The world looks different from the back of a horse. A Conquistador, an early explorer and colonist, someone who crosses boundaries at a gallop. Yes, it certainly makes everything look different: the mountains, the rivers and the lakes. Those long days on horseback will free your soul, leaving your worries and ties behind, making you feel capable of reaching the remotest corners of earth in the pleasant company of that noble and graceful creature - the horse.

Travelling in Chile on horseback means crossing pampas, mountains and ranges. It is to discover the rural essence of the country: lunching on a barbecued steak - an asado, drinking a brew of Mate; reviving the ways of those Conquistadors and patriots that founded a nation. It is also a means of getting close to nature, to fathom its mysterious laws, and be moved by the revealing beauty of its reign.

So get into the saddle and let's be off! Here are a few suggestions where to go:

HORSEBACK IN JUAN FERNANDEZ

Places such as the Selkirk Viewpoint, El Yunke Plazoleta, Tierras Blancas and Los Ramplones can be reached by horse or mule.

HORSEBACK IN EASTER ISLAND

A gently hilly road, a landscape full of natural wonders with beaches, caves and extinct volcanoes. What more could one desire? … perhaps to feel part of a great adventure, perhaps to feel like an archaeologist searching for stone colossi carved by legendary cultures, or like a seasoned explorer riding across an island "at the ends of the earth".

You don't have to be a seasoned globetrotter. All you need is a good "dollop" of daring, a few "pinches" of curiosity and a couple of extra "spoonfuls" of eagerness, to be an accomplice and partner in a special adventure on Easter Island that starts when you jump into the saddle.

Horseback trekking is an attractively different way of learning the secrets of the land of the Rapa Nui. Currently there are several routes that riders can follow:

- Tours of the whole island, generally they last four days. All Easter Island's main attractions are visited.

- Ahu Tahai - Ahu Akivi, the ride follows the north shore, visits the "cave of the two windows" and skirts the sides of the Maunga Terevaka volcano. It ends at the Ahu Akivi, where the seven Moai look seaward.

- Maunga Terevaka, this is an exciting trail towards this monumental volcano that has been inactive for thousands of years. From the top one has a breathtaking view of the island.

HORSEBACK IN SANTIAGO DE CHILE

The adventure begins when you mount the noble animal, continues as you break into a steady trot and becomes unforgettable when you discover the dazzling scenery by the roadside. It offers a steady ride along the Santiago trails that are ideally suited to the activity and afford a view of the Chilean capital's rural aspects.

Santiago offers a wide range of possibilities for horse riding fans. Short and long excursions, in groups headed by specialized guides or singly. What remains the same, whatever your choice, is the beauty of the countryside, with unique valleys, sanctuaries and nature reserves.

When the rides are short, generally the hire price is arranged on the spot with the animal's owner. In these cases, prices are quite reasonable. For arranging the longer trips it is a good idea to seek advice from a specialized excursion agency.

The following are some of the horse riding trails that can be used in Santiago:

Cajon de Maipo (Metropolitan Region), a Cordillera foothill zone. These services are available throughout the area.

El Morado National Park (Metropolitan Region), it has trails that are easily negotiated by horses. Excursions lasting one or more days are organized. It is 93 kilometers from Santiago.

Fundo Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary (Metropolitan Region), 25 kilometers from Santiago one can find this haven for all kinds of living things, ideally viewed from horseback.

Oasis de La Campana Ecologic Reserve (Metropolitan Region) located 98 kilometers from Santiago along Route 5 North, this is a beautiful natural environment that offers a great variety of flora and fauna, among stands of noble and ancient palms.

Altos de Lircay National Reserve (VII Region del Maule) this is 66 km. east of Talca.

