Private Horseback Ride, Country Grill and Organic Winery Tasting

About This Experience

Most wine days from Santiago are spent between tasting rooms and a van. This one from Maipo Wine Tours spends the morning in the saddle and visits a single winery in the afternoon, so it suits riders and travelers who want countryside as much as cellars. It is private for your own party, lasts about 9 hours, and the minimum age is 14.

The morning opens with a country breakfast at a local breeder's place while the horses are tacked up; anyone keen can lend a hand with their own. Then you set off on horseback, fording the Maipo River, following tracks between the vines and climbing to hilltop views of the valley, with pauses at clear streams on the way.

Lunch is a Chilean country grill with wine, served beside an open fire at the end of the ride. One guest who booked at short notice ate instead at a farm restaurant, so the setting can vary.

The afternoon is at Miraflores, an organic winery the listing calls historic. A guide talks through its story, a few Chilean customs and today's organic approach while you walk the rows, pass the old estate house and go down into the cellar, which keeps some of the machinery used in the winery's early years. The tasting is of its Cabernet Sauvignon.

The car collects you from your hotel, the international airport or the main train and bus station, and returns you there. Guides speak English, Spanish, French or Portuguese, the day goes ahead whatever the weather, and rates begin at $585 per person.

Highlights

• Ford the Maipo River on horseback, follow tracks between vines and climb to hilltop views.
• Eat a country breakfast while the horses are saddled, and help prepare yours if you wish.
• Eat a Chilean country grill, washed down with wine, beside an open fire after riding.
• Tour the organic vineyard, old estate house and cellar at Miraflores with a guide.
• See early winemaking machines in the Miraflores cellar and taste its Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Keep the whole day to your own party, with pickup from hotel, airport or bus station.

What's Included

• ✓ Transfers from and back to a Santiago hotel, the international airport or the main train and bus station
• ✓ Country breakfast before the ride
• ✓ Private horseback ride across the Maipo River, between vineyards and up into the hills
• ✓ Chilean country grill lunch with wine by an open fire
• ✓ Guided tour and Cabernet Sauvignon tasting at Miraflores organic winery
• ✓ Private local guide for your party only

Not Included

• Souvenir photos (sold separately)
• Gratuities
• Bottles bought at the winery

What to Bring

• Clothes suited to riding and to the day's weather, since the tour runs in all conditions
• Your hotel address, or arrival details for an airport or station pickup
• Cash or card for souvenir photos and gratuities

Good to Know & Caveats

• Private tour: only your party rides, eats and tastes together; up to 15 people per booking.
• Riders must be at least 14 years old.
• The tour runs in all weather, so dress for the forecast.
• Share dietary requirements when you book.
• Photos taken during the day can be bought separately.
• A guest who booked at short notice had lunch at a farm restaurant rather than the outdoor grill.
• Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start.

Meeting Point

The operator collects your party from a Santiago hotel, from Arturo Merino Benítez airport or from the main train and bus station, and agrees the time with you in advance; traffic can shift it slightly.