Emerald Coast Riding Tour

This is a coastal beach ride with plenty of chance for fast paced riding. Riding along deserted sandy beaches, between sand dunes and into pine forests, around fresh water lagoons, through palm groves and across grasslands, we arrive at idyllic settings for gourmet lunches then journey on the comfort of traditional estancias and working farms. We are accompanied by skilled gauchos, seeing a large variety of wildlife along the way as we pass through an unexpected mix of landscapes. During the tour you can expect to see whales, dolphins, turtles, sea lions, capybaras (largest rodent in the world and very cute!), armadillos, rheas (South America's ostrich), black-necked swans, roseate spoonbills, Maguari stork (a huge bird) and many species of herons and ibis and it possible to see well over 100 species of birds during the tour. Accommodation is in lovely estancias with private bathrooms throughout.

Estancias, Beaches & Lagoons. 9 day tour.

Pre/post tour extensions in Uruguay and Buenos Aires/Argentina available. Please ask for details.

DAY 1: MONTEVIDEO: THE FAMOUS RAMBLA. INTRODUCTION TO URUGUAY

Guests are collected from the airport and have a chance to relax in the very easy-going capital of Uruguay: Montevideo before being taken to lunch and on a private city tour. Guests might also like to wander along the unique ‘Rambla’ – a very pleasant, wide boulevard with beaches, along the river estuary - soaking up the sun, there is also the gaucho museum, galleries and shops with local crafts and tack and also getting acquainted with one of Uruguay’s best kept secrets: the excellent wines. The city is very safe and guests can explore at their own pace before the city tour arranged for them during the afternoon.

Overnight: comfortable hotel in Montevideo’s centre.

DAY 2: NATIONAL PARK, 18TH CENTURY FORTRESS SAN MIGUEL – BRAZILIAN BORDER

After an early breakfast, we will be driven north-east to Rocha, the most beautiful province in Uruguay with its pristine beaches, emerald shores and network of lagoons. We are right on the Brazilian border and, just before our arrival at the country hotel, we pass through Chuy where the official boundary between Uruguay and Brazil runs down the middle of the main street. The locals speak a strange mix of Spanish and Portuguese, on one side of the street the shops have signs in Spanish and on the other in Portuguese!

We arrive at the country hotel, built in the same stone as the nearby Portuguese fortress, in time for lunch (4-5hrs). From the hotel, we can admire the views out across a huge stretch of water - one of the largest fresh water reserves of South America, the "Merin Lagoon". Once inside the imposing walls of the hotel, guests will appreciate the comfortable rooms and enjoy the delicious food, a far cry from the austere life in the nearby fortress! In the afternoon, we will meet our horses and ride around the rocky hills of San Miguel Reserve (3hrs) enjoying a wonderful panoramic view of the area from the top of the boulder-covered ‘Cerro Picudo’. This area is home to a wide variety of birds including several species of vultures that, rather unnervingly, soar overhead in large numbers. The park is a very important flora and fauna reserve now protected from the effects of modern agriculture and is also home to pure Cimarron cattle and Uruguayan criollo horses, giving us a chance to see this wonderful native breed of horse and its gorgeous colourings. We also ride to the granite fortress built in 1734 by the Spaniards, and rebuilt after its destruction by the Portuguese in 1737.

We will stay at "Fortín de San Miguel" where guests can enjoy the pool, the gardens and visit the ‘pulperia’ - the traditional meeting point for the gauchos from miles around.

DAY 3: CHUY BEACH – INTO BRAZIL, ALONG A PRISTINE BEACH & INTO THE OCEAN

In the morning we ride out of the hotel, through the customs post and along the Uruguay-Brazil border, riding for several kilometers in Brazil! Then we turn south along a track and cross the wide, flat expanse of the arid pasturelands. There are opportunities for long canters across the flatlands and we often pass a horse and cart heading into town for weekly supplies. We pass fields covered with bizarre conical shaped mounds, the result of very industrious termites. Rheas graze in the fields and we occasionally spot their enormous eggs; birds of prey hover overhead as they hunt. The burrowing owls sit watching us on their earth mounds, field flickers and woodpeckers are busy drumming holes in the trees while oven birds build mud nests atop the fence posts.

Lunch is a delicious picnic under the shady trees at a large estancia then, after a siesta, we ride on to the beach for an incredible ride along the wonderful, isolated shores of the Atlantic Ocean (7hrs riding). Visitors seldom reach this beach so we can enjoy a long, exhilarating canter with no signs of habitation as we ride along the pure, firm sands at the waters edge. Guests can ride into the sea. We arrive 12km (8 miles) further south at "La Coronilla", normally riding right to the ocean front hotel.

