IT-ECRT06
Rates include: 8 overnights at six highland haciendas and 1 night at a mountain campsite, 9 days of riding, all meals featuring delicious gourmet foods and wines, chaps, ponchos etc.
10 days/ 9 nights  $ 1,795      
2008 Dates:
02/14-02/23    03/13-03/22    05/15-05/24
06/12-06/21    07/17-07/26    08/14-08/23
09/04-09/13    10/16-10/25    11/04-11/13
12/11-12/20
  availability & reservations

Level:         Intermediate
Pace:         With trots, canters and gallops
Tack:         Western, McClellan, Argentinian,
                  Chilean, and English
Horses:      Andean Criolo, Pinto and
                  Paso Andalusian, Quarter-cross
Meeting:   Quito Airport or Hotel
Airport:     Quito
Transfer:   Included with 2+ riders at the same time,  for only 1 person  $50 per person return
Pace:          Moderate, trots and few canters
Min/Max Riders:  3-12
Note: Riders should have a good fitness level. Your help in cleaning and saddling the horses is required.

Itinerary
Day 0: Acclimatization day   (+$75)
Transfer from airport to the Sangolqui valley in the southern outskirts of Quito. Your stop is in the first highland hacienda of the circuit: Hacienda La Carriona. A forty minute drive, from the busy city to a vast green valley surrounded by mountain peaks from the Andean ranges, will take you to this luxury hotel and home of its host Fernando Becdach. Your suite, decorated comfortably to savour a family environment of the historical haciendas in the highlands also offers a modern bathroom with all necessary utilities. Immaculate garden lined with Jacaranda trees invite the guest to wonder around and discover peace and harmony away from the hustle and bustle of Quito. Its location, on the outskirts of Quito, is ideal for quick access to Quito’s historical centre, birth place of the first and most important colonial art school in South America. You are perfectly well situated at La Carriona to begin your ride in the central highlands through which you will be riding for the remainder of the circuit. Upon your arrival, you will be offered a guided tour in the colonial heart of Quito, or you may choose to spend the rest of the day relaxing by the heated pool, in the sauna, or simply enjoying the beauty of the hacienda and its history.
Day 1: Viudita  & adaptation to horses and altitude
Riding time is approx. 4 hrs                       
Early in the morning you will be transferred from Hacienda La Carriona or the hotel of your choice to Hacienda Alegria. The host will acquaint visitors with his hacienda and then take them to the arena to  try out the horses and make sure each rider feels comfortable on his saddle and horse.  A 4 hour ride to the Viudita mountain is scheduled in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the weather. Lunch time will vary.
From its top you will be able to enjoy a spectacular sunset view of the volcano avenue, your riding area for the following days. Native moorland vegetation enriched with the humidity that rises from the coast provides the most unbelievable landscape and view of Quito and its surrounding valleys of  Machachi, Pifo, and Puembo. This mountain is a perfect fit for a first day ride on Ecuador’s highlands. In the evening, riders will return to Hacienda La Alegria for dinner served in a cozy environment with a warm fireplace.  You may later enjoy our bar and listen to the old farm tales. The Hacienda was build in 1910 in Franco Italian Style and has been renovated and restored and is surrounded by beautiful gardens with colourful flowers and native trees, including some species in danger of extinction such as the wax palm. Most rooms have private bathroom and fireplaces. There will be plenty of time to relax in front of the fire place after an incredible day on the saddle.
Day 2: Pasochoa or Atacazo Mountain 
Riding time approx. 5 hrs
Early wake up, take a comforting hot shower followed by a nutritious breakfast in order to get ready for our 5+ hour journey to the Pasochoa mountain which is the mountain you will be able to see from the front garden of Hacienda La Alegria. Riding up to the borders of this volcano allows riders to appreciate all native forest species in the valley of Machachi such as wax palm, podocarpus, Aliso, as well as the Pasochoa Natural Park and peaks up to 4200 mts. Snack at Pasochoa, option to have one hour trekking at the natural reserve and back to Hacienda La Alegria for dinner and over night. Opportunity for canter.  Dinner will be served in a cozy dining room with a fire place and the food is wholesome home cooked from local crops. The Hacienda is made of adobe and stone, its walls are over 80 cm thick!! Lots of character. La Alegria also gives you the opportunity to be part of the country life and learn about its culture. The Hacienda has a large working cattle farm with nearly 250 head of cattle producing dairy products. So for those who want to give it a try you can help milking the cows or feeding the calves, or try lassoing a bull.
Day 3: Cloud Forest
Riding time 5 hrs                          
After breakfast you will take a ride at the arena to get sure you feel comfortable with the horse you will be riding. Then we will start our ride to “Monte Oscuro” west side of  the hacienda, where you will witness a completely different environment in the Reserve, also be able to observe an exciting change of vegetation in just a short time. After 2 ½ hours of riding up to 3.500 mts on a native tundra vegetation landscape, we will start to descend towards the coast and experience an incredible sub-tropical vegetation from the western mountain chain. We will have a typical Ecuadorian meal at a farm located in the cloud forest; appreciate the exotic ecosystem. We will see a great variety of orchids while we are riding through the primary forest, also giant guneras, natural ferns (the oldest specie of the world), moss and bromeliads covering trees and high altitude bamboo which offers an amazing scenery. Listen to fascinating tales of farmer’s remote life (more than 25 years in the forest); learn about medicinal plants and trees. In the afternoon we will ride to the “Monte Oscuro” where we will spend the night and have a warm comforting and relaxing dinner. On clear evenings we can see the mountain chain that ends at the coast and some reflection of the coast villages lights.
