I wanted to say that it was a FANTASTIC holiday! Really wonderful. We were looked after impeccably, everything was perfectly organised and all potential issues were covered, including getting round erratic Patagonian weather! Vicky in Puerto Natales was amazing, our guide Armando was incredibly professional and all the horses we rode were reliable and did the job well.”
The whole team out there were fabulous. Very attentive and very helpful... Leticia was an exceptional guide and generated a great atmosphere. The gauchos were also a good team. Overall a fantastic holiday!
I'm just back from an utterly magical, life-affirming riding holiday at Rancho Saman in Colombia.
I've ridden on most continents and had many riding adventures over the years but this was definitely the best.
The horses are exceptional. They live as a herd in pastures surrounding the lovely home-based hacienda and are fit, happy, enthusiastic and beautifully trained. Tack is locally crafted and comfortable Western with some adaptation to give close contact and the horses respond to Western and English-style aides.
…this was a stunning holiday – carefully and subtly planned through amazing varied and beautiful scenery. Mauro, our guide, was quite excellent, the estancias were a very special experience, particularly El Sauce, where we stayed with the family and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality and some fast gallops across the estate as well as having fun rounding up cattle and then separating the black from the brown! The riding on the beaches was magically memorable.
I've been on numerous rides around the world. Many pamper you to the point that you are isolated from the culture. Not so with Paul's ride in Brazil. I felt I joined the culture when I mounted my sturdy little horse and rode with the gauchos. Also sleeping in the bunkhouses and being entertained by the gauchos' music in the evening. The food is very good and ample. The landscape was stunning, the weather perfect, the horses hardy, fast and beautiful. Paul and the gauchos were attentive to our needs and our safety while allowing us a sort of unfettered freedom. I could go on but the bottom line is the ride in Brazil was one of the highlights of my life.
