You’ll be greeted at Florianopolis Airport by your guide and transferred (approximately five hours) to Pousada Fazenda Monte Negro, a typical Fazenza (ranch) in the mountainous state of Rio Grande do Sul. Here you’ll spend your first night in the southern lands of Brazil getting to know your guide and enjoying exceptional hospitality and regional food alongside the Brazilian gauchos.

After breakfast you’ll ride your Criollo steed along the escarpments of the Aparados da Serra, immersing yourself in the gobsmacking beauty of the dramatic canyons and mountain ranges. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch, then continue riding through fertile rainforests, along enormous rocky cliffs, and through rich green fields. You might even see the mysterious viracão (fogs) drifting in! After approximately five hours in the saddle you’ll return to Pousada Fazenda Monte Negro for another delightful evening.

Today you’ll ride to the peak of Monte Negro, the highest point of the ride at 1,403 metres above sea level. Once you’ve alsorbed the phenomenal view from the top, you’ll return to the ranch for lunch and a short siesta. In the afternoon you’ll ride out again to continue exploring the highlands. Afterwards, if there’s sufficient time, you’ll be driven to the Lopes Family Ranch, a typical old-style fazenda. Here you’ll enjoy a taste of the famous Serrano cheese that they produce and learn first-hand about the traditional gaucho way of life. Then it’s back to the ranch for a delicious dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Your journey continues along the escarpments of the Aparados da Serra, where the marvels of nature almost overwhelm the actual riding. You’ll ride past glistening waterfalls and stop for lunch on the riverbank before travelling through the tiny village of Silveiras and entering the ranch where your Criollo horses were bred. Finally, you’ll ride into Fazenda Potreirinho, another typical fazenda where you’ll enjoy warm gaucho hospitality.

After a filling breakfast, you’ll mount up and ride through an ancient forest and along a river to reach the rapids of a beautiful waterfall, where you can relax and take a dip. Then it’s on to the region’s biggest waterfall, Cachoeirão, before trotting and cantering over endless rolling hills. After five hours’ riding you’ll return to the fazenda for a late lunch, then be transferred to Fazenda Santana, where you’ll settle into your huts and bungalows and have another beautiful meal.

This morning you’ll ride new horses across the dramatically different landscapes surrounding Fazenda Santana. Two spectacular waterfalls await, and there will be plenty of time to take photos and swim in the cascade pool when you stop for a picnic lunch. The afternoon ride will include plenty of cantering, and maybe even a chance to help the gauchos round up some cattle! Arriving back at the Estancia, you’ll say goodbye to your guide and take a short transfer to the town of Cambara do Sul. After settling into your accommodation, you and your fellow globetrotters will head out for a special farewell dinner.

Today you’ll enjoy one last delicious breakfast before taking a three-hour transfer to Florianopolis Airport.

N.B – departing flights should be booked after 2pm.