Terry Grimwood braves pumas and saddle sores on the wild plains of Patagonia
A hard westerly wind blows in from the distant sea, flattening the coarse pampas grass and whipping the tough matta negra scrub into a frenzied dance. The little horse with the puma scars on her flank shies nervously as a hare breaks cover and darts from beneath her hooves. Condors circle overhead, dark angels of the Andes waiting patiently for us to pass before returning to their communion with a sheep’s carcass that lies drying in the sun. With 20 kilometres behind us and twenty yet to run, this is no time to be dawdling out on the flat pampas. The fairy-tale spires and snow-shrouded columns of the Torres del Paine massif have been drawing steadily closer during the day, and now we are close enough to see its jagged profile reflected in the ice blue of a sub-glacial lake. Settling into the fatly padded Chilean saddles we turn to face the beckoning mountains and urge our uncomplaining horses into a gallop, dust flying from their hooves as we flee across the Patagonian steppe towards the promise of hot showers, chilled pisco sours, and a feast of local lamb barbecued over a pit of lenga wood.
The day before couldn’t have been more different from this mad stampede across the wind-blasted pampas. An amble in light rainfall along the banks of the Eberhard Fjord, with black headed swans on the water and eagles watching beadily from the rocks above. Then a branch-ducking meander through an ancient forest of Southern beech, the local Criollo horses sure-footed as they scrambled and slid down rocky tracks and shouldered aside the savage spikes of berberis lining the path. Flocks of green parakeets chattered noisily in the trees as the rainbow-arched sky cleared, and we lunched al fresco in the dripping, overgrown gardens of a once grand estancia, burned to the ground by its owner rather than letting it fall into government hands during the turbulent, agrarian reforms of the Allende Government in the ‘70s.
Patagonia, remotely located at the Southern tip of the Americas, is literally the bottom of the Earth, the last piece of civilisation before land gives way to the towering waves and lashing winds of the Southern Ocean. Patagonia is not a country but a territory, its 260,000 square miles spanning the lower extremes of both Chile and Argentina. From the storm-scoured rocks of Cape Horn to the verdant forests of the Chilean Lake District, it contains a breathtaking variety of terrain: vast acres of windswept pampas riddled with innumerable lakes and fjords; snow-tipped mountains rising from icy blue glaciers; and the steaming, rolling rain forest – and all with a population density of barely 1.3 people per square kilometre.
The trip is operated out of Puerto Natales, a frontier town of gaudily painted, low-rise buildings clustered on the banks of the Ultima Esperanza fjord in the southern region of Patagonia. While a number of tour companies in the area offer riding as an add-on option along with activities such as kayaking and hiking, they specialise in riding holidays; more importantly, they have their own horses rather than relying on renting them ad hoc from local estancias. Furthermore, their trips are always accompanied by an experienced, English-speaking riding guide, usually either Gustavo, who was show jumping and dressage champion of Chile for two consecutive years, or Heidi herself, who has been riding her own ponies and horses since the age of 6. On each ride they are assisted by a local wrangler, or baqueano, who takes care of the horses during the trip – and whose horsemanship is likely to leave even the most experienced European rider slack-jawed in admiration
While Heidi and Gustavo pride themselves in being able to tailor their holidays to individual needs and skill levels, the unquestioned jewel in their crown is the Estancia Ride, a 10 day trek from ranch to ranch across a wide span of pampas, lakesides and mountain trails. As Heidi says: "Our aim is for people to come to Patagonia and experience the reality of estancia life. We take our clients away from the tourist areas and show them the history and culture of the region, combining this with excellent accommodation, good food and exhilarating riding." With up to eight hours a day in the saddle, this ride is best suited to the experienced rider – not just in terms of riding skills, but also in terms of time in the saddle. Anyone booking this trip with Hidden Trails is well advised to ramp up their riding activity in the weeks leading up to the holiday; the slow-fading memory of my own saddle sores is a reminder that I didn’t take this advice seriously enough!
With over 20 horses at their disposal they cater for all levels of riding skills. My time in the saddle was divided between Heidi’s own horse, the mischievous William, who always seemed to want to be one pace up from the one I wanted him in, and pretty little Leona, still rather nervous and edgy after being attacked by a Puma last year but a delightful and responsive ride nonetheless. We rode in both Chilean and Argentinean saddles, very similar to each other in style and each copiously padded with felt and sheepskin, making them very comfortable on even the longest rides.
For wildlife lovers (and what horse rider isn’t?) the area is a constant delight. Apart from the condors, eagles and parakeets, we saw guanacos (small camelids, like dinky llamas), nandos (bizarre ostrich-like rheas that run at 40mph with their necks stretched out ahead), skunks, spiky-looking foxes, opossum, and so many varieties of wonderful birds that I regretted not having invested in a bird book before the trip. And of course there is the ever-present hope of spotting – from a discreet distance – one of the prolific but seldom seen pumas that prowl the area.
There is no doubt that Patagonia is a long way to go, twenty hours each way is testament to that, but therein lies a major part of its appeal: travelling there is an adventure; just knowing you are at the bottom of the earth is a thrill in itself. And if riding feisty horses across wide open spaces with stunning scenery on every side is what turns you on, then Patagonia has to be at the top of your ‘must go’ list.
To see more info on the 7-day Estancia Getaway Ride, check out the Hidden Trails website:
http://hiddentrails.com/tour/chile_torres_del_paine_getaway_estancia.aspx
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