Diverse landscapes for horseback riding in Argentina

By: Virginia Imberti Posted: 06/03/2020

Ride in Patagonia, the provinces of Cordoba, Salta or Jujuy, visit the Iguazu Falls and dare to cross the Andes!

Discover Argentine regions on horseback

In this article we would like to show you what characterizes each of the regions with equestrian routes, so that you can decide what type of landscape best suits you depending on your riding abilities and experience.

Remember that you can leave us your comments if you have further questions. Let's start the tour!

Patagonia: Wind, green waters, glaciers and vast spaces

Riding in the Argentine Patagonia allows us to observe natural beauties such as the "Perito Moreno Glacier", boarder the "Road of the 7 lakes in Bariloche", or contemplate the "Mount Fitz Roy" and get fascinated by the most amazing forests and lakes in the world.

In this environment located in the south of the country, you will find lots of wide, open spaces. Literally, Patagonia has a vast territory that makes it possible for riders to move completely free. And what is even better for those who love to gallop: there are no fences or other limitations and you are able to trot, canter or gallop many kilometres during your ride.

Furthermore, the Argentine Patagonia is characterized by the fact that it is very windy, which becomes exciting if you are one of those riders who like to feel free and experience horseback riding in all kinds of weather conditions.

Geographically, it is divided into five provinces that extend from the Andes mountain range to the Atlantic coast. The fauna of the area amazes each and every visitor: in this Argentine region it is possible to see penguins, wolves and elephants, guanacos and whales.

Conifers such as araucarias, southern beeches, Dombey’s beeches and Chilean myrtles are the main flora in this region. The Argentine Patagonia is often compared to the landscapes in New Zealand, and this is because many of the species are more similar to those in oceanic countries, than to the flora in South America.

The flora of both places is so similar that the expert Francisco Pascasio Moreno emphasized in the late 19th century that the Nothofagus forests (Dombey’s and lenga beeches), which grow along the mountain range up to Tierra del Fuego, are similar to those in New Zealand and Australia and probably originated in America. Years later, other studies were able to establish that Patagonia and the Antarctica used to be united.

Riding in Patagonia is extremely attractive and when you are there, you feel like in a movie: you can ride in open spaces with considerable extensions, drive cattle, shear sheep, ride under the pine trees and eventually arrive at your destination, a lake with green water or a glacier that reminds you of the immensity of this place.

Central Argentina with the Province of Cordoba

In the centre of the country there is a destination for horse riding holidays that is getting more and more popular: the Province of Cordoba.

Cordoba is famous for its mountain range, the outstanding joy of the inhabitants and beautiful valleys with rivers, creeks and rocks that are a product of erosions thousands of years ago.

There are a lot of herbs used by the locals to heal pains and they are effective!

Among the animals that you can find in the region are: trouts, pejerrey fish, carps, catfish, corals, jararacas, hummingbirds, various species of ducks, shiny cowbirds, red-backed hawks, hooded siskins, ultramarine grosbeaks, black-backed grosbeaks, owls, plovers, barn swallows (in summer), thrushes, magpies, goldpinches, striped cuckoo, partridges, etc.

This area is ideal for bird watching, so if you have the possibility to stop during a ride, prepare your camera because you will surely be able to observe a variety of birds to observe and take photos of them, among them: condors.

This province is indescribably beautiful and there is something more why it is undoubtedly one of the most visited places by tourists: the height of the mountains. The highest peak is Cerro Champaquí with an altitude of 2884 meters.

With an average intermediate height, it is not necessary for riders to have a high level of riding skills and in fact, in one of our programs you can learn to ride and then go trail riding in the surrounding mountains.

This accessibility allows many riders to enjoy the mountains in this province and this is why more and more people are visiting us. Adventurous riders enjoy crossing rivers and refresh themselves in their waters as they are not cold.

During the rides, you oscillate between plains and mountain trails, which makes it very entertaining and you can always have a short break to contemplate the scenery.

North Argentina: the cradle of our traditions

For an intermediate level of difficulty to ride, we head to the north, where we will not only find mind-blowing colourful landscapes, but also mountains of 4000 meters above sea level, as in the Province of Jujuy, or 3000 meters in the Province of Salta.

In this region, landscapes change dramatically. You will observe the enormous cardon cacti that you find everywhere in the north, but also friendly lamas and guanacos.

