Visitors & Comments - Travel in Chile

 

Ulrike Leinen - Computerspecialist - Germany "Breathtaking wildernis and untouched nature, that´s what we found on our hike through the valley El Chapa. Trees that are over 500 years old and uncountable birds! There sure are some wonderful hikes here!"

 

Bernd Giesser - lawyer - Switzerland "A dreamlike horseback tour through the Andes. It was the first ride of my life, I don´t know how to ride. The soft saddle is like a sofa. The silence is impressive and the beauty of nature, it´s just great that there still are places like this on earth."

 

Balagar Ademe - PC-Software technician - USA "Outstanding holidays! The variety of the activities of the Hacienda Los Andes are just great: horseback riding, hiking, the 500 ha nature reserv and an excursion to the indian caves. They take care of you and do a great job!"

 

Ines Lange - Newsreporter - Germany "To visit the Hacienda is almost a must when you are travelling to Northern Chile. A vacation close to nature in a fascinating landscape in the middle of the Andes, who does not dream of this? The lodge offers everything for individual travellers, no mass tourism, everything is personal and has style."

 

Isabelle Mazille - Senior Consult Journey Latin America Travel Agengy - England "A magic place, ideal to wind down and escape from it all. The riding is excellent, easy and slow for the novice and with a challenging terrain for the experienced rider. The horses are friendly and saddles most comfortable. A great way to discover a spectacular mountain scenery with permanent blue sky, sunshine and a pleasanr breeze to keep the temperature down. A real treat!"

 

Neil Bradbury - Doctor - England "We journeyed from La Serena over arid Andean passes until finally dropping into the valley paradise of Hurtado. Days on Creolo horses in crystal air, evening 4WD adventures to the roof of the world, brilliant night time starts and wonderful hospitality at the Hacienda. Clark and Manuela have created an organic garden of eden in this beautiful country."

 

Toby Green - Southamerican Handbook author - England "The Hurtado area is one of the best for horseback riding in Chile . Here you are right in among the high mountains, and the result is spectacular and unforgettable: snowcapped mountains, soaring hillsides, and to cap it all the beautifully green valley of the Rio Hurtado !"

 

Lonley Planet Author for Northernchile Jeff Davis check our hacienda carefully out! He, a non-rider, discouver the 1000 acre hacienda nature reserve on horseback. His comment: "Good place to hang out .. peacefull and nice" The following is the text that will be published in the new edition of Lonely Planet 2003 Overlooking the banks of Ri´o Hurtado, Hacienda Los Andes (tel 53-691-822; web www.haciendalosandes.com; singles/doubles from US$32/20) i the kind of place that´s hard to leave. The hacienda is a beautiful, colonial-style building with clay-tile floors and terracotta roof tiles, designed and built by German owner Clark Stede and comanaged by Austrian Manuela Paradeiser, both of whom speak German and English. Rooms are comfortable and simply furnished..Camping is available next to a stream and is a tremendous bargain at US$4 per person. Campers can use the hacienda showers and buy meals at the big house. More than just a place to stay, though, Hacienda Los Andes offers a variety of activities within its 1000 acres of cacticovered hills and along its lush riverbank. The house specialty is horse riding tours, starting at US$60 for a 5-6 hour ride. Overnight, multiday and week-long riding excursions are also available. Two hiking trails (4km and 7km) lead into the Hurtado hills and canyons. Mountain bike rental is available (US$25 per day, including lunch). Off-road, 4WD excursions lead into the Andes and to Indian rock painting sites. If that all sounds like too much work, there´s always the sauna (US$15 for two person), the Jacuzzi (US$15 for two), restful hammocks overlooking the river, a 3km walking trail among the river´s lush vegetation, a nude beach at a secluded spot in the middle of the creek, and the dark night sky above. Meals (breakfast US$7, lunch $10, dinner $10) are created using local fruits, cheese and vegetables from small farmers in the Hurtado valley. In nearby Hurtado, [Restaurant Penita] is a cheaper, friendly place with freshly prepared meals. Don´t expect fast food here. To reach the hacienda, you can drive or take the daily bus from Ovalle to Hurtado; the hacienda is 3km before Hurtado, just before the bridge. Or, the hacienda provides pickup service from Ovalle and Vicun~a (each US$35 per person) and from La Serena (US$60 per person). The hacienda is 46km from Vicun~a via gravel mountain road, and 97km from Ovalle (the road is paved as far as Samo Alto).

