TIERRA DEL FUEGO

7 Nights | From $5,075 | Rio Grande, Argentina

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES AT THE WORLD’S END

OVERVIEW

Brand new from Jakotango is safari from estancia to estancia at the World’s End in the Land of Fire - southern Argentina.

Continue the adventure you started in Patagonia or arrive fresh to Tierra del Fuego to experience Jakotango hospitality on this multi-day adventure.

Guided by Marcos Villamil, who rode the length of Argentina with his horses before guiding in Patagonia for two years. Marcos will lead you through the wilds of the south, prepare delicious gaucho meals over the campfire and get you singing along his guitar in the evenings.

This is a true adventure.

Let’s Ride

HIGHLIGHTS

Visit iconic estancias in the south the Argentina
Enjoy long canters in the valleys
Thrilling mountain riding
Experience the isolation of gaucho life, staying in an authentic puesto
Spot guanacos, condors, wild horses, foxes, beavers and an abundance of bird life.
Spend two nights at San Jose, until recently owned by Ted Turner
Fly fishing in the Rio Grande - a bucket-list location for all keen fisherman

OVERVIEW

RIDE GUIDE

Duration: 7 nights / 8 days

Cost: US$5,075 (2024/2025) and US$5,775 (2024/2026)

Operator: Jakotango

Guides: Marcos Villamil

Where: Arrive to Rio Grande and depart Ushuaia

When: December to March

Riding level: Intermediate to advanced. You must be comfortable at all paces and with heights.

Weight limit: Maximum of 85kg

Time in the saddle: 2 to 8 hours a day

Group Size: 8 Riders

HORSES

The horses are predominantly the Argentine ‘criollo’ horses, bred on the estancias you will ride across.

All the horses are trained to neck-rein and the saddle are Argentine ‘recado’ style, more similar to a western saddle, with sheepskins and traditional, rawhide bridles.

This ride has more opportunity for long canters compared to the sister ride in Patagonia. You will enjoy thrilling mountain riding too.

ACCOMMODATION

San José Lodge is an estancia set within 8,000 hectares of private land with the magnificent Río Grande owing through it. This is the home of some of the largest sea run trout in the world. The lodge was owned until recently by Ted Turner – an avid fisherman, conservationist, and among America’s biggest land owners. Originally, it was a sheep farm but now its buildings have been renovated to host our guests with ensuite bedrooms and the shearing shed has become a living area with a replace inside.

Estancia Río Apen has four gaucho caravans. Each one has a bathroom and two double beds. The common area, which includes a bar and dining room, is a cottage with an indoor parrilla (open re grill) placed on a hillside with an amazing view.

Estancia El Boquerón is situated deep within the heart of the island. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a very comfortable living and dining room. For two nights, at El Boquerón, you will sleep inside the comfort of the estancia.

Puesto República is the most remote location on ourride, accessible only by horse. All of our supplies willbe brought in by pack horses. This is proper camping- eating around open res, under the stars and sleeping in two-man tents with cot-beds, mattresses and sleeping bags. There are no showers at this camp but fresh mountain springs to wash your face and hands. We will spend only one night here.

Estancia Viamonte is the oldest estancia on the Argentine side of the island. The lodge was once home to Lucas Bridges, an icon of the Argentine south, and has a handful of ensuite bedrooms to enjoy for your last night at the end of the world.

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HOW TO BOOK

ENQUIRY

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Shared accommodation, road transfers to and from the airports, all horse riding, guides, meals, alcohol and soft drinks are included. Tips of $25 per day will be added to your invoice, there is no need to bring additional cash for this reason. Whiskey, gin, vodka, wine and beers are always available but please let us know should you have a special request.

WHAT’S EXCLUDED

The price does not include international or domestic flights, travel insurance. Full medical and holiday insurance is required to join the ride.

TRANSFERS

The trail begins at Rio Grande and departs from Ushuaia airport. Flights leave very early to Rio Grande, between 3am and 5am, so you will need a night in Buenos Aires before the ride.

Once you have reserved your saddle we will share the exact flight for you to take to meet the group.

MEALS

Meals centre around a meat main course. You’ll enjoy asado, argentine barbeque, cooked fresh over the fire pit in front of the kitchen cabin. Other meals and starters include osso buco, stuffed mushrooms and fresh salads. Save room for desert! They are fine and delicate and you’ll manage to find room even on a full stomach!

