Historic Cattle Round Ups
in Ecuador
An exhilarating ride across the wild Ecuadorian high Andes - breathtaking scenery as we ride through these remote areas, a string of snow-capped volcanoes providing a stunning backdrop. Riding across very varied terrain: from the flat, arid plains below Cotopaxi volcano to the steep, grassy slopes of the lower slopes of Antisana volcano, we often see the wild horses and the magnificent Andean condor.
We join the local horsemen (chagras) dressed in their brightly coloured ponchos and traditional chaps at a huge annual cattle roundup in one of the remotest haciendas of the highlands.

IT-ECRT05-C
Rates include accommodations, meals (as indicated), English speaking guide and transfers from and to Quito. 7 days riding, 7 nights accommodation incl 2 nights in tents (optional hacienda).  
8 days/ 7 nights  $ 1,840   Single: +$185
2007 Dates:  11/18-11/25
Prices exclude all personal expenditure such as bar bills, laundry and telephone calls, national park entrance fees, international airport departure tax (currently US25) payable on departure
Level:    Good intermediate +
Tack:     McClellan saddles and English
Horses:  Paso, Quarter, Thoroughbred cross
Pace: Moderate with trots and canters. We ride on rough terrain and up and down steep slopes.
Meals included: 3 meals/day and snacks, juices & water from lunch on day 1 to cooked breakfast on day 9, excluding dinner in Quito day 8. All drinks included in roundup hacienda.
Min/Max Riders: 4-10
Note: Because of the nature of this ride, guests would benefit from arriving in Quito before the first day of the tour to acclimatize.

Single = tent 2 nights, single room on  4 nights. Day 3: only rooms for 2 to 4 people available .. no singles

Itinerary
Key: B: (cooked) breakfast,
PL: Picnic Lunch
         (elaborate, not just a sandwich),
D: Dinner

ITINERARY

Day 1: We drive out of Quito and meet the horses (50 minutes). This first day offers a very varied route including some tricky sections - where we dismount and let the horses negotiate the rocky riverbeds on their own, and also some exhilarating canters across the rolling hills (5hrs). We arrive at a working ranch and have to carefully cross the huge, rolling pastures - this farm is famous for its Spanish fighting bulls! Guests often encounter the type of bulls that we will be helping round up later in the week. The scenery is spectacular with green valleys, rolling hills and we are surrounded by jagged rocky summits and snow capped peaks. We arrive at another hacienda for tea and in time to admire the sunset, once again in magnificent surroundings. Overnight at this charming traditional adobe and thatch hacienda, a working farm situated on the edge of Cotopaxi national park. PL, D. Twin sleeping areas, partitioned. Shared bathrooms.
Day 2: We ride into Cotopaxi National park and cross the arid plains of the park from north to south, close to the perfectly conical shape of the snow-capped Cotopaxi Volcano (the highest active volcano in the world) (6hrs). The luna-like landscape formed by both glacial and volcanic activity is fascinating and the arid plains scattered with boulders thrown out by the volcano provide a wonderful surface for some long canters. (The volcano is currently dormant!). We often meet the herds of wild horses that roam the park, they gallop alongside us, long manes and tails flowing. Descending into Lasso Valley, we leave the horses and drive for a comfortable overnight at another hacienda, built in the 1600s. We enjoy a delicious dinner of traditional Ecuadorian fare before retiring for the night. Private bathrooms. AB, PL, D.
Day 3: An incredible ride high up into the ‘paramo’ (unique Andean vegetation) (7hrs). We leave the adobe huts and patchwork fields behind and climb up into the huge expanses of wild grasslands. Enjoying views of several of the snow capped peaks of the ‘Avenue of Volcanoes’: Chimborazo (Ecuador’s highest peak), Tungurahua in the distance (actually erupting at the moment) and Cotopaxi, we cross the beautiful paramo grasslands, without a house in sight. We cross over a ridge into a valley and spot the isolated hacienda house in the distance. Very few people manage to visit this stunning place and the wonderful tranquility and huge expanse of space, almost uninhabited, is appreciated by all. Cottage with 3 bedrooms (2, 4 & 4 beds) & lounge area to sleep in (2), number of people per room depends on number of riders. Shared bathroom. AB, PL, D.
Day 4: A ride across the paramo to a ‘tambo’ built out of Inca stone (4-5hrs). Amazing scenery, riding along a river bed and across the grasslands close to the jagged Quilindana summit. A good chance of seeing the mighty Andean condor and deer, the Andean fox and high altitude hummingbirds (hillstars) as well as large raptors soaring overhead. We occasionally meet a chagra with his trusty dog riding out to check the cattle but most of the cowhands are already at the roundup. The house we stay at tonight is very comfortable and once again guests can enjoy the incredible views. There is no light pollution and the Equator-line sky is packed with stars, including the southern cross. Double rooms (twin rooms, partitions) in this charming house, shared bathrooms. AB, PL, D.
Day 5: We ride into the hacienda where the annual cattle roundup is taking place (2hrs). An early start is needed so we can join the chagras as they head off to roundup the cattle and also the horses that run freely on the ranch and need attention. The chagras, in their brightly coloured ponchos and goat hair chaps, arrived at the hacienda several days ago some herding their spare horses in front of them. Two or three chagras normally manage the hacienda lands (over 60 000 acres) where the cattle roam freely but once a year, for the roundup, they need all the help they can get. The roundup, a vital part of the farming calendar, is steeped in tradition. Today we will normally join the chagras and help them roundup up the wild horses so their hooves can be cut and shaped and any injuries treated. We will possibly be also helping rounding up part of the cattle herd. After a busy day, we spend the night at the campsite sleeping in 2-man dome tents. A hot dinner is served and we ready ourselves for the big day tomorrow. AB, PL, D.
Day 6: Today is the main roundup day. Earlier on in the week, the chagras brought the cattle down off the hillsides of different sections of the hacienda, pushing them nearer and nearer to the corrals. Today over 2000 head of cattle have to be herded into the main corral, then the bulls extracted. It is often called ‘la gruesa’ – describing the thick, seething mass of cattle brought together.