetic will want to carry on a short way further, over into the next valley. The last bit of the ride up from this ridge and over into an almost unknown mountain high valley is a little bit more difficult and for inexperienced riders it may be pleasanter to make the short climb on foot. But the view, the lake and the fossils are sufficient reward for the hardy adventurers who press on this far. Day 5: Ride to Refugio el PlantalSome 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 plateau with a 'vega' or meadow with cattle and goats and often baby animals of various kinds. Once we actually saw a kid being born. Then more climbing to a second vega with mares and foals and amazing views of all the high cordillera roundabout. The refugio itself is also fascinating. It is a stage for the climbers attempting Volcan San Jose. It was built by a family called Plantal and is always open, because once a climber was descending in a snowstorm, could not get into the refugio and died of exposure. The custom is always to leave a little food or something for future users.
Day 6: Pack up camp and ride down to Bano Morales to stay night in Refugio Valdes. Optional vist to hot springs ColinaDay 7: Ride up to El Avion from Refugio ValdesThis ride is so named because an aeroplane crashed into the side of the mountain in 1963, leaving no survivors. The passengers were local taxi-drivers and bus owners going for an expedition. There are fragments of aeroplane on the mountainside still, glinting glass on the rocks and a moving metal cross placed by the families of the dead. Apart from this historical interest it is a ride full of beauty, to a high point where there is a vega, or meadow. It would be possible to ride on up and the mountain known as the Diablo is accessed from here by mountaineers. The horse ride goes up quite steeply past banks of incredible flowers. These vary with the time of year but in January and February you should see wild alstromerias as well as ananucas (lily of the mountain) and myriad other flowers. Looking back we see the secret lake valley across the other side of the gorge and going down there is a bird's eye view of Bano Morales and the Refugio Lo Valdes where passed the night. Down to base and return by car to civilisation |
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** For photographs of these days, see the page detailing all the rides. ** For photographs of the campsite, see the page on the campsite |
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| Email: ridingsantiago@gmail.com | website: www.horseridingchile.com | |