 

This is U.K. Rough Guide Chile-Author Andrew Benson story about us: The first thing you see when arriving at Hacienda Los Andes is a sign welcoming you to "Paradise". I´ve seen this sign or similar ones many a time - elsewhere in Chile where heavenly landscapes and divine locations are admittedly two a peso. But from my initial impression onwards this place lived up to the promise. Hacienda Los Andes is a little bit of Mexico thrown into a fertile valley of mid-northern Chile - the style of the buildings, with their terracotta roof tiles and yellow walls, would certainly not look out of place in the colonial cities to the west of Mexico City. Indeed, many of the subtly exquisite furnishings and items of decoration were imported from just that country. Yet everything fits into this particular part of Chile, the amazing Norte Chico (Little North), with its giant cacti and arid desertlands and the exuberant vegetation of the riverside plantations of papaya, alfalfa, figs and grapevines. Clark and Manuele, the couple who own and run the hacienda are not Chilean. He is a Berliner, she from Vienna, and they run the joint with Germanic precision, organization and efficiency. But their love of their new home comes over from the outset, they have the knack of forging admirable contacts with the locals - wonderfully reserved yet amiable people - and they have adopted Chile, especially this fabulous region of it, as their own. The food on offer is not typically Chilean either. Vegetables and fruit, all grown organically on the farm, abound, partly thanks to a dreamlike climate and incredibly fecund topsoil. Succulent meat and fish are served with imaginative sauces and in unusual combinations, perfectly prepared by Rosa the local cook. Yet by using the incredibly flavoursome and appetizing produce fresh from their own land or grown and reared by fellow farmers from the area they again remain faithful to their surroundings. Manuele echoes the quiet reserve of the natives in her understated Austrian way, welcoming but discreet. Clark Stede has the affable charm, sharp sense of humour and garrulous boisterousness typical of many Berliners, and could best be described as a German huaso - Chile´s less famed answer to the gaucho. By his own admission - pace Manuele - his first love is his horses, the Hacienda´s leading attraction. I´m no horseman but on a challenging six-hour horse trek into the cactus-spiked mountainside never once did I experience a moment of fear. I rode the most noble, gentle steed: "Patriota" was faithful, responsive and patient, and I think I gained enough confidence to contemplate many more rides in the future. Even the saddles are a joy. They are literally tailored for Clark and Manuela by a talented craftsman from mid-southern Chile where the couple used to live. They had him create a hybrid saddle between a conventional riding model and the type used for rodeos. That way there is no danger of slipping forward as you wend your way down the precipitous bridleways that plunge down from the bone-dry mountaintops into the verdant valley of the Rio Hurtado where the Hacienda sits. This is not a quiet place - silence is broken by the constant gurgle of the river, the strum of the cicadas and the squawk of parrots flying overhead. Nor is it a still place - all kinds of birds regularly visit the gardens, along with multicoloured butterflies, attracted by the riot of flowers. But it is a supremely restful place - the air is utterly clean, the night skies filled with stars and the nearest town is over one hour´s drive away. So you can take their word for it: Welcome to Paradise! Andrew Benson, 9 March 2002, Hacienda Los Andes, Hurtado, Chile

 

