Horseback Riding Cusco: Experience the Peruvian Paso Horses

Development of the Program:

We will begin by picking you up at your hotel. Then we will drive you over to the stables at Fundo Molleray which is located 15 minutes away from the Cusco airport. That is where you will be introduced to our horses; and you will listen to our guides explain about equestrian safety, and go over the details of our route. Every client will be given a suitable horse,all saddled up and ready to go. There will be a warm-up session where you will get to know your horse, and learn how to use the equipment. Then we will ride out through the fields of corn, barley, and potatoes. We will cross over a few small rivers and ride into a forest of eucalyptus trees.

We will pass through the village of Wilcarpay where we will see the friendly people of the Andes going about their daily tasks, tending their fields and their livestock.

At the next creek, we will take a short break before beginning our first 300 yard ascent. Then there will be another 200 yard ascent up a gentle incline along an Incan pathway along which the Ayar Brothers used to travel. We will arrive at the Nueva Puna Cancha community, where we will meet the people who are shepherds and also farmers. We will continue our ride up to the high part of the puna, where we will dismount and eat our snack. From here there is a splendid panoramic view of the whole Cusco Valley and of the surrounding snow-capped peaks.

We will walk for about 5 minutes to loosen up our legs. Then we will arrive at the ruins of Inca Raccay. We will observe the detailed construction of the ancient walls made out of stones that have been worked and that have up to 11 angles. This was the Inca style of construction, and it shows that this was indeed an important road during that early epoch.

After visiting the site, we will return to the overlook of Nueva Puna Cancha where we had our snack, and then start back down the trail into the Valley. We will take a different trail down, that runs along the river. This narrow trail is the one that the Ayar Brothers used long ago. Along the way we will have a great view of the modern eucalyptus forests, and also of the native trees such as chachacoma, queuña, and chilca. We will see the native ichu grass, lots of birds, and, if we’re lucky, we’ll see Andean foxes and vizcachas.

When we arrive back at the stables, we will drive you to your hotel where our service ends.

Itinerary:
• 08:30 am: pick up at your hotel
• 09:00 am: visit to the stables, and a short talk about equestrian safety, and how to treat your horse.
• 09:30 am: our ride begins
• 11:00 am: visit to the Incan ruins at Inka Raccay
• 12:00 pm: we begin our ride back down along the trail once used by the Ayar Brothers
• 13:30 pm: return to the stables
• 13:30pm: transportation back to your hotel or to the Plaza de Armas