Riding into the Andes Mountains

Breakfast on the mountain side.

Looking forward to the day ahead.

Horses tacked up

and away.

riding in a land where fences are few 

colours are vibrant and condors soar 

Nigel Harvey is looking for riders to join a group hoping to ride across the Andes early next year. If you are interested please contact Ride Worldwide

Towards the Andes, on a horse

.

So, you want to ride across the Andes?

You need a horse like this,

a headcollar,

bridle,

one of these saddles,

and a trustworthy guide.

I decided I'd better wear a hot weather helmet.

By lunchtime I looked like this.

But  the food was good,

the scenery interesting

and the experience unforgettable.

If you would like to ride across the Andes 

contact Nigel Harvey at Ride Worldwide 

They have space on a ride going early next year.

,

Riding in Argentina

I flew to Argentina to ride across the Andes.

The first job was to find the right horse and the right saddle. 

  

To try these out, we rode across the hills and spent a morning bringing in cattle. 

This was good fun in itself. The Estancia was beautiful.

Having rounded them up, we brought them down the valley.

Once in the kraals they were checked over and inoculated.

Whilst the horses were unsaddled,

we had local beer with our lunch - beef cooked under the trees on an open fire.

The meat was from the farm and very special, cooked on long pieces of iron.

Whilst some of the horses were released on the hillside to rest and graze,

We kept in those that would take us on the long trek, which would begin the next day.

To read more please click here

Flying without wings ~

Bagual Horse Safaris

My cousin James McMahon Mahon will take you riding across South America

Click here to learn about the guides who can take you on a Bagual Horse Safari

They also offer guided tours of Mongolia - in the spirit of Chinggis Khan!

Are you thinking of making a film or documentary about South America? Or looking for articles for your publication? The Bagual team also have an experienced creative background, and their local 'close-up' knowledge is invaluable if you need detailed research, location recces and photos.

Read what recent visitors have said on the testimonials page.

A reader writes ~

A reader wrote today saying ~

Your 'Swallows and Amazons' life in Africa does sound wonderful. What I don't sense in the book is that you were ever worried about your future security even in the short term. Was it not something you thought of or does it just not show?  Or have you mastered being fully reliant on God?

Dear Chris,

I suppose my sense of security at the time was pretty much the same as the Swallows'. We were quite careful about our equipment and stores, but once organised we just went forth, enjoying the adventure of it all. As my letters suggest, I had the security of my friends and my family at home but had to trust God every step of the way. 

Sometimes, when things kept going wrong, I had no option but to up the trust and plough on regardless. Perhaps this is something I learnt off the South Africans. Whilst putting 'Ride the Wings of Morning' together made detailed plans for a trip only to have my (fully equipped) 4WD vehicle stolen in Johannesburg on the first night. Charles Baber advised me to 'always stick to the plan', so I hired a car and kept driving. It was rather a relief to only travel with my overnight bag, although I was jolly cross about the theft.

I did have good travel insurance but didn't get the chance to put much into my pension during the years spent in southern Africa. I'm trying to be sensible about that now, which is a bit dull. Perhaps I should have been more adventurous!

Yours,

Sophie

Have you ever been to Kosi Bay?

If you are planning a trip to South Africa, see if you can visit Kosi Bay in Natal.

The unique system of costal lakes support a huge number of bird species and is famous for the traditional fishtraps used by the local people.

We were able to watch both Samango monkeys in the costal rain forest and went snorkeling in the estuary.

Being guests of the Warden we were able to stay in one of the researcher's huts for a few days.

I remember listening to Zulu drums beating as the sun went down.

You can now stay at Memela Bush Lodge,  Kosi Bay Lodge or in other accommodation nearby, but ask about camp sites or if they still have hiking trail huts available, as they are right down by the lakes.

Aardvark

The aardvark (/ˈɑːrd.vɑːrk/ ard-vark, Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata. Read more

Fred always says that an ardvaark can move more earth in one night than a man with a shovel. The holes they make, whilst in their endless search for termites, are dangerous when riding. You don't exactly want to trot down one. But the animals themselves are fascinating. I would ride for miles, in the hope that one would emerge from underground one evening, but have only ever seen them in the headlights of a car when they scuttle away, terrified of the lights.

Sarah-Jane found an ardvaark when riding at about 4.00pm one winter afternoon. It was not at all shy of the horses, perhaps because it lived in their paddock and had always known cattle. The group were able to follow it for forty-five minutes as it went about it's business. She said it smelt like a smelly old man.

I was interested to find this Nudu painting added to a frieze of early bushmen paintings at Massebe on the edge of the Waterberg Escarpment in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

My friend Clive Walker says that the meat has always been prized by tribal Africans and that ardvaak holes, abandoned after only one night, become colonised by a huge assortment of other animals from porcupine to python. You can read more in his book Signs of the Wild.

Typical ardvaak country