10 TIPS FOR A JAKOTANGO RIDING HOLIDAY
You’ve booked the ride of a lifetime and now you’re focused on how to make the most of it. Follow those 10 tips and you’ll have memories and photos to last a lifetime and inspire all your friends and family take up equestrian travel life too!
PC: Georgina Preston
BEFORE YOU FLY TO ARGENTINA
CURRENCY
Argentina is wild and it has an economy to match! It’s not possible to withdraw large amounts of cash from ATMs. Arrange to bring USD in cash with you before you set off. This is an all inclusive holiday but if your booked before June 2022 you’ll still need cash for tips (we recommend $25 a day per rider). Those booking after June 2022 have tips included in the ride cost. Cards are widely accepted so you can tap away. If you do get stuck head to Western Union for larger cash withdrawals.
FITNESS
This is not a speedy ride, you’re climbing mountains almost every day so you don’t need forward seat fitness. Nevertheless the days in the saddle can be long - up to eight hours. Make sure you’ve been out on a few long rides in the weeks before you set off or you’ll be walking like a cowboy from day two onwards! We do have some tips for those spontaneous people who sign up and just “go”! Bring a hip flask and fill it with whisky from the bar at Base Camp. Take a good swig with lunch and continue to sip through the afternoon. Take two aspirin at the end of lunch and skip the afternoon muscle-ache. Voila!
GADGETS
This is the trip of a lifetime and we know you want to get the right shots to immortalise your experience. The best camera for use while swaying on horseback is your iPhone! It has amazing stabilising technology and you already know how to use it. Keep it simple hey! If you’re looking to take video and action shots we use a GoPro and a DJI drone. The DJI mini is ideal as it’s small enough to easily fit into your luggage and isn’t awkward on horseback. The team at Jakotango are used to being filmed and stopping at the best photos spots for guests so don’t be shy to get your cameras out and get the shot!
PC: Georgina Preston
IN BUENOS AIRES
4. WHAT TO WEAR AND WHERE TO BUY IT
Embrace your inner gaucho (Argentine cowboy) and find yourself a boina and a poncho to wear on trail. Not only will you will blend into the local environment with the earthy, natural tones of traditional gaucho clothing, but your poncho will also keep you warm, dry and scratch free on your ride through the mountains. There is ONE destination for the horse mad in Buenos Aires, Arandu. We’re willing to bet this store will become your favourite tack shop - globally. Everything is well made, well fitting and reasonably priced. Don’t get carried away on the day you arrive because you can only take so much luggage with you to base camp. There’s nothing stopping you from buying an extra suitcase and loading it up on the way home though!
5. WHERE TO STAY BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT TO PATAGONIA
Your group will likely all be on the same flight to Bariloche and you’ll fly into Argentina at least one night before departure date. Make sure you book a hotel in a colourful neighbourhood like Palermo and hit the cafe and live music scene. Taxi’s are incredibly good value in Buenos Aires and readily available. Uber is technically illegal there so while it works, be prepared to sit in the front to give the illusion that you’re friends with the driver.
6. FALL IN LOVE WITH ARGENTINA THROUGH YOUR STOMACH
Head to a patisserie that serves baked goods made with local caramel, ‘Dulce de Leche’. It’s a national obsession and one that you might take home with you! You MUST go to a steak restaurant too while you’re in the city. We recommend an old classic Don Julio in Palermo. You might need to wait outside for a table. The Maitre D’ might even hand you a (free) glass of champagne to enjoy on the street corner while you wait it out with a stylish group of hungry patrons. It’s a vibe. The servings are large so make sure you order enough Malbec to wash it all down. They do to-go bags too if you can’t manage all that meat all at once.
PC: Georgina Preston
AT JAKOTANGO
7. WAKE UP EARLY
You’re on holiday. It’s your time. No work, no kids, we get it. Please wake up early though. You’ll see the sun hit to the top of the mountain ridge in front of base camp. You’ll hear the birds wake up, and the horses munching the grass around base camp. It’s invigorating and totally peaceful. The real treat though, the magic of Jakotango, happens around 8:30am when the gauchos herd the horses into the corral. They’ve woken early to locate them in their 600 acre open field. You might hear the splash of hooves through the river first, or they might come from the east and you’ll hear the thunder of hooves and see the dust rising along the valley. It’s like something out of a wild west movie. Seeing the horses dance around the gauchos in the corral is spell binding. Don’t rob yourself of the sight with a sleep in!
8. SAY YES TO THE CABIN FIRE
Accommodation at base camp is in luxury Kenyan safari tents with permanent bathrooms and a double sided fireplace installed between the bathroom and the bedroom. Early in the morning you can have the fire quietly lit from the bathroom side so that by the time your eyes flutter open you are cocooned in delicious warmth. It will be summer when you visit but just say yes when Daisy, the guide, asks if you want a fire. It’s so cosy. You’ll also be offered a hot water bottle to be placed into your bed at night while you’re at dinner. Say yes to this too, the warm spot as you slip into bed is, * chef’s kiss *, so DIVINE!
9. BRING YOUR SWIMSUIT
There are a few natural swimming spots on trail and close to base camp. On day four you have the afternoon free and the guides can escort you to the best swim spot in base camp valley if you’d like a dip! There’s a river right in front of base camp so you can go for a wild swim at your leisure during your afternoon siesta or in the morning (if you’re brave). On your last afternoon you’ll reach the shores of Lake Traful. Having just ridden for two days over the mountain range from Jakotango Base Camp this is the perfect place to freshen up.
PC: Georgina Preston
HEADED HOME
10. STAY A WHILE
You’ve just had the time of your life in the mountains of Patagonia. Don’t rush off home, book a night or two in Buenos Aires to ease yourself gently back into civilisation. Enjoy the polo scene in Buenos Aires. If you’re travelling in November or December you can see some of the fastest and best polo in the world at the Argentine Open. If you’ve had your fill of horses why not check out the tango scene and learn a few moves to dazzle your friends with on the dance floors back home.