You are able to test your riding skills in a variety of terrains and high altitudes. In addition, you have the possibility to get in touch with people who belong to Andean tribes that still live in the northern part of Argentina.

In northern Argentina, people are extremely friendly and welcoming and strongly hold on to their traditions. In fact, this is the region of the traditional folklore music that is very popular and there are many traditional bars and restaurants with live music.

The Argentina “Litoral”: destination for explorers

The word Litoral (coast) describes a territory with access to the sea or ocean, but in case of the Argentine Litoral, none of the provinces have direct access to the ocean but the possibility of ultramarine transports using big rivers.

Riding on the Argentine Litoral opens up a range of possibilities when it comes to exploring nature as this region is characterized by rainforests, a wide diversity of fauna and flora (in fact, many biologists come to do research here), the typical red soil, extremely beautiful rivers with trails to ride along.

In this place with abundance of vegetation, you will find one of the world wonders: the Iguazu Falls, which amaze every visitor.

You may observe a great variety of animals during the rides: pumas, carpenters, anteaters, monkeys, tamanduas, tapirs, giant armadillos, yacare caimans, and jaguars among thousands of species. If you love horses but also other animals, this region is ideal for you.

There is also a great variety of plants: on the rides you will discover Quebracho trees, Carob trees, bushes and trees with thorns, hydrophilic vegetation in the swamps and jungles on the river banks.

If apart from riding you would like to do other activities, you can go fishing, kayaking or go on a boat trip to get close to the Iguazu Falls.

During the rides, you frequently pass wetlands and places where you find peace and quiet.

The Cuyo region: Wineyards and adventures in the Andes

The region of Cuyo is characterized by high mountains and landscapes that are typical for the foothills of the Andes. If you decide to ride in this region, you will have this amazing mountain scenery as your steady companion. Riding here is extremely pleasant: you can ride around green lakes in Mendoza, observe rivers with crystal clear water such as the "Diamond River" (highly recommended), and ride among or around vineyards.

The fauna of Cuyo is very diverse: you will be able to observe foxes, mountain cats, guanacos, ferrets, rabbit-like dillabies, mountain cavies, lizards, black-necked swans and rheas.

In this area, you can participate in one of the most popular rides worldwide: crossing the Andes on horseback. If you want to describe this ride in simple words, you could say that ‘you cross the Andes mountain range’ or ‘you ride from one country to another country crossing a mountain range’ (which is impressive).

In addition, the crossing of the Andes on horseback has another meaning that is interesting for those who like history: this tour revives a historical fact of magnificent characteristics: the expedition carried out by general San Martin in the 19th century with the aim to fight for and obtain the independence for Argentina, Chile and Peru.

Nowadays, we have a lot of technology (GPS, security phones, cell phones) to make this journey safe. But back in those times, this expedition represented a milestone in the history of the country, especially because of the magnitude: San Martin took 4.000 regular soldiers, 10.000 mules and 1.200 military soldiers with him and the maximum altitude they reached was over 4000 meters above sea level.

During the crossing of the Andes you cross rivers of crystal clear waters, you camp in the mountain and (if the trail gets into the Chilean side) horses are changed at the border because currently you cannot pass horses from one country to the other. The sky of this region in one of the cleanest in the world.

Resuming it: Argentina is like many countries in one

Argentina offers a diversity of geographical territories and incredible topographies. Like any other country, there is so much history that still persists nowadays and deserves to be revived.

In a horseback tour, riders are the protagonists of history and become part of the landscapes where they will also be able to observe many different animals and plants, no matter in which region in Argentina they will ride.

Many times, the riders who visit us are surprised by the wide range of different landscapes that Argentina has to offer. "Argentina contains many countries in only one ", we always say and there are riding tours for every rider according to their abilities and preferences.

Not only the landscapes in Argentina are different depending on the region, also the culture is diverse and offer different experiences.

Enjoy discovering many countries in one!

Do you like Argentina as your next horse riding holiday destination?

We encourage you to download the catalog of our horseback riding tours in Northern, Central and Western Argentina. Discover Argentina on the back of a Peruvian horse and with our team of equestrian tourism experts.

~

THIS COULD ALSO BE INTERESTING

~

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? LEAVE A COMMENT