Carla Pinilla and Teresa Toyos, photographer and journalist for the most read Chilean daily newspaper ?Mercurio? and the journal ?En viaje?, visited us recently. Here you read their impression about the Hacienda Los Andes. Me, who has never been on a horseback before, had to travel so far to get to know the beauty of my own country ? and that at the hand of this amiable people who are not even Chileans. I feel very fortunate to have come here and I am glad that it is Manuela and Clark who are in charge of this beautiful place. Hopefully they will always go on like this. Thank you very much for your hospitality, Teresa Toyos, Journalist for «Mercurio» Here you feel the fresh air and the constant sound of the river, which makes you think about your life and want more of it?it makes you dream! Thank you very much Manuela and Clark, Carla Pinilla, Photographer for ?Mercurio?

 

Chiles famous newspaper Revista del Domingo / El Mercurio published a great stroy about our hacienda - yes in Spanish. You can read the full story in our spanish website under News.

 

Reto Wild, a freelance journalist for Swiss newspapers such as ´Neue Züricher Zeitung`, `Mittelland/ Aargauer Zeitung´ and also for the magazine ´Schweizer Touristik´: „The Hacienda Los Andes is a jewel, an oasis in the silence of the semi-desert in northern chile. A stay of four days seems like the same relaxation as a two week holiday. The sweeping of the Río Hurtado , the clear blue sky, a nice breeze and the competent team of Clark Stede will stay unforgettable ! Hasta luego

 

Moon Handbooks, publishing house Wayne Bernhardson, 1st edition 2002, Avalon Travel Publishing / USA “In the upper valley of the Río Hurtado, a mountainous area whose chaparral and cacti resemble parts of southern California and northern Baja California, German operator Clark Stede has opened a facility for backcountry horseback….. Near the village of Morrillos, Hacienda Los Andes is s highly professional operation that offers access on sure-footed horses to vast areas of steep and rugged terrain barely touched by tourists. It also has ample river frontage for swimming and relaxing at the end of the day.”

 

„As the author of two editions of the Bradt Guide to Trekking in Chile and Argentina, I visited Clark´s previous enterprise in southern chile, which I was very pleased to recommend. The Hacienda Los Andes seems even better to me, with more comfortable accomodation and greater variety of things to do, and I will be very happy to recommend it personally and in my books – in addition to the Trekking Guide, I am now writing a more general guide to Chile for Bradt Travel Guides (see www.bradt-travelguides.com). “ Tim Burford Cambridge, UK

 

 

Some news about our base, the Hacienda Los Andes. In the latest news letter, published by the famous ROUGH GUIDE (U.K.) company, who just lunched the new CHILE ROUGH GUIDE , a story written by chile guide book author Andrew Benson IN THE SADDLE (RoughNews 21, U.K.Spring 2003) Andrew Benson decides that four legs are better than two when exploring Chile´s breathtaking Hurtado valley. Chile is the kind of country where every mode of transport is possible - and sometimes necessary. On my recent research trips I was as ever impressed and depressed by the country´s long-distance buses. Impressed by their comfort and reliability, depressed by the appallingly violent videos everyone sits glued to, from tiny tots to venerable grannies with bags of potatoes. The national airline puts most others to shame, with beautiful planes that makes you feel as if you are the first passenger, delicious food and unrivalled punctuality. I also observed a gigantic glacier and sailed between icebergs in a Zodiac dinghy, flew over the desolate Tierra del Fuego archipelago in a midget Twin Otter, was driven across bright salt flats in a jeep and went up and down steep hillsides at Valparaiso in an ancient funicular. White-water rafting, skiing, hanggliding and surfing are all on offer. But never was I prouder of myself than when I went horse riding in the Hurtado valley, some 400km north of the capital, Santiago. I was staying at one of Chile´s most idyllic spots, the Mexican style Hacienda Los Andes, run by a slightly crazy Berliner with the unlikely but somehow appropriate name of Clark Stede and his quiet spoken partner, with the apt name of Manuela Paradeiser. They built, decorated and now run the place themselves, with the help of a couple of friendly locals, so the result is an unbeatable combination of Germanic discipline and precision, and genuine Chilean hospitality. The hacienda is painted bright reds and yellows, in vivid contrast with the arid ochre mountains above and the cool green of the fertile valley below, but it all fits in. While veal an calamari kebabs grilled on a barbecue, pisco sours mellowed our mood, the sun slipped behind a forest of cacti and a flock of squawking parrots flew overhead as a further reminder of the day´s end.

