Great Escape: Hacienda La Alegria

Hacienda Alegria in Ecuador offers unmatched experiences of horseback riding with trained specialists. The second to none horseback riding tours exploring the breathtaking Ecuadorian Andes makes for the perfect vacation.  The host, Gabriel Espinosa, comes from a family steeped in equestrian tradition, and his enthusiasm for riding and horses is at the core of everything done at La Alegria. They offer horseriding tours which cater from experienced riders to total beginners.

Day Rides: The one day programmes at La Alegria include a gentle ride around the local farms or for the more adventurous an ascent of La Viudita ("The Widow", 3760m), our "local" peak from which you can enjoy fine views of the "Avenue of the Volcanoes". Two day programmes allow for riding further afield. Options range from a ride through the spectacular Pasochoa Natural Reserve, to a visit to the famed cloud forest of Ecuador, where luxuriant vegetation thrives in the high humidity of the rising air from the coast.

Multi-day Adventure Trips: La Alegria is happy to arrange a ride customised to your requirements, taking in spectacular craters, highland lakes, high pass crossings and local some colour such as rodeos and round-ups where "Chagras" (Andean cowboys) dressed in traditional llama-hide chaps muster the cattle from the surrounding paramo.