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Transfer from the colonial city La Serena to the Hacienda where you will stay in comfortable colonial style rooms with private bathroom. Dinner at the fireplace.

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Breakfast buffet and meeting of the team. Discussing the tour. You will get to know your Criollo horse and the Chilean riding style (similar to the Western style). Riding tour through the gentle valley Rio Hurtado finally reaching an idyllic mountain village. Picnic in the garden of the Plaza. Returning to the Hacienda through the amazing Andean landscape, passing cacti-covered hills, breathtaking views. Dinner in front of the fireplace. Overnight at the Hacienda.

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Andean breakfast: home made bread, local goats cheese, sausage and fresh eggs. Starting from the oasis which is at an altitude of 2000 metres, we ride along the historic mule path of the gold diggers up to the Andes. We are surrounded by a gigantic panorama, tremendous overlook and untouched nature. Lunch break at a spring. In the afternoon it takes us through a canyon to the Rio Hurtado. In the evening we reach the goat herd village Las Breas where we camp beside the river and have a romantic campfire.

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Breakfast with a family. After meeting the local people we continue our tour. The track winds through the wide Andean valley passing small, idyllic villages. Picnic in a small village inn. Returning to the Hacienda you will encounter shepherds paths. Dinner and overnight stay at the Hacienda.

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Big breakfast buffet. Today, we take you out to another adventure with our horses: the Inca-Trail. We cross two passes and visit the amazing cave drawings of the Molle Indians who lived with the Inca. You will be inspired by a totally different landscape than before: wide Andean plateau’s, small valleys, natural meadows and animals. Picnic lunch. We pass the colourful sierra and in the evening we are guests at a 120 years old, plain pioneer farm. Overnight stay in tents beside the mountain stream. Camp fire, meeting local people and listening to their interesting stories.

We ride up to an altitude of 11000 feet (4000 metres) and we will enjoy the most different landscapes which the great Andes offer. This is not a big group tour, I offer this private team-riding excursion into the wilderness only for a maximum of four riders. All services, even packing food and accommodating special wishes, will be personal and have an individual character.

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Transfer from La Serena airport to the Hacienda in Río Hurtado. You will stay in comfortable colonial style rooms with private bathroom, dine at candle light and enjoy the crystal-clear sky at night with hundreds of stars.

Have a look at the Hacienda Los Andes.

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After breakfast we get in touch with the sure-footed Chilean Criollo horses and I will introduce you to the riding style (similar to the Western style). In the late morning we leave the Hacienda and take you out through the spectacular sierra’s and mountains to the oasis Maiten. Overnight in tents, dinner at the campfire.

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After breakfast with home-made bread and local goats cheese we leave the sierra Maiten and climb on horseback up to 9000 feet into the remoteness of civilisation. We continue through the colourful Andes to reach the Valley Sicco and an isolated pioneer style farm, where we will meet the last family before we continue into the outback the next day. While enjoying dinner together with the hospitable goat herd family you will be exposed to a fantastic mountain landscape impression.
 

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Early in the morning, because on this day we will have a long lunch break, we are riding into the world of the famous condors. When we reach the pass Laguna, you will see an incredible panorama, sitting 17000 feet high in the saddle, and in front of you countless mountains and no human beings. Here we have a 3 hour lunch break and our sure-footed horses deserve this break, too. This spectacular scenery will continue when we reach the green valley with the crystal-clear river of San Augustin, a view that will exceed your expectations. We ride down to 7500 feet (2500 metres) and camp at the Andean river Río Hurtado.

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Today riders and horses have a day to rest. Not because the days behind us have been very hard, but it would be a pity to leave this wonderful valley in the middle of the Andes that early. You have time for easy hikes to watch the wildlife and treasure the beautiful mountain scenery, you can take a sun bath or have a swim in the river which is in front of our campsite.

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This day, if you haven’t experienced it by yourself, is an unbelievable excursion. First we ride through a colourful canyon and then we climb up with our horses to an altitude at 13500 feet (4500 metres). But this is not the end of the story. Here the untouched nature designs for us horseback riders an outstanding situation. The whole day we will continue our ride on top of the tremendous Andean mountain range. To your left and right, hundreds of kilometres of endless mountains and valleys. Most of the time the condors will fly below you. In the evening we camp at a fig tree garden in Maiten, a small sierra oasis with a nature pool.

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In the morning we leave this outpost Maiten and we ride into the sierra of Cerro Gigante. We pass beautiful planes, great canyons and valleys which are surrounded by the gigantic Andes. After five hours we reach the evergreen valley of Río Hurtado. The Hacienda is our host for a comfortable overnight stay and delicious local food. You can pamper yourself in the sauna or jacuzzi, have a swim in the river or just relax in the palm tree garden.  

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