| Day 1: | Arrive at Montevideo airport or port (there are frequent ships which take a few hours from Buenos Aires) in the afternoon and spend the night at the Hotel Radisson in the center of town. There is an optional tour of the town arranged for 3:00 for those who arrive in time and dinner will be in a local restaurant. Transfer to the hotel and the overnight at the hotel are included in the trip price. Dinner and the tour are not included. |
| Day 2: | After breakfast you will be driven to El Ceibo Estancia by bus where you will arrive about 11:00 to meet your hosts, the staff and the horses. Lunch will be at about 1:00 and will consist of a traditional barbecue and criollo cuisine. We will head out on horseback across the fields to visit a local winery called Bodega de la Cruz at about 2:00. If there is time, you can taste some of the wines. The ride is about 15 miles there and back. On our return we will have a typical Uruguayan dinner and local dancers will perform to music. |
| Day 3: | After breakfast we will head out again on horseback toward San Pedro de Timote Estancia which is 40 miles away so we will go only a part of the way on this day. Part of the way will take you along some grassy tracks where the footing is excellent for cantering. A picnic lunch will be cooked for you near a half way point on the ride and after a rest you will ride on out over another stretch with more good places for a canter. In places the landscape reminds me somewhat of Ireland with the green fields and rolling hills, but this countryside comes without the bogs and the paved roads. At the end of the afternoon’s ride we will leave the horses to graze in a pasture for the night, climb in our bus and return to El Ceibo for a hot shower, cocktails and another feast. |
| Day 4: | After breakfast we will return by bus to the horses which should be saddled up and ready to make the final leg of the ride to San Pedro. This morning we will wind through groves of eucalyptus trees and across fields arriving in time for a late lunch. The first view of San Pedro de Timote is striking. The large buildings stand on top of a hill surrounded by lovely old trees. This estancia is one of the show places of Uruguay and has been declared a national monument. It was established in 1854 and was the headquarters for a huge ranch of 100,000 acres or more. Now it has been complete refurbished with comfortable bedrooms most of which have private bathrooms. There is an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. Enormous fireplaces blaze away in the sitting rooms and the décor is in the classic old Hispanic style. After lunch you can go horseback riding again for two or three hours to explore some of the estancia’s fields and forests. The estancia has a fine restaurant and after a delicious dinner you will be entertained by guitar playing and drinks by a campfire. |
| Day 5: | After breakfast we will make an excursion to a neighboring estancia which belongs to Ms Cecilia Gallinal. This beautifully managed dairy farm raises jersey cows and produces cheese. You will return to San Pedro for lunch and a rest an afternoon of riding in the surrounding area. Return to San Pedro for dinner and overnight. |
| Day 6: | After breakfast you will be driven by van to the northern department of Paysandu to Estancia La Paz, a beautiful old colonial 18,000 hectare estancia founded in 1856. This is also a working estancia which grows crops and breeds Charolais cattle, a variety which originated in France. After lunch you will have the opportunity to ride around the wheat fields and among the cattle grazing in the pastures. Although still in Uruguay, this part of the country has its own distinctive character. At the end of the afternoon you can relax in the estancia’s spa, or enjoy a drink under the starry sky while waiting for dinner. The cuisine at LaPaz is excellent; combing the influence of its Belgian forefathers with Uruguay’s national dishes. |
| Day 7: | After breakfast you will again ride over estancia land; crossing rivers and cantering through woodland, returning to the estancia for lunch. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to ride over so far unseen areas of the estancia. Dinner and overnight at Estancia LaPaz. |
| Day 8: | After breakfast the bus will return you to Montevideo and to the airport or port. We suggest that those who have time lunch at the Mercado del Puerto which is the very busy, picturesque and excellent restaurant near the port. The price of the lunch is very reasonable, but not included. |
| THIS ITINERARY IS FLEXIBLE. CHANGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO WEATHER OR OTHER UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. |