Argentina is famous for being a carnivorous country but Jakotango can happily cater for vegetarians and other diets. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know on the rider form and Jakotango will make their best efforts to cater for them.

WHAT TO PACK

✓ Warm jacket

✓ Riding hard hat

✓ Riding boots and chaps

✓ Rain gear / waterproof coat

✓ Gloves

✓ Warm hat

✓ Jockey goggles (for if it is very windy)

✓ Buff / scarf (to cover your face if it is windy, sunny or dusty)

✓ Fleece

✓ Thermal underwear, thermal long johns, long sleeved thermal tops and ski-type socks

✓ Riding trousers

✓ Long-sleeved cotton shirts

✓ Short-sleeved T-shirts

✓ Trainers

✓ Sunglasses

✓ Sun block

✓ Lip balm with SPF

✓ Wet wipes (handy for camping)

✓ Head torch

✓ Water bottle

✓ Camera

✓ Power bank (to charge phones and cameras when at Fly Camp)

Helmets are not provided. Please bring your own if you choose to wear one.

LUGGAGE

We recommend that you to stick to one piece of luggage per person, not exceeding 20 kg (44lb).

Please tag every single piece of luggage so we can identify your belongings and accommodate them in your rooms and tents once you arrive.

POWER AND WIFI

San José Lodge runs mainly off solar energy, providing enough power to charge cameras, phones and provide electric lighting and WiFi. At Estancia Río Apen and Estancia El Boquerón, you will have access to a limited power supply provided by a generator. It can easily charge phones, power banks and camerasbut it is unable to sustain any devices that generate heat (e.g. hairdryers) so please don’t bring those with you. There is no power at the Fly Camp, so we recommend you bring a portable power bank to charge your devices.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Fly fishing for brown and rainbow trout is an optional, additional activity or can be done in place of riding. For this we would need previous notice since the licenses, rods and a guide may need to be organised. This will be at an additional cost.

PRICES & AVAILABILITY

2024 / 2025

US$5,075 per person sharing

29 November to 06 December 2024

15 - 22 December 2024

2025 /2026

US$5,775 per person sharing

08 - 15 January 2026

Fill out a Rider Profile and we will notify you of any cancellations.

Maximum group size of 8

YOUR ITINERARY

Tierra del Fuego is wild and untamed. This itinerary is intended but your guide may need to adjust the plan according to the weather.

