Salta and the Great Gringauchos!

Our time in Salta was mostly spend exploring the city and the surrounds. Including a trip to the top of Cerro San Berndardo, a large hill overlooking the town.

The highlight of Salta for us was definitely our trip to Sayta Cabalgatas, where we went horse riding.

We were picked up at 9am from our hostel and driven roughly an hour to Cafayate, where the ranch was located. Upon arrival we were given breakfast, a bumbag for our possessions, an awesome hat and leg protectors (unsure of real name..).

We were each given a horse (mine was the biggest of course) and we set off. I was feeling a little (lots) nervous as it has been at least 10 years since I’ve ridden a horse and on that occasion the horse bolted with me on it, needless to say I was a tad scared. 

We set off on our 3 hour trail ride and right away upon leaving the ranch we quickly discovered that my horse was a tad peckish, stopping every 3 minutes or so for a quick snack along the road side. 

A few minutes after that we discovered that Samuel, the great gringo gaucho was allergic to horses… and couldn’t stop sneezing…. for the entire 3 hours. On the trail we navigated dirt roads, tobacco plantations, creek beds and various farm lands. We even galloped for a bit! 

The ride was really fun, made even better by the wine and BBQ lunch upon completion. (And the cessation of sneezing and itching for Sammy)

When we arrived back at the stables we were greeted with wine, wine and more wine. With the staff not letting your glass dip below 3/4 full everyone was sufficiently giggly come lunch. The wine was local, red, slightly sweet, cool and delicious. The BBQ was fantastic, with pork, beef, salads, potatoes, legumes, more meat, more salad, more sides and the list goes on.

The owner of the ranch, Enrique is super funny, charismatic and cheeky. He continuously made fun of all of us, especially one english girl who couldn’t speak a word of Spanish. He seemed to only speak naughty words in english but we’re pretty sure he understood everything that we said.

After the meal we were all incredibly satisfied and sleepy. Most of the other maniac guests at the ranch went for another ride, but we were taken back to our hostel where a nap was not only wanted, but needed.

Next stop…. San Pedro de Atacama, smack in the middle of the Atacama desert in northern Chile. Can’t wait.

More pictures are on the way! The internet is surprisingly temperamental in Latin America... Who would've thought?

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