Volcanoes and Lunar Landscapes of the Andes

🌎Location: Andes Mountains, Ecuador
🌙Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
⛺Accommodation: Cottages & Mountain Lodges
🐴Riding: Intermediate-Advanced
📅Dates: Set dates

An exhilarating journey amidst the volcanoes of Ecuador; crossing lunar-like landscapes into the remote, seldom-visited valleys behind the perfectly conical, snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano. A challenging ride, incredibly varied in both pace and terrain as we traverse valleys, grassy plains, lava flows & wetlands.

Nights are spent in a wonderful mix of working Haciendas, mountain inns & isolated farmhouses, built in a variety of materials including the traditional Adobe with thatched roofs and original Inca stone. One night is spent in little cottages in a hamlet, supporting a truly excellent local community project.

Horses

The horses come from a variety of backgrounds and breeds, all carefully selected for this trek and terrain, their endurance, and temperament.

Riding

Speed ◼️◼️◼️◼️◻️Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop
Saddle Time ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ 5-8 hours per day
Distance ◼️◼️◼️◼️◻️ Up to 45km/30 miles per day
Riding Level ◼️◼️◼️◼️◻️ Intermediate-Advanced

“Cangalla” saddles which are typically used by Argentinean gauchos. The saddles are covered with sheep skins for extra comfort and are designed for long distance riding.

The terrain is mountainous and can be rocky, steep, and narrow. There will be open fields and dirt roads better suited for moving at speed, and single-track trails for a more leisurely pace. Beach rides will be subject to the tides.

Weather

Weather conditions vary and are unpredictable. During the austral summer, daylight hours are exceptionally long (15 - 17 hours). It has been said that “one can experience all four seasons in one day here in Patagonia”: snowfall, rain, strong sun or wind. The climate can change in a surprisingly short period of time. Even if the most extreme conditions are not so common, the rider must be prepared for it (as explained in the clothing section). In general, the weather is cold and windy, with average temperatures ranging from 2 to 12 °C (35-54 °F), but due to the wind cooling factor, the perceived temperature can be significantly lower. In short, you can expect cool days and cold nights.

Accommodation

Riders will sleep in shelters or tents, depending on the number of guest. For nights before and after the expedition, riders will stay in shared rooms in Ushuaia.

Dining

Three meals are provided per day, from breakfast on Day 1 to lunch on the final day.

Itinerary

  • An early morning departure from Quito sees us heading northwards through a dry valley filled with acacia and cactus, as well as avocado groves. Passing the snow-capped Cayambe volcano straddling the equator line, we meet the horses and go for the first ride. 4-5 hours riding.

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    Dinner & Overnight at a working Hacienda

  • After a Hacienda breakfast, we ride out through another part of the picturesque valley. Along agave-lined tracks, we pass fields of lupins, quinoa and beans then we climb out of the valley, stunning views in every direction of this landscape sculpted at the end of the Ice Age by retreating glaciers. 6-7 hours riding.

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    Dinner & Overnight in Adobe cottages

  • After breakfast, including a variety of fruits and local flatbread freshly baked in an outside oven, we ride out of the hamlet along cobbles and narrow dirt tracks. Negotiating several steep gorges, passing herds of animals and locals cultivating the fields. 6 hours riding.

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    Dinner & Overnight at charming mountain inn, Pasachoa foothills.

  • A complete change of scenery as we ride along a wide riverbed and onto the plains of Cotopaxi National Park. Riders find themselves amongst fascinating geological features produced by both glacial activity at the end of the Ice Age and following volcanic activity. 5-6 hours riding.

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    Dinner & Overnight at mountain lodge.

  • The longest ride of the trip – covering 45km (30 miles) through the northern section of the national park and to the remote eastern flanks of Cotopaxi Volcano, far off the beaten track. We often spot deer and foxes as well as eagles, hawks, falcons, harriers and  caracaras overhead. 7-8 hours riding.

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    Dinner and Overnight at remote Hacienda built of Inca stone

  • A ride into the ‘paramo’ vegetation of Quilindaña mountain – the area between the farmed land and the snow – accompanied by the Chagras, who are the local Andean horsemen. We are riding high up into the hills to try and spot the Andean Spectacled Bear. 6 hours riding.

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    Dinner and 2nd Overnight at remote Hacienda built of Inca stone

  • Riders often awake to stunning views of the close-by Cotopaxi & Quilindaña Volcanoes, as well as the Antisana glacier on the horizon. Having had a chance to inspect the Hacienda walls of Inca stone and turf corrals used to contain the feisty bulls, we set off through another part of this wilderness. 7 hours riding, 2 hours driving.

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    Overnight in Quito/near Quito Airport

  • Departure after breakfast.

Dates

November 18-29 2025
December 7-18 2025

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Price Includes:

  • All accommodations

  • All meals

  • All riding activities, including tack and equipment

  • Transportation to/from Ushuaia

Does not include:

  • Airfare to and from Argentina and Ushuaia

  • Additional travel costs

  • Travel insurance

  • Visas and travel costs

  • Guide gratuities