Description
These horseback adventures in Colombia offer some of the most unique and fascinating experiences for those looking for true Latin American flavour and culture on horseback. Colombia - named after Christopher Columbus himself - has a wild and diverse terrain, which together with its rich history and culture witnessed in every town and city, offers an exciting destination for adventurous travellers.
Through an excellent trade in coffee and emeralds, Colombia was made famous. However, the country is also the home to another treasure - the "Paso Fino Colombiano" horse - one of the most amazing horse breeds in the world! This horse-breed too has a rich history, with its ancestors originating from the extinct gaited Spanish horse (known as the Jennet) brought over to the new world by the Conquistadors of old. The Horse with the Fine Step - literal translation - has become celebrated and abundant in South America, but it's origins still lie in the pure breeds of Colombia! The horses of today have been finely tuned and are often the pride of breeders through the country, often appearing at fairs, festivals and parades.
Colombia has not always had the best reputation for safety and crime, due to a turbulent political past. However, these days the country is a far cry from the Colombia of the last decade and tens of thousands of tourists and visitors from all over the globe safely travel to Colombia for tourism, business, university studies and voluntary work.
The climate is not generally seasonal due to the country's location so close to the equator. The country has one of the widest range of unique habitats including tropical coastlines, wide, flat wetlands, cold desert tundras, snow-capped mountains, Amazon rainforests and vast swathes of lush grasslands too. A large part of Colombia features very mountainous territory with altitudes between 1000-5000m. For this trail, you will be riding in the Cordillera Oriental in the departments of Cundinamarca and Santander at an altitude of 1500-2500m. Here the temperatures range from around 24C during the day and about 14C at night all year.
You can be guaranteed of a warm welcome by your hosts German and Ernesto Barreto. Together with their companion Bernardo "Chalas" Salazar (“chalas” referring to the Colombian cowboys), they will guide and take care of you during your entire riding holiday. For the entirety of the eight days of your trip, you will become immersed in one of the most appealing horse cultures in the world.
Paul Coudenys, one of the most experienced guides in the world and organiser of our Brazilian trails, will personally accompany you on the trail as well. He has ridden in more than fifty countries all over the world and has long suspected that Colombia would be an excellent location for our riders... so you will have some of the world's best trail guides riding alongside you on these exciting adventures.
The Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, the Sierra Nevada, the mighty Amazon forest, Latin America's most beautiful city Cartagena, picturesque villages, pre-Colombian sites like the Lost City, fascinating flora and fauna - you name it and Colombia has it! No other country on the continent can compete with the multicultural and nature of Colombia and we hope that some of you will head out there to experience their wonderful horse culture. The team here can also help you to organise extensions to other destinations upon request. You can stay on after the trail ride to dance the salsa in Cali, taste fresh coffee in Manizales, relax on a Caribbean beach in Cartagena, go scuba diving off the coast of Santa Marta or maybe try some hiking up mount Nevado in the root of the Andes. You might even fall in love with the horses and want to try a local riding course offered by our guides and hosts on these trips!
Please note that on the ride there is generally mobile phone coverage in villages and towns only. During the days and in some more remote locations we cannot guarantee full coverage all the time. There is sometimes internet available at hotels and restaurants in towns and villages but not in all the accommodations used on this trip. Therefore, you should be prepared to disconnect a little when taking part in this trail!
