6 Day Comfort Andes Explore Horse Riding Tour in Peru

Hacienda del Chalán invites you to join our horse riding holidays along the Peruvian Andes. In each tour we have a variety of beautiful nature with valleys, rivers, snow-mountains, and wildlife, you will also see (pre)Inka culture and archeological complexes and you will experience Andean folklore with their traditional clothing and ways to live.

Daily itinerary

Day 1: Paucarbamba - Flat Valley path - Salinas - Maras - Misminay Community (2800 - 3734 meters above sea level)

This ride begins in Paucarbamba where the Hacienda is located. At 10:00 a.m., just after crossing the Vilcanota river in Paucarbamba, you take a forest path along the river, where you will see some tombs from the time of the Inka times located at the side of the path. Yanahuara used to be a farming area, but lately, it is becoming one of the most important areas for tourist accommodation.

At the moment, forty new hotels are being constructed. Just after Yanahuara, a quiet and narrow path along the Vilcanota River will bring you to the suspension bridge of Tarabamba; this is the checkpoint for Salinas. During the next part of the ride, you will climb up to the mountain towards Salinas, the salt mines that date back to pre-Inka times.

• 12:30 Arrival time to Salinas and hiking tour there

More than three thousand pans of salt are waiting to be visited by you, and after enjoying a nice meal while overlooking the salt terraces, you continue climbing the mountain until you arrive at the village of Maras, which is famous for its stone doorways with the carved date of construction and heraldic family crests, an inheritance of the Spanish culture. At Maras, the big fields of barley, green beans, white corn, hay, oats, quinoa, and so on are waiting for you because the horse trail crosses through them to get to the Misminay Community where you will spend the first night at a local home.

• 14:00 Lunch
• 15:00 An extraordinary Andean trail will guide you to the Misminay viewpoint which is located at 3734 meters above sea level. The local people from this village are really friendly and curious and like to share their traditional way of life with visitors.
• 16:30 Arrival time to Misminay and welcome reception
• 17:00 Hiking to the mountain since this viewpoint will be possible to observe Moray the last botany laboratory from the Inkas

Here, the Andeans acclimated to many different plants that they brought from the Amazon and from the coast because they needed to adapt them to grow at high altitudes (cold areas), to be able to use them for food or medicine.

• 19:00 Dinner and overnight stay

Day 2: Misminay Community - Mahuaypampa - Huarocondo (3359 meters above sea level)

• 08:30 Breakfast
• 09:30 The view that Misminay offers you early in the morning is truly phenomenal

You can see most of the snow-covered mountains of the Sacred Valley, all the farmland of Maras, and eagles and falcons soaring against an amazing background.

• 13:00 Lunch in the middle of an Ucaliptus forest area
• 15:00 Climb the last mountains before riding down to the town of Huarocondo (3345 meters above sea level)

Here will be possible to observe a nice catholic church that was built in the XVI century. This is the first town in the flat area of the Anta District.

• 17:00 Arrive at the antique village of Huarocondo
• 18:30 Dinner and overnight

Day 3: Huarocondo - Andenes - Compone (3331 meters above sea level)

• 08:30 Breakfast
• 09:30 After a short ride, you will visit and old and historic land of “Andenes” (3405 meters above sea level)

Andenes has the province’s longest and biggest Inka terraces used for farming. That is the reason why it hosts the most important investigation complex of the Andean native potatoes where a professional agronomist of the National Institute of Agricultural Innovation will give you a tour during which he will explain the investigation process that aims to rescue some almost extinct native species of potatoes (Oca, Mashua, Potato, and Año).

• 12:00 Lunchtime
• 13:30 Afternoon ride crossing the longest flat area old the province of Anta until arriving at Compone village
• 17:00 Arrival time to Compone
• 19:00 Dinner and overnight stay

Day 4: Compone - Rocky Mountains of Yuraq Qaqa - Compone (4000 meters above sea level)

• 09:00 Breakfast
• 10:00 After breakfast time, you prepare your horses to ride up to one of the highest mountains from all of Anta (4000 meters above sea level)

There on top will be possible to observe many ceramic pieces from a pre-Inka civilization (KILLKE). All this area was the biggest Killke cemetery on top of the APU (sacred mountain). After visiting this funeral space, you ride down to the next marvelous area of the rocky mountain “Yuraq Qaqa” (white rock). There will be possible to observe many rocky formations big like towers of 30 or more floors in the city. These rocky formations have their origins in the vulcanos period. All the stones were magma.

This area has an interaction formation in the circle and this place was used by caw steelers during the colony time to hide these cows and horses because this small area is difficult to localize as it is located in the heart of a native forest area. Sometimes, it is possible to see deers, eagles, falcons, foxes, and many other wild animals because it is a peaceful and quiet area where is not common to see visitors. This forest area has a lot of Inka species like Molle, Tara, Qeuña, Chachacomo, Unka, etc. (Tries), and a lot of native bushes and flowers as well.

