The Colombia Cowboy Ride

After breakfast, we’ll visit Yopal's traditional leather workshops before embarking on a 3-hour private transfer to Matabraba, the main gateway to Hato Santana. 

Upon arrival, we’ll meet our horses and prepare our luggage, which may be transported by mules or tractor, depending on the season. Our journey continues for 25 km to the ranch’s main house, where we’ll enjoy comfortable, historically rich accommodations. Rooms will be assigned as either doubles or singles (with an additional fee for singles). 

The day concludes with a traditional dinner and an overnight stay at Santana.

We’ll start our day with breakfast at 8 am before embarking on a 4-hour horseback ride to the mare herds. Upon arrival at the next ranch, we’ll enjoy refreshing lemonade and receive our herding assignments. Working alongside the cowboys, we will herd over 200 animals to the ranch pens, with the duration of this task depending on the season and the location of the animals. After lunch, we’ll observe various pen activities, including deworming, mane grooming, and selecting young horses for training.

After breakfast, we will ride out to return the horse herd to their new grazing area,  typically in the ranch's expansive pens. These pens, covering about 1000 hectares, are designed to protect the young from pumas. We'll enjoy arepuelas (a type of bread) and  fresh lemonade before heading back to the house. After lunch, there's time to rest,  learn about crafting ropes and tools from hair and leather, and enjoy the pool. Season  permitting, we might kayak in the large pond in the house's yard and watch the  capybaras.

To truly experience the plains, spend a night in a hammock at a ranch. We'll pack  lightly for an overnight stay at a smaller ranch – a humble dwelling with corrals where land caretakers and grazing animals reside.  This is the usual lodging for cowboys during work seasons. Amidst the savannah, we'll sleep alongside the real Llaneros in the stables. The evening will be filled with  traditional songs and rhymes before we rest.

After packing our hammocks and enjoying breakfast, we’ll prepare to bid farewell to the plains and return to civilization. We'll ride to Matabrava, the entrance and exit of the ranch. Following lunch and heartfelt farewells to the cowboys and horses, we'll take a two-hour transfer back to Yopal. In the evening, we'll witness a demonstration of "coleo," a national equestrian sport originating from this region, which showcases techniques for controlling wild animals. Finally, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Yopal.

We'll have breakfast, followed by a transfer to the airport.