Overnight at Parque Oceanico, situated next to the beach. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

DAY 4: SANTA TERESA NATIONAL PARK, DOLPHINS & SHIPWRECKS

Today we ride our horses along another beautiful part of the coastline to Santa Teresa Fort. Crossing the forested Santa Teresa National Park we arrive at the imposing restored fort which is the centre piece of the park - started in 1762 by the Portuguese to defend the edge of their territories then completed by the Spaniards who took it by assault just a year later. This was just the start of a succession of conquering, losing and re-conquering the fort; it was not until 1825 that the newly formed ‘Uruguayan nation’ finally captured and held the fort. The fort is surrounded by 3000 hectares of forest containing over 2 million trees, the majority introduced from other parts of the world and, after lunch in the open air, we will enjoy riding along the forest trails down to the beach.

We pass a shipwreck buried in the sand – one of many along this treacherous coast. Indeed, Polonio, where we ride to later in the week, is named after a Spanish galleon that went down just off the point. Luckily ‘Beagle’ with Charles Darwin aboard did not succumb to this fate and Darwin spent quite some time in Uruguay collecting species and most likely starting to formulate his theories of evolution. Most days there is the wonderful sight of dolphins feeding in the bay. (5-6 hrs riding).

We leave the horses and are driven (10 minutes) back to our hotel located next to the beach for barbequed fresh fish, Uruguayan wine and a second pleasant overnight by the ocean, drifting to sleep with the sound of waves.

DAY 5: DON BOSCO – TROPICAL PALM GROVES, STRANGLER FIGS & INTO LAGUNA NEGRA

After an early breakfast, we will be driven a short way towards the famous "Laguna Negra" and later in the day, before enjoying a wonderful barbeque at the lakeside, riders can go into the lake, bareback if they wish. We meet the horses and set off through an area of palm tree forests and to the lakeshore, passing bird-filled wetlands on the way - we will surely see black-necked swans, spoonbills, ibis, herons, egrets, storks and a legion of other birds (migratory birds arrive here from as far as Alaska and the Falkland Islands). (4hr ride). Despite a number of stories, no one knows how the palm trees got here - some 300 years old; they are not native but the band of palms gives the landscape a very unique look. During the trip we will pass roadside stalls selling the palm fruit and the less innocent ‘hooch’ brewed from the palm nuts. The cloudy, sticky liquid is so potent that if you leave the cap off the old bottles it is sold in, the liquor evaporates in a flash! After a typical lunch on the lagoon shores, we ride on into a dense forest of strangler figs, as sinister looking as their name suggests, through a protected area of native vegetation and into the Don Bosco hills from where we will be able to enjoy an incredible view of the unique expanse of palm groves and Laguna Negra (2hrs). We meet the vehicle and head to a wonderful working estancia a little further inland (40 minute drive). Overnight at Estancia El Sauce.

DAY 6: AUTHENTIC ESTANCIA WITH CATTLE & RICE FARMING – ‘MATE’ TEA & THE GAUCHO LIFE

El Sauce is a working estancia run by its owners who are also our very hospitable hosts. We will be enjoying a full day’s riding (6-7hrs), with plenty of chances of fast paced riding for those who wish, around the farm seeing the rice fields and other crops on the property. Once again in very distinct scenery, we cross creeks and flatlands and ride past the various crops and to the herds of cattle. The owner often joins us as he checks the land and his animals in the company of the gauchos that work with him. The estancia, built in 1920, is very comfortable – it is not a hotel but the family house in which we have been invited to stay as guests of the owners, offering us an incredible experience and a very special insight into the life in the country.

For example, guests can sample the ‘mate’ sipped hot out of a dry gourd. The gauchos and their ‘mate’ are inseparable and a very sociable ceremony has developed around drinking ‘mate’. In addition to the cattle grasslands this estancia has a large area of marshlands which, along with the rice crops, create habitats teeming with bird life (nearly 500 species in this area). This gives us another chance to see the graceful black-necked swan (largest population in the world found here), the rare white goose and many ducks and other birds such as the largest bird in South America - the ‘ostrich-like’ nañdu (Rhea). Otters, coypus and capybaras inhabit the marshlands and streams. At several points on the trip we should see the roseate spoonbill with very bright pink pigment which, although rare in the world, is quite common in Uruguay.

