Trail Blazer Magazine: Eco-Friendly Adventures on Horseback- February 2006

by: Darley Newman

Looking for a vacation that allows you to feel good about being active while also being an active minded, responsible traveler? Consider booking your next horseback riding vacation with a ranch or outfitter who offers eco-friendly rides. Ecotourism is a relatively new travel trend which allows vacationers to help conserve the environment and improve the lives of the local people.

South America is a growing hotspot for ecotourism, and outfitters in the United States are making efforts to invest in this increasingly popular movement. On an eco-friendly horseback riding adventure, you can enjoy the rainforests, mountain trails, canyons and creek beds, and leave knowing that the next generation can enjoy them too.

Timote Gaucho Rides, Uruguay: Share daily rides and life with native families and gauchos (cowboys) as you ride on purebred Uruguayan Criollo horses across the rolling hills and grasslands in the Timote Region of Uruguay. Annie Hareau, an environmental expert, and Ricardo Bonner, a horseman with intimate knowledge of the Timote land and people, lead small groups of 3 to 10 riders on 8 day all-inclusive adventures, three to four times per year. Each trip is designed to communicate the silent wisdom and respect that the gauchos have for the land and nature. Activities along the trek include working with cattle, sheep shearing, folk music festivals, touring local towns and cantering across the pampas. Riders spend 6 to 7 hours in the saddle each day. Each night is spent in a different traditional estancia (ranch), sharing meals and entertainment with local families. Timote Gaucho Rides is a member of the International Ecotourism Society and was recently declared a National Tourist Interest in Uruguay for its work in creating jobs for local people in their region. Visit October to mid-December, and late February to mid-April. Price: 7-nights $1500 to $2100, all inclusive except for airfare and airport taxes. www.gaucho-ride.com

Hacienda La Alegria, Ecuador: At this family run farm located 25 miles South of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, chose from a variety of 2 to 10 day rides through the mountains, forests and paramo (high grasslands) of the Andes Mountains on hardy, mixed Criollo horses. Gabriel Espinosa, a fourth generation equestrian, guides riders on well-trained and well-loved horses to the nearby Cloud Forest, an endangered rainforest containing one of the most bio-diverse habitats in the world. Ecuador is home to the largest number of bird species on the planet. You are sure to see Condors, hummingbirds and other wildlife on your eco-adventure. Riders also venture along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, a picturesque valley between the Eastern and Western Andes Mountain ranges, participate in a cattle round-up and visit with chagras or Ecuadorian cowboys in nearby towns. Nights are spent by the fire in a traditional Franco-Italian style hacienda. Visitors welcome year round. Prices range depending on the trip. Six days all inclusive Avenue of the Volcanoes ride is $900. http://www.haciendalaalegria.com/

Cascada Expeditions, Chile: Spend nights in space age, igloo like domes in the first EcoCamp in Patagonia and enjoy days with baqueanos (Chilean cowboys) who have spent generations navigating the hidden passes of this isolated region of breathtaking hot springs, glaciers and wildflowers. Cascada Expeditions leads riders on experienced treks through The Torres del Paine National Park, a World Biosphere Reserve in Patagonia that they are helping sustain through their environmentally friendly “leave no tracks” EcoCamp. Other riding adventures include exploring Easter Island, and trekking over the Andes Mountains along the same route that the Spanish conquistadors took 500 years ago. Trips range from 1 to 12 days and are always led by local horsemen with an intimate knowledge of the land and nature, along with an English speaking guide. Participants spend at least 5 hours a day in the saddle. Price range: 1 to 7 days, $265 to $2750. 12 day prices range. http://www.cascada-expediciones.com

Darley Newman is the host and producer of the equestrian travel television series “Equitrekking®.” For more information and video clips visit www.equitrekking.com.