DAY 4: Corazon Volcano
Riding time  6 hrs
Breakfast early in the morning, our ride will be climbing towards the east through a high altitude forest up to the rocks of the Corazon mountain, this majestic mountain overlooks the Aloag valley and its beautiful environment. You will have a wonderful ride exploring the landscape of the haciendas, and the tundra paths up to the base of the mountain (4.300 mts). We will pass by a steep sandy path and continue down hill to the Aloag Valley, on the way we will have snack and continue to Hacienda La Alegria, where we will have a late lunch. Ride back to Hacienda La Alegria feeling overwhelmed by all the beauty and your personal feat. This is your opportunity to canter back to the relaxing warmth of the hacienda.
Day 5: Machachi Valley to Ruminahui and Cotopaxi National Park
Riding time is about 7 hours
We start our ride from Hacienda La Alegria,  towards the south of Machachi. Enter the slopes of Ruminahui upwards to Panzaleo through the sandy hills next to the rock, where the magnificent Cotopaxi presents the most imposing scenery. You will also be surrounded by the Corazon, Ilinizas, Sincholagua mountains, and the different valleys providing a perfect spot to take a break for lunch at 4200 mts.
In the afternoon we continue surrounding the  Ruminahui rocks and slopes up to Limpiopungo lake, part of the Cotopaxi valley, late afternoon we arrive to a  cozy lodge (Tambopaxi)  for dinner, hot shower, spend a warm  and resting night (3700mts high). Next day early in the morning you would be able to appreciate the  incredible view of the Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcano in the world just in front of us.
Day 6: Cotopaxi Park to Vicious Valley
Riding time ~ 5+ hrs
After breakfast we continue the ride in the Cotopaxi valley. Good opportunity to canter. During part of the ride we will cross terrain that resembles a lunar surface and pass the “Pucara” Incas ruins and Santo Domingo Lake. We will have a snack at the Chirimachay waterfront and descend to the Vicious Valley, a canyon formed by the Cotopaxi lava flow route and ride among the herds of wild horses, fox, deer and birds in the area. The largest, high-altitude Haciendas are situated in this valley. Its spectacular chagra traditions and farm life will enchant you from the moment you reach it’s premises. This afternoon provides an excellent opportunity to take pictures and admire this vast, widespread region that has preserved endangered animal habitats.
We stay at Hacienda El TAMBO; one of the beautiful haciendas (TAMBO a Quechua word meaning station) nestled in a spectacular valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, connected to the rest of civilization only by a seasonal track winding through the mountains. The current structure is on a site that has had a tambo since the days of the Incas. It is built in the traditional stone style and is extremely picturesque with its straw roof. The interior is rustic and comfortable, and there is always a roaring log fire to welcome visitors.
Day 7: Vicious Valley and Surroundings Riding time 5+ hours
While riding south through the Chagras trail, at the distance you can observe the Latacunga valley, the flower plantations, and pine forests that surround the Cotopaxi. After this pleasing ride, we will arrive to Hacienda Chalupas, a rustic hacienda, where overnight accommodations are waiting for you and your team of riders and horses. Enjoy your evening next to a warm campfire and a delightful dinner which the Chagras (cowboys) will share with you.
Day 8:  Quilindana Verde Cocha and Yanahurco   5+ riding hours
Breakfast and depart traveling along the Quilindana high ridges surrounding the local mountains near where condors nest. Ride along the shoreline of small lakes. We will cross the Vicious Valley and arrive to Hacienda Yanahurco where we can visit the spectacled bear project. Hopefully we can meet Beto, Colleen, Rosita, or Marcia on wild. The white-tailed deer will be close to our horses. We will spend the night at Hacienda Yanahurco.
Day 9:  Yanahurco Hacienda La Carriona
5+ riding hours
After bidding a sad farewell to the hacienda hospitable cowboys we ride further north towards the spectacular snowy cone of Antisana. We ride across a truly awe-inspiring country which lies between Quilindana, Cotopaxi, and Sincholagua. While travelling through the open countryside of these 100.000 hectare Haciendas we will enjoy the romance of the land as we can observe condors, wolves, rabbits and wild bulls that punctuate the grass lands. Wild horses at Cotopaxi Antisana 5755 mts. We will have a snack on the EL Salto Hill, and in the distance we will see the valley of the Hacienda Antisana among the mountains of Loma Gorda.
In the meadows we will gallop at the highest altitude (4000 mts) and our horses will demonstrate their strength and stamina after 9 days of riding through tough terrain.
José Delgado, the owner of the Hacienda Antisana, will give you a warm welcome at his centennial house with a highland herbal tea called “sunfo”. Before lunch we bid farewell to our horses that have accompanied us through 9 days of wilderness. You will be served a delicious genuine Ecuadorian lunch in the hacienda dining room decorated with wolf, deer, bear, tapir hide and condor wings. Riders can take a walk to view part of the 6000 head of sheep on the farm, as well as to observe birds endemic to the area such a “Bandurria” the black-faced ibis and the Ecuadorian hill star hummingbird. You may also see condors and the “chupil”, a typical duck found in Mica Lake.In the afternoon we will return to the Sangolqui Valley, encountering more birds and wildlife in the vast countryside and spend the night where we began our adventure, Hacienda La Carriona.
Day 10: Departure after breakfast.

Climate: The temperatures in the Ecuadorian highlands are in the 70s and 80 all year.

Meals: Gourmet international and some delicious national food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch box for day  four only. 
Not Included: Additional drinks, airport Tax, Tips.