Meet a Globetrotter: Alyssa Brugmann

Bahia Beach Ride, Brazil

So one of my all-time favourite beach rides in the world is our Bahia Beach ride in Brazil. And by the sounds of it, globetrotter Alyssa Brugmann agrees with me. She recently returned from this ride and was happy to share her tips for globetrotters looking to sign up for this ride in the future.

“I did the Bahia ride in late April this year (2014) with my dear friend. There were four of us on the ride. We were joined at Porto Seguro by two English ladies.

This is a very active trip. Every day was quite full, with many hours riding each day.

The riding was varied, including long beach rides, winding rainforest paths and swimming. There was lots of fast riding, including gallops. You could choose to sit on your horse, or you could choose to actually ride it. (Rider readers will appreciate the difference).

Paulo and his staff were very attentive to the horses and I felt confident that the horses’ needs were being attended to to the best of their abilities. We didn’t have any opportunity to do any of the husbandry ourselves, which I would have enjoyed, but I can appreciate that some riders might prefer to get off their horses and head to the cocktail bar!

Paulo was the most gracious host, working very hard to keep the itinerary interesting and there were always options to tailor the experience to our tastes. Everything went smoothly and if there were any hiccups, we didn’t see it. It felt more like travelling with an old friend. His conversation was always lively and informative, and full of good humour.

All of the meals were more than adequate, and we had plenty of opportunities to try local fare. I particularly enjoyed the seafood meals.

The accommodation was always clean, spacious and comfortable. There were opportunities to swim each day if we wanted to. The trip to the Pataxo Indian village was a highlight. There was very little down time. I am an early riser and I was able to get a few early morning runs in, but apart from that we were always on the go. There was not one boring moment, which was fantastic! But then it was over so soon!

I would go back in a heartbeat. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I thank Paulo and his staff so much for working so hard to make the trip the best that it could be. My friend and I will definitely book another Globetrotting ride in the near future!

If I were to do this trip again, I would:

Learn more Portuguese so that I could converse with the staff at the various pousadas and locals.

Change currency before arriving in Porto Seguro. There were no opportunities to change currency afterwards, and I felt embarrassed that I was not able to tip or buy handicrafts from the villages.

Take more going out clothes. Every evening meal was in a nice restaurant and I did not pack enough appropriate frocks or shoes. I would have taken at least one pair of heels. We did not need to haul our own luggage very much, and there was no laundry, so you can afford to take more rather than less.

Dr Alyssa Brugman is an equine nutritionist from Sound Advice Horse Health in the Hunter Valley who loves to globetrot in her down time.