• 13:00 Lunch time will be in the middle of this rocky and forest área (picnic lunch)
• 14:00 Hiking tour
• 15:00 The ride down back to the lodge, two hours
• 17:00 Arrival time
• 19:00 Dinner and overnight

Day 5: Compone - Markjo - Huaypo Lake (3713 meters above sea level)

• 08:30 Breakfast
• 09:30 After taking your last breakfast in the lodge, you will cross all the flat area of Anta in a different direction than day four

After crossing the principal river from the Anta area, you need to climb the Andes once again until you arrive at a eucalyptus area where you expect to have lunchtime (3500 meters above sea level).

• 13:00 Lunch time, enjoying a panoramic view of the down-flat area of Anta province
• 14:00 Afternoon ride crossing eucalyptus forest hill and a lot of farming areas until arrive at the second biggest lake from this area (Huaypo lake)
• 17:00 Arrive at the lake's house
• 18:30 Dinner and overnight

Day 6: Huaypo Lake - Mahuaypampa - Paucarbamba (Hacienda)

After enjoying your dreams while listening to a symphony of songs that come from the different birds that live in the forest around the lake, you are ready for the last riding day.

• 08:30 Breakfast
• 09:30 Boat tour on the lake
• 10:30 Morning ride

You continue your ride to get to the village of Maway Pampa. Here, you will have the opportunity to see small farms, people plowing their land, many groups of shepherds, big fields with agaves, and snow-covered mountains like “Chicón” and “Verónica”. On the way, there are three different water reservoirs where is going the water for human consumption and for irrigation for different Andean communities like Cgaquepay, Waylla Qocha, Mahuaypampa, and Maras.

• 14:00 Lunchtime in the middle of nowhere
• 15:00 During the last part of this ride, you will realize how difficult and marvelous it is to live in the Andes, because is not easy to climb and ride downhill, cross rivers, muddy areas, etc.

Following a narrow trail that leads to the Sacred Valley back home, you will stop for a moment at a marvelous viewpoint just before the downhill ride until arrive at the Hacienda located in Paucarbamba.

• 17:30 Arrival time at the Hacienda

About the Peruvian Paso horses

Webster’s dictionary defines “luxury” as “the use and enjoyment of the best, most precious things offer the most physical comfort and satisfaction.” Luxury may be the single best word in the English language to describe the Peruvian Paso horse. There is something for everyone in this elegant animal: smooth riding comfort, high energy, straight, stamina, intelligence, a tractable disposition, animated, flashy presence, and 100 percent natural action which sets the Peruvian apart from others.

1. A breed apart

The Peruvian Paso horse transmits its unique smooth gait to its purebred foals. No artificial devices or special training aids are necessary to enable the horse to perform its specialty - a natural four-beat footfall of medium speed that provides a ride of incomparable smoothness and harmony of movement along with the utmost ground covering ability within on sequence of footfalls. This signature gait is called “Paso llano” and it is 100 percent unique to the Peruvian horse.

2. Flair and elegance

In addition to an easy gait, the Peruvian horse has a brilliant front action movement typified by the upward lifting of the front legs combined with “término”, an outward movement of the front legs similar to the loose rolling of a swimmer’s arms doing the crawl. Lift and término are 100 percent natural. Fluid, effortless, and well-integrated within the gait sequence. Of all of the traits that distinguish the Peruvian horse, his tremendous “Brio” is perhaps the most prized by both expert and novice horse people alike. Brio is an inherent quality of a noble and willing spirit that enables this tractable horse to perform tirelessly for many hours in the service of his rider.

3. A versatile horse

The Peruvian horse is the world’s greatest riding horse. Smooth to ride, beautiful to behold, and incredible brio - all traits that enable transportation. Peruvian horses excel in many aspects of pleasure riding: trail, competitive trail competition, team penning, sidesaddle, drill teams, musical exercise, and showing.

4. Conformation and appearance

Physically, the Peruvian horse is a horse of medium size and with refinement. The ideal height is between 14 and 16 hands tall, with good balance and almost even rations of girth, leg, and back. He may be any color. The coat and skin are refined and the mane is long and abundant with fine, lustrous hair. Bone is refined but dense; in all aspects, overall refinement, grace, and elegance are desired. Stallions exhibit the powerful arched neck and crest of their Iberian ancestors. Peruvian horse breeders pay scrupulous attention to genetics, with the three primary qualities being gait, soundness, and disposition.

5. Tack of the Peruvian horse

The traditional tack of the Peruvian horse has remained true to its heritage, but it may be ridden in any type of tack that fits properly. The headgear, saddle, stirrups, and “guarniciones” (trail gear) used today in shows are the traditional equipment imported from Peru where it has evolved over hundreds of years. Although many people choose to show their horses in traditional tack, any style may be used. And of course, on the trail, anything goes.