Rides in Arequipa
Arequipa, known as the White City for its beautiful white walls of sillar, a volcanic stone, lies at the feet of the mighty volcanos of Mount Chachani, Mount Misti, and the snow covered peak of Mount Pichu Pichu. The downtown of the city, placed on the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO, features Mixed Baroque churches and mansions from the Colonial Period like the Monastery of Santa Catalina, a Spanish city in miniature with stone streets, beautiful patios, and plazas.
The coastal desert between Arequipa and the Pacific coast, which extends south into the Atacama, is one of the driest spots on earth. This stunning desert scenery combined with the huge cliffs overlooking the ocean is an ideal place to explore on horseback. Here we find one of the very few places along the Peruvian coast where the Pan American highway turns inland, leaving a huge area of the coastal landscape completely unspoiled.
Our rides in Arequipa (Nov.-Febr.):
Caleta San Jose Ride
5 days / 4 nights - Arequipa - Pacific coast - Arequipa
This amazing horse-riding journey along the coast of Arequipa is a truly unique and unforgettable travel experience if you are willing to go off the beaten track somewhat. The stunning desert coast of Peru is home to impressively huge sand dunes and sprawling, rocky wastelands. Few visitors to Peru know of this coastal desert with its jagged moonscape and curving sand dunes. During the ride you will visit one of the most solitary coves off the southern Peruvian coast, the Caleta San Jose, a quiet and peaceful place where the loudest sounds are the waves of the sea. During your two nights stay at the Caleta San Jose you will enjoy a boat ride from La Huata Cove to the Hornillos Island to see sea lions, penguins and many sea birds. The ride includes four exciting riding days on our fine Peruvian Paso horses through one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Peruvian coastal desert.
Peruvian Odyssey
11 days / 10 nights - Lima - Arequipa - Pacific coast - Cusco - Machu Picchu - Lima
Get away from the cold wet winter months - cross the Atacama, the driest of deserts, on a beautiful Peruvian Paso horse. Starting in the colonial city of Arequipa you ride across the desert to the Pacific ocean, camping en-route, then a couple of nights on the beach and on to visit Machu Picchu. Sun, culture, horses, pisco sours and chill time - what more could you want.
Best suited to pioneering souls, this is an equestrian journey filled with stark contrasts; warm days, cool nights, barren desert camps and comfortable hotels, the towering peaks of the Andes and the wild shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Set departure dates from November till end of February.