Fly to Río Grande where you will be met by us. First, we will drive you to Estancia María Behety, one of the pioneering sheep farms in the region with the biggest shearing shed in the world. Here, we will have breakfast.
After, we will continue on to Estancia San José, our first two nights’ stay and headquarters for our operation. Once there, you will be shown to your rooms and given a chance to settle in, before a lunch at the shearing shed. It is an Argentine institution to have a siesta every day.
The afternoon ride is comparatively short, but it’s your first opportunity to get a feel for your horse and gaucho-style saddle. We will head out in the evening light, to get accustomed to our horses and become oriented within the extensive steppe.
We will end our day with drinks and dinner in the shearing shed.
2 Hours Riding
Stay at Estancia San Jose
Breakfast at the estancia and a three-hour ride to lunch on the Río Grande.
This river is host to some of the largest sea run trout in the world, so it’s an excellent opportunity to get off our horses to fly fish. We will provide rods and all the fishing equipment (waders, boots, jackets, etc.). For this we will need previous notice since the licenses and the guide needs to be organised. This will be at an additional cost.
For those who aren’t avid anglers, we’ll have a picnic lunch and a siesta on the banks of the river.
After, we will return to the estancia, cantering quite a bit to cover ground, and stopping for a whiskey at the historic trenches dug during the Beagle conict of 1978 – a border conflict between Chile and Argentina, eventually settled by the Pope.
Stay at Estancia San Jose
Today is a long ride of about 35 miles which will take about eight hours to cover. There’ll be lots of cantering across a variety of scenery, as we ride from the steppe into the mountains.
During breakfast, you will be given saddlebags to pack your picnic lunch, snacks and other essentials for the day.
Lunch will be on a beautiful spot on Río Menendez and, after a siesta, we will continue our way to Estancia Río Apen.
Your accommodation here will be in shepherd’s huts with double beds and sleeping bags. There is a cabin with a fireplace, where dinner will be served.
8 Hours Riding
Stay in twin shepherds huts at Estancia Rio Apen
Today, we will change horses. The ones that you have been riding so far will return to Estancia San José and you will be given new ones brought from Estancia El Boquerón, where you will be riding to today.
This is a beautiful, yellow house set in the heart of the island also owned by Ini Menendez Behety, who owns the iconic María Behety farm that you visited on your arrival day. It’s an easy three-hour ride to El Boquerón where we will stop for lunch. In the afternoon, you can go riding or walking if you would like to stretch your legs.
Overnight in the yellow house at Estancia El Boquerón.
3 Hours Riding
Stay at Estancia El Boquerón
This is a ride into the complete wilderness. You will leave your luggage behind and take in your saddle bags whatever you need for one night’s camping. There is no access by car to where you are going, only by horseback. We will ride for about four hours in the morning, then stop for a picnic lunch, before continuing on for another couple of hours until we reach Puesto República.
El República is a very remote, simple shelter, built as a shepherd’s camp. You will sleep in dome tents big enough to stand in, on cot-beds with mattresses and sleeping bags.
Dinner and breakfast will be cooked on an open fire, under the stars.
6 Hours Riding
Stay in tents at Puesto República
This is the day that you ride up the highest peak of our ‘end of the world’ ride. Thrilling, but challenging for those with vertigo, the scenery is breathtaking and the most extraordinary view of the trip.
We will picnic at this epic location and, in the afternoon, ride back to El Boquerón to enjoy a good shower, a cozy bed and meet your luggage again.
6 Hours Riding
Overnight at El Boquerón
A morning ride up to the “Cerro Pelado” before returning to El Boquerón for lunch.
After lunch, you will say goodbye to the gauchos and guides, before your off-road experience in a 4x4 towards Estancia Viamonte begins. Estancia Viamonte was founded in 1902 by Lucas Bridges, author of “Uttermost Part of the Earth” and one of the British pioneers to populate Tierra del Fuego amongst its indigenous people.
Farewell dinner and a good night’s sleep.
3 Hours Riding
Stay at Estancia Viamonte
After breakfast, you will be driven two hours to Ushuaia Airport to begin your journey home.
We will recommend the flight for the group to take back to Buenos Aires or you are free to stay in the south and continue explorng.

CLIMATE

Our rides go from December to end of March. During summer, sunlight extends for up to 18 hours. Sunrise is at 3:30–4:00 AM, and darkness falls after 10:00 PM. Although there are days with pleasant temperatures, they rarely exceed 25C. The summer average is between 10C and 15C. It is usually windy, and you can experience all four seasons in one day.

It’s a good idea to pack some wild weather essentials in your soft duffle bag including:

✓ Rain gear / waterproof coat

✓ Gloves

✓ Warm hat

✓ Jockey goggles (for if it is very windy)

✓ Buff / scarf (to cover your face if it is windy, sunny or dusty)

✓ Fleece

✓ Thermal underwear, thermal long johns, long sleeved thermal tops and ski-type socks

✓ Hikers hand and feet warmers

MEET YOUR GUIDES

Marcos Villamil - Your Guide

Argentina native Marco started guiding at Jakotango in 2022. An accomplished horseman many guests are surprised to find out Marco used to work in the City in Buenos Aires. Living in Recoleta, he worked in a bank and owned two businesses.

In 2021 he packed in his corporate career and packed his saddle bags to ride the length of Argentina over 450 days. He knows the land like the back of his hand, is cool, calm and collected, an excellent knowledgable guide. He also plays guitar beautifully, adding another dimension to your camp fire sessions.

Marcos has spent two years guiding with Jakob von Plesson on the Patagoina Trail.

Jakob von Plessen - Founder

Jakob created this ride in collaboration with Marcos. Jakob does not usually guide this trail. To ride with Jakob you can join him in Patagonia.

Jakob is a living legend in the horse safari world. Born in Austria he moved with his family to Argentina as a child. Growing up he played polo on the family estancia but also spent time with the gauchos, Argentinian cowboys, that farmed the wild mountains of Patagonia where his family spent their holidays away from the city.

At age 19 he was guiding riding safaris across the Masai Mara in Kenya with Offbeat Safaris, headed by the legendary Tristan Voorspuy.

Probably the most famous Safari guide in the world with enough stories of adventure to fill volumes.