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About Sacred Earth Travel
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Explore the many streams, hotsprings, waterfalls, lagoons and hidden passes of the high Andes on horseback. Travel through remote wilderness landscapes, over little traveled passes, where flora and fauna have remained much the same for hundreds of years. This is the home of mountain animals such as big condors and pumas (mountain lion). The vegetation is sparse, trees thin out as we approach the tree line on our ascend until we finally reach green summer pastures full of wild flowers and sparkling streams with deliciously clean drinking water.
This type of excursion is quite a bit less work than hiking and particularly appropriate for going long distances over rugged terrain. There is no other way to travel here and probably never will be.
The guides for these trips are "Arrieros", men who run cattle herds over the Andes and take them up to pasture after the spring snowmelts. As there are no roads or steady trails here, many have learned the routes from their fathers and grandfathers before them. You'll get most out of this trip if you have some knowledge of Spanish so you can understand their tales around the campfire. A musician will probably travel with us to liven up the evenings with folk songs.
Itinerary 1: El Colorado Ride - 2 daysEarly transfer from Santiago to the Canyon of the Colorado River. About 50 km from Santiago, in a spectacular landscape setting, we leave civilization and start our horseback riding trip. We will be accompanied by arrieros, local horsemen, who know the geography of the region by heart. For about 2 hrs we ascend through the gentle hills of the Precordillera until we reach the plateau of "Las Ramadas". Here we find a kind of 'extinct oasis', a brook with water pools and a small refuge with bathrooms and terrace. The perfect place to set up our camp! The rest of the day we will explore the beautiful and diverse landscape on horseback, marvelling at the varied flora and fauna at this altitude.
Overnight camping. (BL, D)
We continue exploring the area on horseback, enjoying the sparkling mountain streams, crystal clear pools, splendid valleys and pastures full of flowers. In the early afternoon we depart and return to our starting point. The scenery during the ride are breathtaking offering panoramic views of the entire area.
Evening transfer back to your hotel in Santiago. (B, L-)
| September - May | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants: | 2 | 3 | 4-6 | 7-9 |
| Rate per person US$: | US$592 | US$498 | US$472 | US$395 |
Rates may change without prior notice. Lower rates available for larger groups.
For further information and booking inquiries please send us and e-mail.
Day 1: Santiago - Lo ValdesEarly transfer from Santiago to Lo Valdes. This small mountain village lies at the foot of a spectacular mountain cirque with dramatic rock formations around and vertical plaques that drop over a crushing river. We meet the guide and horses and after some basic riding instructions, we start riding along an old mining road that leads us up to a hidden valley that reveals a fabulous view of hanging glacier. The Morado National Park of Chile, accessed from Lo Valdes (also known as Baños Morales), is famous for its red river and its glacier. Many tourists visit it, but we take a different approach, where we will barely see anyone else except possibly a mountaineer. After a heavy winter this approach will be through snow, while after a dry winter, or later in the season, there will be less snow. We ride 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 snow-covered peaks. We return to our camp in time to relax, read, bathe, play cards, photograph flowers to our heart's content. We settle into our campfire scene with a pisco sour and a hot evening meal while the horses are let loose to eat their fill of the rich grass. If the night is clear we will marvel at the night sky, glinting with the light of thousand's of stars.
Overnight camping. (BL, D)
We depart to La Engorda valley. This is a gentler ride, with no very steep or difficult pasages, although we'll cross the river twice on horseback. The valley offers an idyllic scene flower carpeted meadows sprinkled with grazing cattle and horses. We'll enjoy a final picnic at the top end of the valley near the water and below the steep mountain before riding back down. Evening transfer back to your hotel in Santiago.
(B, BL)
| September - May | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants: | 2 | 3 | 4-6 | 7-9 |
| Rate per person US$: | US$789 | US$616 | US$573 | US$439 |
Rates may change without prior notice. Lower rates available for larger groups.
For further information and booking inquiries please send us and e-mail.
Day 1: Early transfer from Santiago to Lo ValdesThis small mountain village lies at the foot of a spectacular mountain cirque with dramatic rock formations around and vertical plaques that drop over a crushing river. We meet the guide and horses and after some basic riding instructions, we start riding along an old mining road that leads us up to a hidden valley that reveals a fabulous view of hanging glacier. The Morado National Park of Chile, accessed from Lo Valdes (also known as Banos Morales), is famous for its red river and its glacier. Many tourists visit it, but we take a different approach, where we will barely see anyone else except possibly a mountaineer. After a heavy winter this approach will be through snow, while after a dry winter, or later in the season, there will be less snow. We ride 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 snow-covered peaks. We return to our camp in time to relax, read, bathe, play cards, photograph flowers to our heart's content. We settle into our campfire scene with a pisco sour and a hot evening meal while the horses are let loose to eat their fill of the rich grass. If the night is clear we will marvel at the night sky, glinting with the light of thousand's of stars.
Overnight camping. (BL, D)
This ride is a little challenging, as we negotiate rivers, adding a touch of drama - though they are not difficult to cross and the horses are familiar with the terrain. From here we'll ascend, first through a flower carpeted valley and then over patches of snow (depending on the season) to a rocky picnic spot with a fantastic view of Marmolejo mountain. Once again, we ride down on time to relax and enjoy the late afternoon at our campsite. We spend the evening at the campfire and listen to the sounds of nature around us.
Overnight camping at the basecamp. (B, BL, D)
We depart to La Engorda valley. This is a gentler ride, with no very steep or difficult pasages, although we'll cross the river twice on horseback. The valley offers an idyllic scene flower carpeted meadows sprinkled with grazing cattle and horses. We'll enjoy a final picnic at the top end of the valley near the water and below the steep mountain before riding back down. Evening transfer back to your hotel in Santiago.
(B, BL)
| September - May | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants: | 2 | 3 | 4-6 | 7-9 |
| Rate per person US$: | US$1052 | US$804 | US$755 | US$620 |
Rates may change without prior notice. Lower rates available for larger groups.
For further information and booking inquiries please send us and e-mail.
