When my two traveling partners suggested to go horse riding when we were in Patagonia, I agreed because I had to be democratic, although deep inside I didn’t feel at all like doing it. I thought my ass would hurt, the horses would rebel against me, and I think it was around that time that I read Madonna fell off a horse. But then again, can you blame that horse (zing!). So I kept an open mind about it; it would be a new experience after all.
The day before we had seen this place down the road a bit far from the village. Now there are a lot of places in El Calafate that offer horse riding (cabalgatas in Spanish) tours but this one seemed special, more authentic, maybe because they had a sort of a farm around it. We didn’t care much about prices, they are all around the same and it’s still good in terms of price/experience balance. We were given two options according to our time: Cabalgata Curta (the short one, takes around 2 hours) and the Cabalgata Larga (the longer one, takes around 5 hours and includes a picnic). We went for the long one as the title of this post confirms.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - One of the horses
My friends had a little bit of experience, but I think last time I had ridden something similar was a pony when I was 8 years old in a local fair that was going in circles and crapping a lot. However you get this instant crash course on how to mount and ride the horse, and it was easier than I thought. Although I know Spanish, they speak English, but body language also works. You even learn how to put the saddle, then you mount, you kick to go faster, you pull to go slower or stop and you pull the reins to one side or the other depending on which direction you want to go.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - Vespa
We took three mares. My mare was called Vespa and she was the best – Miss you Vespa! I didn’t have to kick her that much – she read my mind. Each one of them had recently had a colt, so the babies followed their mommies all around, and became part of our tour. It became a bit annoying when they wanted to breast-feed while riding – you had to kick them al little…don’t worry, they had their share during the picnic break. Another companion was this Argentine Dogo. One of the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen. He also followed us all the way; actually a couple of other dogs followed us in the beginning, but they soon turned back. It was like we were elves or something, and all animals followed us… or they were just waiting for us to fall.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - Argentine Dogo
Our guide was… can’t remember his name, let’s call him Pedro. Pedro was around 20-21, he told us a bit of his life story, how he came from Salta all the way to the south to find a job, and he was used to being around animals, and he was there for around 5 years. He also told us briefly about Mr. Gustavo “El Chabon” Holzmann, the owner. That he came from Germany (not sure now) and fell in love with the place, started with only a pair of horses, and now he has an empire. Not really, but he does pretty well and apparently is a very well known person around the area.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - Cabalgata Curta
Pedro took us around Lago Argentino, the biggest freshwater lake in Argentina, fed by the glaciers around it. We could see some blocks of ice floating sometimes. They break from the glaciers and flow all the way to the lake. We went there in April (Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere), so everything was golden, but it was getting a bit cold. We followed the lake up towards the glaciers (but not close enough to see them, they are still a bit far) by the shore, sometimes going up and down the dunes, to make it more exciting. When we got to the point of return we stopped for a picnic. We sat on a mat between the dunes, the horses rested and ate some vegetation around and we have some bread, cheese, wine, and salami. All local products. We stayed there for around 30 minutes, asked a lot of questions to Pedro, went to the lake and checked the water temperature (freezing by the way) and pet the animals.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - Vespa and her colt
Once done, we went back but not on the same route. A bit further from the lake through the plains, we also went faster. That’s when you learn to keep your ass down so that it doesn’t bump much. When we get back to the starting point we are invited inside “La Pulpéria” (the farm house) to have some more snacks like dry rabbit meat and drink Mate. We took a look inside the house, a typical Patagonian house from olden times, full of dead animals’ skin hanging around. You can also check the animals around the area – my favorite scene, which I don’t have a photo of, was the sheep humping a dog. The people there are so nice that they let you be around for as long as you like (a decent amount of time, of course).
Cabalgata en Patagonia - The view
Afterwards, you can either get a cab to drive you back to the village or you can just walk. It will be around 1 hour walk depending on your pace following the lake. We decided to walk and enjoy the windsurfers, the houses, the fishermen, and the peace. You can’t blame “El Chabon” for wanting to stay there forever.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - La Pulpéria
I’m pretty sure that if I return to Patagonia and El Calafate, I will go back to the same place for a horse riding tour, but this time I would go for the 2-day ride or even the longer one, where you can camp close to glaciers. That’s the real deal. Just don’t bring Madonna with you.
Cabalgata en Patagonia - The farm around it
Cabalgata en Patagonia
Av. Libertador 4315
El Calafate, Santa Cruz
Argentina
Phone: +54 (0) 2902493278 / +54 (0) 2902493203
Mobile: +54 (0) 296615620935
Email: chabon@cabalgataenpatagonia.com / info@cabalgataenpatagonia.com
