IT-CHSR10  
Rates Include lodging, all meals, lunch and dinner accompanied by our selection of Chilean wines, beer and non-alcoholic beverages. 6 riding days with one professional guide for every 4 riders.
7 days/ 6 nights  $ 2,160   Single + $900 

Dates 2008:
11/22-11/28  11/29-12/05   12/06-12/12   12/13-12/19  12/27-01/02
Dates 2009:
01/03-01/09   01/10-01/16   01/17-01/23 01/24-01/30   01/31-02/06   02/07-02/13 02/14-02/20   02/21-02/27   02/28-03/05 03/07-03/13   03/14-03/20   03/21-03/27 03/28-04/03   04/04-04/10   04/11-04/17 04/18-04/24   04/25-05/01
.. $90 rate increase in November:
11/21-11/27   11/28-12/04   12/05-12/11 1
2/12-12/18 

Gratuities:  12% suggested
Meeting:     at the ranch
Airport:       Balmaceda
Transfer:    From Balmaceda $300 per person (min of 2)
Level:         Low Intermediate+
Tack:          Chilean
Horses:       Chilean Criollos
Pace:  Moderate according to riding level - up to 6 hrs in the saddle with opportunities for canters and gallops
Min/Max: 4-12 riders

Note:
1. Balmaceda airport connects you with Puerto Montt (50 minutes) and Santiago airport (3 hours).
2. We recommend to arrive in Balmaceda in the morning and depart from Balmaceda at about 4 PM. Flights are run by Lan Chile and Sky Airline, a national carrier.

Lodging
The lodge has six double rooms and one cabin with private bathrooms all with gorgeous vistas to the mountains. It has ample interior spaces and outdoor terraces which ensure comfort and privacy of guests. The lodge has ample living and dining areas, great mudroom, a small store/office where internet and phone service is available. Laundry service is available.
A professional chef, specialized in Chilean cuisine, will prepare your meals and the bilingual staff will present a selection of the best Chilean wines and available liquors.

Your Rides:
The daily trips allow you to explore pristine areas of the large estancia and enjoy the comfort of the lodge.  The terrain largely dictates the pace and the distance we need to travel on a certain day but where possible there is a lot of trotting and cantering specially during the longer rides. The terrain at the Estancia is varied with two mayor mountain ranges to the North and South of the lodge allowing day trips in to remote valleys and lakes, some above timberline. The use of horses is one of the main means of transportation in the area, thus there are trails to most areas of interest within the ranch. We will plan our daily rides the day before and they are tailored to the experience of the rider. Riders are accompanied by an experienced guide. In the event that other guests would like to ride we will pair the riding parties according to experience and interests. Experienced riders will be able to go at a faster pace always escorted by our guide. As to the lengths of the rides, these can be from one or two hours to daily rides of up to 6 and 7  hours with additional one or two hours rest and several stops.

