Galloping Through Patagonia, Chile: Horseback Riding with Galope Austral
- That's How We Travel
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Summary. On the final day of our trip, we visited Galope Austral, a small, family-run horseback riding operation located about 30 minutes north of Puerto Natales, Chile, in the heart of Patagonia. As part of our return journey to El Calafate, Argentina, and then home, this half-day experience turned out to be a memorable highlight of the trip. The ride was private, well-organized, and tailored to each rider's experience level, with helmets, chaps, and horses selected accordingly. Riding through the stunning Chilean Patagonia landscape, our group galloped across open fields, stopped for photos, and even visited a local Gaucho's home. The beauty of the scenery and the warmth of the hosts capped of another great That's How We Travel vacation.
[This blog is part of our 10-days in Patagonia trip].
Getting to Galope Austral. From our great AirBnB in Puerto Natales (photos below), we headed out on our last day of the trip to go Horseback Riding with Galope Austral. Our itinerary for the day included a stop here on our return journey to El Calafate, Argentina, as part of our long trip home. Situated on the Chilean side of Patagonia, Galope Austral is about 30 minutes north of Puerto Natales.
Galope Austral. We highly recommend this family-run establishment. While small, it operates professionally, safely, and has access to vast stretches of the Chilean Patagonia region. Upon arrival, we were given helmets and chaps, and a horse that were each individually selected to match our size and riding experience.
Riding through Patagonia. Our group was private so it was just us and the two owners. Since we were short on time, we elected the half-day experience. For this, we headed out on the trail as a group, along with one of Charlotte and Enrique's many working dogs.
Galloping. If you're confident and experienced, there are large open areas where you can start galloping. This was so much fun!
Some of the others in our group gave it a try too!
Group Photo. Halfway through the ride, we stopped for a fun little photo shoot.
Headed back out again:
Gaucho Life. On our way back we stopped by a neighbor's home and met a Chilean Gaucho. His 20+ dogs came to greet us too. Here, we learned about the Gaucho customs.
Enjoyable Time. This final activity in Patagonia was so fun and memorable. The beautiful scenery, great horses, and hospitable team at Galope Austral were all truly wonderful.
Headed Home. From here we started our looooong journey home. First, we drove roughly 3 hours to El Calafate, stopped at a different border crossing between Chile and Argentina (photo below). Like the last one, this was a seamless process that took less than 20 minutes complete. Once in El Calafate, we had a late lunch/early dinner before heading to the airport for an 8:30 p.m. flight to Buenos Aires, where our international flight was scheduled to leave at 5:00 a.m. From there we flew to Panama City and then to our home airport (SFO). In total, from our AirBnB that morning in Puerto Natales, to our home airport, we traveled nearly 7000 miles!
Final Blog for this Trip. As we wrap up blogging another That's How We Travel adventure, we like to reflect back on the trip. If we had to do it again, we would have come longer but we also knew that going into the vacation. To travel to the Southern Hemisphere with our young-adult kids, means catching them while they're on the Winter break at university. Since they are on the quarter system, that left us just 10 days between Christmas night and returning in time for the first day of class. So if you're thinking of following our itinerary, we would add at least 4 more days: 1-2 days in Buenos Aires, 1 in El Chalten, and 2 in the Puerto Natales area. We have already talked about what we could do with future trips, including coming down the coastline on the Chilean side, or going up to see Iguazu Falls from Buenos Aires.
Regardless, the Patagonia region was stunningly beautiful, and we're so glad we visited this bucket list destination. As always, we're thankful for the family time and for being lucky enough to enjoy another fantastic vacation with our That's How We Travel family.
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