 

Next day at dawn, as the crinkly mountains glowed a rich tangerine in the early sunlight, preparations for our trek began, with that Teutonic exactitude I had come to expect. The hacienda´s stables are out of odour´s reach of the bedrooms but near enough so you don´t have to walk far before mounting. The horses themselves display the loving care they receive in every step they take; they are quiet, responsive and contented, which I , as an inexperienced rider, found immensely reassuring. We put them - or rather me – through the motions and we were off, followed by a pair of equally obedient German shepherd dogs. Apart from Clark I was accompanied by two other guests, a couple of young advertising executives from Leipzig whose love of horses had taken them galloping across the Hungarian puzsta the previous summer. I could tell they were a bit frustrated by the slow pace we were to adopt. I, on the other hand, was delighted. The laid-back speed was enforced by two things: the dry heat of the day in this semi-desert, where the only vegetation, and therefore shade, is the odd cactus and, even rarer, a spindly tree. Water was scarce and whenever we came across some the horses became very excited, as did the dogs. We, of course, carried plentiful supplies in our beautiful brightly coloured saddle-bags, which were also stocked with locally made goat´s cheese, home-baked bread, and sun-blessed fruit from the orchards in the oasis at Hurtado. The other factor was the steepness of the narrow winding paths we took up and down mountainsides. We had to stay close together so the horses could follow each other. Clark, on his steed, led the way, and reprimanded us if we left the smallest gap between us. The most challenging parts were some alarmingly precipitous descents, with only fierce-looking cacti to cushion our fall into a deep ravine; and one stretch of the trail so unsafe we had to dismount and lead our horses down the rough-hewn steps, their hoofs sending stones flying noisily in every direction. It was worth it, though: easily the best way to see some of northern Chile´s most heart-stopping landscapes, plus curiosities on the way such as mysterious pre-Hispanic rock paintings. And thanks to the hacienda´s specially crafted saddles nobody was too sore to enjoy sitting down that evening as fish sizzled on the barbecue, pisco sours were sipped and a flock of parrots flew overhead. Andrew Benson updated the second edition of the Rough Guide to Chile, publishing in April 2003

 

Visitors on the Inca Trail.

 

 

Wayne Bernhardson – author of Moon Handbooks Chile (USA) ISBN 1-56691-405-1 US $19.95 http://www.moon.com/catalog2/chile.html , just visit us and say’s about our oasis in the Andes: “..want to tell how impressed I was with the improvements at Hacienda Los Andes since I saw it the first time in early 2001, before it had formally opened. Your attention to detail is just remarkable, and my wife and daughter were enormously impressed with the way you´ve transformed an abandoned property into a gem…and I´m also impressed with how affordable it is, given the quality of the facilities. In some parts of Chile, you can pay a lot more and get a lot less..”

 

Chile travel guide book Footprint - South American Handbook 2008 talks very positiv about us (Page 642) Hacienda Los Andes, Vado Morillos, tel.: 053-691822 German- Austrian management at this highly regarded colonial style hacienda, all meals of local produce with organic fruit and vegetables , experts in horseback tours in unparalleled riding country (from US$ 93), plus trekking, biking, and many other outdoor activities , from 1 to 8 days. English also spoken. All rooms with private bath, sauna and Jacuzzi overlooking the river. Camping available including hot showers. Access from Vicuna or Ovalle via Mounumento National Pichasca. (Photo show Hacienda los Andes and the Valley Rio Hurtado