Overnight at this authentic working estancia. Swimming pool.

DAY 7: CABO POLONIO – BEACHES, SAND DUNES & A PICTURESQUE FISHING VILLAGE

Today we ride along the beach and into the desert! (5hrs riding) Having visited an excellent local store selling wonderful leatherwork (including tack and riding boots), gaucho’s clothing and crafts, we meet our horses and ride to the coast through the grass covered dunes and across rocks close to the roaring sea. We canter along the firmer beaches and ride along in the water to Cabo Polonio, an enchanting fishing village which can only be reached by horse or four wheeled drive vehicles. Guests can walk round to the lighthouse and view the huge colony of sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. They make up one of the largest populations of sea lions in the world. While riding along the beautiful sandy beaches occasionally we spot a migrating Franca whale (October-November rides).

After a swim in the sea and a delicious lunch at a restaurant in an idyllic location right on the waters edge, we ride on into the dramatic landscape of the sand dunes. After one last canter, we leave the beach, pass between huge sand dunes and ride through an area which has been declared a Biosphere Natural Reserve by UNESCO. The sand dunes and daunting sand walls are quite an unexpected sight. Reaching a picturesque estuary we turn and ride through the pine forest.

We say goodbye to these horses and are driven south to a wonderful working estancia ‘ El Charabon’ in the rolling hills, set back a little way from the coast. A very comfortable overnight.

DAY 8: EUCALYPTUS WOODLANDS, OPEN PASTURES & ROLLING HILLS

The day starts with a breakfast out on the veranda with homemade bread, jams and cakes, admiring the views out across the hills. Guests can take a close look at the rheas, the estancia has some of these native South American birds as pets. The armadillos often pop up out of holes ruining Jorge’s (the owner) beautifully manicured lawns.

The ride today takes us through the scenic estancia lands traversing the eucalyptus forests and grasslands then across the huge fields of the neighbouring estancias, towards the coast. A chance of some long canters as we ride across the flatlands. Riders enjoy the glorious blue skies and tranquility as we gallop across the pastures, often sighting the abundant wildlife. A game of armadillo jumping often inadvertently gets underway as the little armour-plated animals make a dash for their holes as the horses approach.

After a picnic lunch, guests can return to the estancia on horseback and relax around the pool or take the minibus to the nearby beach for a late afternoon swim in the sea, sunbathe or stroll along by the ocean returning to the estancia for tea or drinks in a prime location to admire the sunset over the surrounding hills and then gaze in awe at the star-filled southern hemisphere sky. (4-6hrs riding).

Another delicious dinner with our delightful hosts. Overnight at the estancia.

DAY 9: CATTLE & SHEEP WORK WITH THE GAUCHOS ON THE ESTANCIA

A morning spent working alongside the gauchos and their trusty dogs as they tend to the cattle and sheep on this 1200 hectare (2900 acre) ranch (4hrs riding). The work varies depending on the time of the year, but the gauchos always welcome a bit of help checking and moving the stock or putting animals in the corrals. Sometimes a lame animal has to be caught and tended to. The wonderful, friendly gauchos with their berets, ‘bombachas’ (riding trousers) and with their knives tucked into their colourful belts all seem to have been born on a horse and it is a delight to be riding with them. Their dogs are very much work animals and it is an amazing sight to see four dogs working in unison moving a herd of cattle. The dogs unfortunately cannot count and that gets very tricky for us, especially with the sheep, a recount often being required!

After a final swim in the estancia pool and a wonderful home-cooked lunch we say goodbye to the horses and head back to Montevideo – to the airport or the city, or to start an extension tour.

2012 prices: 7 nights, full board, £1,800pp

2012 dates: February - April & November - December

2012 Single Supplement: £270

Includes: all meals, with shared bathroom

Not Included: Flights and Travel Insurance

Meeting Point: Quito

Indicative flight price: London to Quito £650 - £850pp return depending on time of year

Transfer: Included from Quito

Hours In Saddle: 5/7

Max Weight: 95kg (supplement if heavier)

Group Size: 4-10

Suitable for non-riders: No

Call us on +44 (0)1225 424413 or email contact@redlandsequestrian.com to check the ride availability and dates, once we have confirmed availability you can download and fill in a booking form:

• UK Rides Booking Form
• Worldwide Rides Booking Form

Each rider in the party must also complete a riding ability questionnaire before we can complete the final confirmation of your holiday booking.