Argentina Patagonia Riding tours, Argentina Patagonia ranch based ridind vacation, holiday, Argentina equestrian adventure


	Argentina - Patagonia
	Argentina - Cordoba

Argentina : The Glory of Patagonia 9-D/8-N/7 RD +
What:	After arriving and catching an overnight in Neuquen you will be transported by vehicle and then horseback to our ranch surrounded by beautiful mountains and never ending plateaus. The ranch is the northern Patagonia wilderness of the Lakes District. It offers unlimited riding, gaucho work and you cannot exhaust the riding possibilities within a month or a year for that matter. Our ranch offers good creature comforts, homegrown and produced farm foods, the ultimate Patagonia wilderness experience with comfort.
Dates and Rates:	Oct. to April are best riding months. 9 days/8 nights-two in Neuquen/6 ranch/7 riding days. Rates are: $2500 US/1235 GBP/1780 E per person. Single supplement: $800 US/395 GBP/570 E. Border with Chile Extension: 5 days/4 night/ On Day 8 you depart for high mountains up against Chile and camp out 2 nights/ 1 night in estancia/1 night in Neuquen. Rates for this extension are: $950 US/468 GBP/680 E. Group size maximum is 8. Singles welcome.
Horsesense:	Riders may experience apart from mountain ride, a pace suited to their skill level but with plenty of opportunity for long runs. Our manada includes Criollo mustang, Thoroughbred, Arabian and Quarter Horse bloodlines. Some are purebred, but we favor the "local mix" of horse that has evolved over the past century into stout, gaited mountain horses. Their surefootedness and nose for the trail make them exceptional trail companions. There are a variety of saddles including English saddles, cavalry type saddles and some recados plus an assortment of other large comfortable saddles. Spanish capability is useful, although not essential. All guides and wranglers are fluent English speakers, and most Estancia employees have at least a basic understanding. The gaucho scouts, however, rarely understand English and will require translating from the trip wranglers. One of the benefits of staying at The Ranquilco Lodge is an opportunity to practice Spanish in an immersion setting.

Ranquilco is a vast expanse of land in the Argentine Patagonia, stretching across leagues of high steppe land, river valleys, meadows, and jagged cliffs into the very heart of the Andes, and finally terminating at the border with Chile . It is a gigantic land, filled with little miracles of nature: condors, guanaco, eagle, lakes, hot springs, lion of the mountain, hares, quails, and light-driven rainbows disguised as huge trout which swim and swarm in the many, many miles of crystal clear rivers and streams which underline the valley scapes with the vibrancy of life. Fly fishing at Ranquilco is truly a world-class experience -impossible to duplicate in other rivers. Very few ever get to the heart of these lands, and when they do, it is usually on horseback, as it lies beyond all roads. There is a track into the place and even an airstrip, but most come on horseback as befits a graceful arrival into the deep peace which resounds at Ranquilco. There are no phones, no televisions, and even the electricity which is generated by falling water, sometimes releases the participants to the gentler, kinder glow of candle and fire light. Along with the miles of private water, and the leagues of unfenced and wild riding, Ranquilco has a swimming pool, squash court, volleyball court, mini gym, running track, polo field and a river side log sauna.

Ranquilco is a place out of time, where near forgotten dreams of yesteryear are re-kindled and then see light. You come to Ranquilco for the world best fly fishing, the unlimited and unfenced riding, the chance to re-create yourself, but you

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Getting There :
Transfers are from Nuequen Airport which Buenos Aires Airport flies too for a cost of about $370 US/ 185 GBP/265 Euro. If you are going to main estancia you can ride horses there the last hour and half, or stay in the vehicle.

Room and Board :
This a world of limited electricity, no phones, an isolated airstrip the only fast way out. Meals will be plentiful. The property consists, of a one large estancia, and several other estancias including a winter estancia, and other locations that we use. The camping trip with the gauchos can be altered to spend an evening in a one of the rural properties in the area with basic comforts. To some degree the camping trip is designed for your individual tastes with more or less outdoor living in addition to the riding. The main property Ranquilco offers swimming pool, squash court, volleyball, mini gym, running track, polo field and river side log sauna. Breakfast begins before day break in The Ranquilco Lodge kitchen. Wood-oven baked bread is made to accompany ranch-raised eggs, fruit preserves and jams, dairy products, honey, and orchard fruit. Coffee and juice are served, and guests are encouraged to try the Argentine tradition of drinking yerba mate tea for an energetic prelude to the day's riding, hiking, and fishing. Lunch is a mobile affair. Guides pack meat for a streamside barbecue, as well as carry-along sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, and a bottle of wine to chill in the river. Gathering at the Lodge for dinner can be a formal or informal affair. Some evenings, guests are invited to dress-up for a crystal and china near-formal dinner. Other nights, the informality of open-fire beef barbecues, or asados, beckon story-telling and live music on the stone veranda. Post-dinner, guests adjourn to the stone fireplace in the Great Room for a tour of Argentina's fine wines. To complete the evening, gauchos join the party to perform traditional folk songs and dances of Patagonia, rounding out the magical nights of Estancia del Cielo.