The hacienda house was built in 1911 alongside the railroad which was being built at the same time. Built in Franco-Italian style, the original features and beautiful gardens with colorful flowers and native trees remain today.  The house was built in the middle of an extensive dairy farming region, originally encompasing 600 hectares.  Its wide adobe walls (85 cm) were constructed on rock bases.  The inside walls are still decorated with wallpaper of the period and the front windows of blue, yellow, green and red contrast the yellow exterior and green of the gardens.  The columns in the entrances to the house and corrals are made with pumice stone (volcanic stone) that was brought from the Cotopaxi volcano.

Your hosts is the family home of the Espinosas. Your host Gabriel comes from a long tradition of equestrian sports. His grandfather bred racing horses close to Quito and his father, Renato Espinosa was a keen polo player. Gabriel followed in the same footsteps as a young man, horse-jumping and playing competitive polo. The hacienda is full of fascinating equestrian heirlooms, including antique side-saddles, cattle brands and traditional "Chagra" (Andean cowboy) tack.

Gabriel and Paty's three daughters are all keen riders, and the enthusiasm of the whole family is reflected in the quality of the horses at the farm.

The weather permits riding all year round. The rainy season is now October-November but it is rather unpredictable, meaning it doesnt rain every day. We have a lot of tourists this months and they seem to enjoy their rides. We have plenty of rain gear.

HACIENDA LA ALEGRIA AND VIUDITA MOUNTAIN
Difficulty level 2 Riding time 4+hrs

Early in the morning you will be transferred from Hacienda La Carriona (or your hotel) to Hacienda La Alegria. Gabriel Espinosa, Algeria’s “patron”, will acquaint visitors to his hacienda and 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 theViudita Mountain is scheduled in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the weather. Snack at the mountain and lunch at the hacienda. From its top (at the afternoon) 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,

PASOCHOA OR ATACAZOMOUNTAIN AND FARMS
Difficulty level 2 Riding time 6+hrs

Wake up early with a comforting, hot shower followed by a nutritious breakfast in order to get ready for our 6+ hour journey to the PasochoaMountain visible 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 PasochoaNaturalPark with peaks up to 4230 mts. We will enjoy a snack at Pasochoa with the option to have one hour trekking at the natural reserve and then ride back to Hacienda La Alegria for dinner and over night. This ride provides many opportunities to canter. Pasochoa 4230 mts

CLOUD FOREST
Difficulty level 3 Riding time 5+hrs

Cloud forest & fern tree Ilinizas (5266mts) and Corazon 4786mts.After breakfast we will ride in the arena to make sure you feel comfortable with the horse you will be riding. We will then start our ride to “Monte Oscuro” on the west side of the hacienda, where you will witness a completely different environment in the Reserve and have the opportunity to experience 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 the incredible sub-tropical vegetation from the western mountain chain. We will have a typical Ecuadorian meal at a farm located in the cloud forest and take time to appreciate the exotic ecosystem. We will see a great variety of orchids while we are riding through the primary forest as well as giant guneras, natural ferns (the oldest species of the world), mosses, and bromeliads covering trees and high altitude bamboo which is amazing scenery. We will listen to fascinating tales of the farmer’s remote life (more than 25 years in the forest) and learn about medicinal plants and trees. In the afternoon we will ride to the “Monte Oscuro” where we will spend the night in a tent at 3200 mts. And have a warm, comforting and relaxing dinner. On a clear evening you will see the mountain chain that ends at the coast and reflections of with coastal villages.

Corazon volcano
Difficulty level 2 Riding time 6+hrs From Corazon mountain to Alegria

We will have an early breakfast and our ride will climb toward the east through a high altitude forest to the rocks of the Corazon mountain. This majestic mountain overlooks the Aloa gvalley and its beautiful surroundings.You will have a wonderful ride exploring the landscape of the haciendas and the tundra paths up tothe base of the mountain (4.300 mts). We will pass by a steep rocky path and continue downhill to the Aloag Valley. Along the way we will have a snack and continue to Hacienda La Alegria, where we will have a late lunch. You will ride back to Hacienda La Alegria feeling overwhelmed by all the beauty and your ride. This is your opportunity to canter back to the relaxing warmth of the hacienda.

MACHACHIVALLEY TO RUMINAHUI AND COTOPAXINATIONAL PARK
Difficulty Level 3 Riding time 7hrs

We start our ride from Hacienda La Alegria, and head to the south of Machachi. We enter the slopes of Ruminahui and head upwards to Panzaleo through the sandy hills where the magnificent Cotopaxi volcano presents the most imposing scenery. You will be surrounded by the Corazon, Ilinizas, and 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 Limpiopungolake, part of the Cotopaxi valley. Late afternoonwe arrive at a cozy lodge (Tambopaxi) for dinner and a hot shower and spend a warm and restful night at 3700 mts. The next day you will be able to appreciate the incredible view of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world right in front of us. Cotopaxi5897mts Limpiopungo lake

COTOPAXINational Park to Vicious Valley
Difficulty level 3 Riding time 5+hr
Cotopaxi valley 3800 mts- Chagrashut sto domingo lake 4100mts

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.
Mountains and hacienda

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 ViciousValley and arrive to Hacienda Yanahurco where we can visit the spectacled bear project. Hope we can meet Beto, Colleen, Rosita, or Marcia in the  wild. The white-tailed deer will be close to our horses. We will spend the night at Hacienda Yanahurco

Yanahurco to Hacienda Antisana and to Hacienda La Carriona
Difficulty Level 3 Riding time 5+hrs

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 Antisanaamong 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 usYou 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 and wildlife in the vast countryside and spend the night where we began our adventure, Hacienda La Carriona.

We will have an early breakfast and begin our ride towards Monte Oscuro. First, we will ride for two hours under the cloud forest to Monte Oscuro, and then unexpectedly you will witness the change of vegetation and find yourself in the paramo. The next four hours we will ride towards the east through a high altitude forest to the rocks of the Corazon mountain. This majestic mountain overlooks the Aloag valley and its beautiful surroundings. You will have a wonderful ride exploring the landscape of the haciendas and the paramo paths up to the base of the mountain (4.300 mts). We will pass by a steep rocky path and continue downhill to the Aloag Valley.  Along the way we will have a snack and continue to Hacienda La Alegria, where we will have a late lunch.  You will 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. Enjoy a relaxing night at Hacienda La Alegria.

We start our ride from Hacienda La Alegria, and head to the south of Machachi. We enter the slopes of Ruminahui and head upwards to Panzaleo through the sandy hills where the magnificent Cotopaxi volcano presents the most imposing scenery. You will be surrounded by the Corazon, Ilinizas, and 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 at a cozy lodge (Tambopaxi)  for dinner and a hot shower and spend a warm and restful night  at 3700 mts.