HORSEBACK IN TIERRA DEL FUEGO

The landscapes here are the same as when trekking on foot, but the sensation is different. This is so because you see everything differently when you are riding a horse. Meadows look larger and more interesting. It seems that the horizon is no longer out of reach, and you cannot control your excitement.
Tierra del Fuego offers tourists more than one horse-riding circuit. It offers itineraries to fit everybody's tastes and budgets. It offers short or long circuits, circuits for inexperienced and experienced riders, easy or rocky trails. In short, it is a matter of mounting the horse, grabbing the reins and going on the ride.
The Darwin Mountain Range is a privileged area for horse riding. It is possible to see condors, "guanacos" and horses on the way. Another possibility for riding is on the banks of the Condor River. This is located 180 kilometers from Porvenir.
We advise tourists who are thinking of crossing the mountain range to do so from December to March.

HORSEBACK IN TORRES DEL PAINE

A trip of a few hours or maybe a ride during days, to get that different perspective of the forests, lakes, glaciers, and those apparently inhospitable Pampas. Fascinating routes, on the back of a rough criollo horse, adapted to the harshness of the Patagonian countryside.

There is not an experience like it, for here, when tiredness takes it toll, a strengthening meal of barbecued meat - an asado, Patagonian style, will revive you. This in the pleasant company of those local experts, the cowboys and riders that will season your afternoons and night with their tales of incredible journeys across the cold Patagonian steppes.

The National Park of the Torres del Paine has a great variety of circuits that can be done on horseback. We would like to point just out a few:

The Scout Zamora Pass. This circuit takes approximately 7 days on horseback. We will cross the Zamora River, to obtain a spectacular view of the Torres del Paine Range and the Blue Lake - Laguna Azul; then we will proceed through a forest of Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus Antarctica) to a look out point in the mountainous Sierra Baguales, on the border to Argentina.

The Ice Route will take us for a nine day horse back ride through the National Parks of the Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins, a trip which will allow us to observe up to seven different glaciers, apart from incredibly beautiful lakes, rivers and forests.

The Bay of Last Hope Route will take us three days to travel on horseback. As in the previous route we will travel through rarely visited parts of the National Parks of the Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins. There are stunning views of forests, lakes and glaciers. At the road's end, the adventure continues in a ship till reaching the Bay of Last Hope.

There are also shorter circuits such as the Lovely Lake - Laguna Linda Trail; the La Esmeralda Trail (almost 5 hours); another circuit starts at the Paso La Feria Pass travelling down the Bitter Lake - Laguna Amarga Trail (3 hours). You can also ride on horseback down a trail that will take you to the so-called Big Circuit and the Dickson Glacier (The first part goes past the Paine Lake and takes approximately three and a half hours and an additional two hours will take you to the Glacier lookout point.).

Another possibility is to go to the lookout point of Sierra del Toro or follow a trail, which starts out from the Ranch Tercera Barranca, which will take you to the Gemita Ranch, and to the Blue Lake - Laguna Azul (an almost 4 hours ride).

*We recommend that you use specialised guides on the indicated trails, experts that know the terrain and can offer the necessary logistics to carry out the venture.

HORSEBACK IN SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Horseback riding through the desert. Desolate skies and endless horizons. Tracks in the desert sand burnt by the heat. Riders in search of an oasis with its exuberance. People tired out, maybe lost in a dream which is nothing but a mirage, or maybe, just disconcerted by the desolate beauty of the San Pedro de Atacama countryside.

Adventures on a speeding horse. The are many possibilities in San Pedro de Atacama, everything from rides, at one's discretion, of an hour's length, (Horses can be rented in town), up to complex rides of up to six days, crossing sand dunes and desert sceneries, persistently searching for the Andean cordillera and the valleys of its slopes.

Amongst the most interesting routes we have the horseback trails down the valleys of Quitor, de la Muerte and Río Grande, along the Sequitor Native lands and the village of Tulor, the Salt Mountainrange - La Cordillera de la Sal, amongst others.

*We recommend that you use specialised guides on the indicated trails, experts that know the terrain and can offer the necessary logistics to carry out the venture.