Sample Itinerary:
Saturday: Our staff will meet you at the Balmaceda airport.  A 4 hour beautiful journey will take you to the ranch (charter plane options are available).  Welcome to the lodge. After getting organized and a light lunch, your guide will provide you with the necessary equipment and a brief description of the ride, the “Chilean ” horses and their handling. We start our ride to "El cañon de las aguilas" Eagle's canyon. For the first 45 minutes we will ride to the east of the ranch, through vast planes where your eye can see as far as 20 miles. Then we´ll get to the "sheep hanging bridge", where we will cross the Cisnes river and head south east towards the Canyon. After 15min. We will arrive to the Cañon the las Aguilas, where we stop and observe a family of Black-crested Buzzard-Eagle. From here we´ll descent and ride back to the lodge, on a different route for 45min, along the Cisnes river towards the majestic Andes. The chef back at the lodge is going to be waiting with cocktails and an exquisite dinner.
Difficulty: Easy   Duration: 4 hours   Riding time: 3hours
Sunday: Lago Sarta
Early breakfast and prepare for the full day ride. Today we ride up, towards de south of the ranch. For the first 30 min. we ride up hill until we get to “Pampa Alta” a high plane that we´ll ride across for 30min. to get to the foot hills of the Andes, where we ride along “La buitrera Creek” under the Lenga trees ( Nothofagus pumilio ). Gauchos use this pass to take the cattle to Valle del Galvez, grazing land that has been used for 70 years by the Gauchos of the ranch. After 30min. we´ll get to La piedra del Condor. From this rock we can sometimes see the majestic Andean Condor flying over El “Valle Galvez“ Here we usually dismount and relax for 20 min. Then we follow a narrow pass in between Valle Galvez and Sarta lake valley for 35min. until we get to the Sarta Lake, where we have a Picnic lunch under the Lengas. After a short nap we head back to the lodge on a different gaucho pass call El Frio. This is a lower pass through the Lenga forest that the gauchos use when the snow is too deep. This pass takes us to the far east of Winchester sur plain. The pampas are safe for cantering so if the rider wants to canter across the Patagonia pampas this will be the time to do it. (aprox. 15 min.) We then slowdown to a walk to relax the horses and cross the Winchester creek to start our descent to the Lodge, where cocktails and dinner will be waiting .
Difficulty: Medium – difficult    Duration: Full day    Riding time: 7 hours
Monday: Loma Chachu
Early breakfast and get ready for the exciting full day ride. We ride to the west of the ranch through fields of wild lupines and natural grass, passing La guitrera Gaucho post. From here we take a Gaucho trail that is going to take us all the way to Loma Chachu. Loma chachu is one of the most spectacular places on the ranch. It´s 360º breath taking view out in the middle of Patagonia. From here you can see the pampas to the East, the Andes to the West, Cerro Bayo to the South and Cordon Carlota to the North. We have an unforgettable picnic lunch on top of the World,  rest and back on the horses for our afternoon adventure. On the ride back we stop at the "Guitrera" Waterfalls and "Laguna Amarilla" to observe a variety of ducks (Chiloe Wigeon, Red Shoveler, Yellow-billed Pintail, etc. )
Difficulty: Medium – difficult     Duration: Full day    Riding time: 6 hours
Tuesday: Magdalena Valley
Today we ride north across the imposing Carlota mountain range, covered by Lenga forest. A variety of landscapes, including Patagonian steep snowcapped mountains, prairies, mallines, small shallow lakes with pink Chilean flamingos, the Austral Parakeet, the Magellanic Woodpecker and the Chilean Flicker are some of the bird species in this area. After a 2 1/2 hour ride we stop at Carlota Lake for a picnic lunch. Your guide is going to catch fresh wild silver salmon and grill them for you. After an unforgettable picnic and rest, we continue riding across meandering creeks, prairies until the end of Carlota Valley where we follow a Gaucho trail all the way to the Magdalena cottage. At the end of the ride, our staff is waiting with cocktails and dinner in a comfortable well equipped 6 person cottage immersed in the unequaled tranquility of Patagonia.
Difficulty: Medium – difficult    Duration: Full day     Riding time: 6 hours
Wednesday: Mallin Chileno
Mallin Chileno is one of the most remote valleys in the ranch. Here we ride at the foot hills of majestic snowcapped Cerro Stefen right at the Argentinean border. Today we will visit some of the gauchos and learn about their traditions like "Yerba Mate". We have some Mate (special South American tea)  in a particular social setting, such as family gatherings or with friends. The gaucho life revolves around farms, mountains, forests and pampas, of solitary living with marvelous generosity. We are going to learn their way of living in this vast Patagonia region. After a picnic lunch, saddle up and head back to the cottage. We usually step up the pace a little here and canter along the Magdalena creek across the pastures and rolling soft hills.
Difficulty: Medium – difficult    Duration: Full day    Riding time: 5 hours
Thursday: Cuero Bayo
Today is one of the longest and technical rides of the trip. Riders will encounter about every other cross country terrain imaginable. We head off on an exciting ride up the Carlota Nacional Lenga tree reservation. We ride a gaucho pass, under the ancient Lengas, where wild Fushia and orchids are nestled amongst the trees. The trail then takes us to the shores of a beautiful lake ¨ Lago Arenales. Here we stop for a picnic lunch and rest. After lunch we start our descend south towards Cuero Bayo an Old puesto in a beautiful setting on the shore of Cisnes river. From here we head back to the ranch. We ride to the east , along the Cisnes river, going through wild lupine fields and canter across green pastures. After 1 hour we get to the lodge where our staff is waiting with cocktails and a Chilean asado (barbecue).
Difficulty: Medium – difficult    Duration: Full day    Riding time: 7 hours
Friday :
After breakfast we saddle up and take off on the last 3 hour ride. After you've enjoyed a morning ride, we head back to the lodge. Here we will join everybody in a farewell lunch toasting to Patagonia. After lunch a lodge vehicle will take you to the Balmaceda airport.

Climate:
The climate is fairly arid, with many clear days throughout the year and short rains (800 mm/yr) that occur mainly at night. The temperature in the summer (December to March) can reach 30° C and almost never drops below 10° C. Because of the latitude, the days are very long. It´s common to have 16-18 hours of light.