Wild Land of Criollos

The horse ride starts with taking the horses across the mouth of Valizas’ river, ridden or towed by boat, depending on the tides. A full day ride that takes us through a fascinating dune system, now a national park, to Cabo Polonio - a fishing village turned ‘low key’ beach resort.
The village is only accessible through these shifting sand dunes making the village a fascinating outpost. After visiting the ancient lighthouse and watching to part of the biggest sea lion’s colony in America, we have lunch at a typical local restaurant, with fresh fish, seaweed and other typical local seafood on the menu. Horseback ride back to Valizas via pine forests. At the end of today’s adventure, if the weather conditions allow it, we have the opportunity to swim with our horses!
Dinner at Ecolodge.

Riding: 5 hours.

Overnight: Ecolodge.

After a special homemade breakfast watching the South American screamers (Chauna torcuata) and the many different storks, egrets and ibis from your room, we start early in the morning for a ride towards the Castillos Lagoon wetlands.
During the morning riding we cross pasture lands and ancient Estancias towards the Castillos Lagoon, the second biggest lagoon in Uruguay, central part of the IBA 20 (Important Bird and Biodiversity Area). This area is home of more than 270 different species of resident and migrating birds, such as the Southamerican screamer, Rhea americana, Flamingos and the beautiful Black neck swan. We ride through the unique Ombú forest, a botanical very strange formation that surrounds the shore of the lagoon. It is not strange to see colorful birds such as Pink egret (Platalea ajaja) and native mammals as capibaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus).
Our first camping site is in Barra Grande, a private biodiversity reserve, where conservation and production are at the same priority level.
Dinner and camping at Barra Grande.

Riding: 6 hours.

Overnight: camping.

A vastly different landscape is waiting for us today. We start early in the morning, riding into dryer and rocky lands. While we cross pasturelands and palm groove forest, you will appreciate how landscape starts to change.
At midday we do a picnic stop, where our criollo’s saddles are fundamental part for the deserved siesta!
In the afternoon we arrive to El Mirador in Cerro de los Rocha. This is a private reserve located just in middle of a natural viewpoint where we can appreciate all the trail we been doing with our horses, and next days as well! Our camping site is in middle of the native sierras forest, full of birdlife and unspoiled nature. Millions of stars and just the nature sounds are the perfect decor for this camping fire and dinner.
Dinner and camping at El Mirador.

Riding: 6 hours.

Overnight: camping.

The reward for the ones who wakes up early, before down, is the spectacular scenery from the top of this hill with the first sun rays’ light.
Today’s riding is one of the most fascinating, toward the coast, leaving behind the high lands. Many different species of woodpeckers, colorful churrinches and noisy bandurrias are just some of the most characteristic birds we can see on the way.
In the afternoon we arrive to Don Bosco, a Salesian congregation holydays colony. On the Black Lagoon shore, with beautiful views over this lagoon and just under the Cerro de la Virgen with its beautiful Higuerones forest, the biggest Ficus native tree in Uruguay. it is a wonderful place to camp!
Dinner and camping at Don Bosco.

Riding: 5-6 hours.

Overnight: camping. Room accommodation is possible for extra charges.

After breakfast, we start preparing our horses for a half-day ride. With the local gaucho visiting the Cerro de la Virgen, an amazing 360 lookout, the highest point on the area! Also, we visit the forest of Higuerones, enormous and ancient epiphyte plants with huge roots that point to the ground, so special that many of them have a personal name!
We return to our campsite for lunch. In the afternoon we have time to rest, enjoy the peace of the Lagoon and recharge batteries for the next days! Refreshing on the lagoon, trekking and birdwatching are just some of the activities you can enjoy here.
Dinner and camping at Don Bosco.

Riding: 2 hours.

Overnight: camping. Room accommodation is possible for extra charges.

In the morning, we start riding through the estancia, crossing wetlands and the palm tree forest so characteristic of this area. More than 7000 centenary palm trees per hectare makes this place unique! This is s special day to see to see wild capibaras on the wetlands, but you need to be very silent and pay special attention to the guide’s indications.
We find a special spot for picnic in middle of the wetlands. Lots of historical events had happened around these ancient palm trees, which we will be discovering along our ride.
We continue riding toward the Atlantic coast, reaching our camp site Los Moros just next to the Atlantic coast.
Dinner and camping at Los Moros.

Riding: 5 hours.

Overnight: camping.

Base Itinerary:

After breakfast, we come back to our center in Valizas along the beach. We pass through the village Aguas Dulces and we enjoy beautiful canters/gallops on the hard beach with the view of Valizas’ sand dunes. Once back at Ecolodge we culminate this week with a delicious lunch and final brindis.
Transfer back to Montevideo.

Riding: 3 hours.

Extended Itinerary:

After breakfast, we start riding on the beach to the north. Today we can enjoy of an open and endless beach just for us, very unlikely to run into someone! More likely to see some dolphins close to us in the surf or some sea birds fishing in open waters!
At midday we stop in the shade close the coast, to enjoy our picnic and let horses rest before we continue.
We reach Punta del Diablo, an originally fisherman village turned into the surfers paradise, enjoying some canters on the hard beach. We have the chance to know this characteristic village before we reach our lodge, a cozy Posada.
Dinner at Punta del Diablo. 

Riding: 3 hours.

Overnight: Posada at Punta del Diablo

In the morning we start riding leaving Punta del Diablo behind us, to get into the Santa Teresa National Park, a recreational-forest park administrated by the national army. We visit the different greenhouses where diverse tropical and sub-tropical species of native and foreign plants as well as more of 300 different kinds of roses are cared by our soldiers. This is a particularly good place to see the protected native fauna like Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu) and the Yellow Cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) as it is a protected reserve. After a picnic lunch under centenary trees, we continue riding to reach the ancient fortress of Santa Teresa, a portuguese-spanish construction made to protect the border between both empires, place of dozens of battles. Riding your horse around it make you feel like if you were in that time.
Before arriving to La Coronilla where we overnight at a very comfortable hotel next to the ocean with worm and cold water swimming pools and outdoor Jacuzzi, we visit the Cerro Verde and Islas de La Coronilla National Park, another Protected Area (SNAP) where the protagonist are the sea turtles!
Diner at Hotel Parque Oceánico.

Riding: 6 hours.

Overnight: Hotel.

After a delicious breakfast, we start riding into La Coronilla, a well-known gaucho’s town on the Atlantic coast, and the countryside that surrounds it. We reach back the oceanic coast and with an exceptionally long gallop along the pristine beach we finish this adventure with a nice surprise!
Lunch and transfer back to Montevideo.

Riding: 2-3 hours.