Traveller Information. For your stay with us please note the following important information: The Hacienda Los Andes lies ideal, on the attractive route between the capital city Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama, the tourist highlight in the north of Chile. Two vantage points to come to the Hacienda are La Serena, an architectural interesting old town and seaside resort on the Panamericana and Ovalle, a typical little farmer town in the mountains. From this places you can reach the Hacienda very easily with the coach with the rental car or with our private transfer service. The streets are mostly asphalted and very easy to drive also with a small car, not only with a cross-country vehicle. The Hacienda lies in the middle of interesting tourist points, like Pisco Elqui, Vicuna with the Observatory Mamalluca, the Caves of Pichasca and Isla de Damas, a Natural Reserve on the pacific coast. Further information of this you can find. Journey by our private transfer service. Our transfer service from La Serena, Ovalle or Vicuna starts at an arranged meeting place such as a hotel or the airport La Serena: Price for private transfer per person, one-way. Ovalle - Hacienda: EUR 34,- Vicuna - Hacienda: EUR 43,- La Serena - Hacienda: EUR 66,- 43 colorful kilometers to the Hacienda! Transferreservation: by. or Fax (53) 691822 oder phone (53) 691822. Journey by coach from Santiago to Ovalle. Every hour there are leaving coaches from Santiago de Chile to Ovalle. The journey takes approximately 5-6 hours. All coaches to Ovalle depart from several terminals at Alameda (Av. O`Higgins). These are the following: Terminal de Buses Alameda. Av. O`Higgins 3750 right at the southern exit of the underground stop Universidad de Santiago. Calle Jimenez above Av. O`Higgins nearby the underground stop Los Heroes. Av. O`Higgins 3250 at the Metroestacion Estacion Central. Journey by coach from Ovalle to the Hacienda. Coaches from Ovalle to Hurtado depart from Ferria Modelo ( Mon. to Sat.) and Sunday at the corner Calle Alameda / Calle Gabriela Mistral. The journey will take approximately 3 hours to get from Ovalle to Vado Morrillos which lies 5 kilometres before Hurtado, where our Hacienda is located. But do not worry, just tell the bus driver “Hacienda Los Andes” and he will stop right in front of the entry of our Hacienda. The drivers know us because we are the only foreigners around here. Departures in Ovalle towards Hurtado to the Hacienda: Wineyards and Villages. Journey by coach from La Serena to the Hacienda. There are two possibilities to get to the Hacienda Los Andes from La Serena by coach/transfer: Via Ovalle Every 30 minutes depart coaches from the “Terminal de Buses” in La Serena, a beautiful old city on the pacific coast with splendid architecture to Ovalle, a nice farmer town in the mountains. The journey takes approximately 1.5 hours. You’ll find the bus timetable from Ovalle. To Vicuna and from there with our transfer: From the “Terminal de Buses” in La Serena the bus ride to Vicuna takes about 1.5 hours. The journey into our wilderness can not be continued from Vicuna by coach, but we pick you up from the Plaza or your hotel with the private transfer vehicle. The route to the Hacienda is 43 kilometres long and leads through remote Andean scenery. Planes from Santiago de Chile land at the airport Las Flores (99 kilometres from the Hacienda) in La Serena three times every day and take approximately 1 hour. We would like to pick you up with our transfer vehicle. But you may also reach the Hacienda Los Andes very easily by coach or rental car. 60 minutes of flying and 120 minutes of transfer away from friendly people, nature and culture. Journey by (rental) car. There are two routes that can be taken to the Hacienda by car. The streets to the Hacienda are in good condition, it’s not necessary to hire a cross-country vehicle. A small car is also sufficient to drive on this streets. Motorists should note that fuel is only available in Vicuna and Ovalle but not in the Rio Hurtado valley! Vicuna - Hurtado - Vado Morrillos. Vicuna can be reached from La Serena. If you are coming from Santiago, you have to turn to Ovalle while you are on the Panamericana and then drive on to La Serena. The turnoff to Hurtado is marked on the bypass of Vicuna (do not drive into the place). There is a beautiful scenery along this winding and earthy road, and it will take 90 minutes to drive these 43 kilometres. Even you have to drive carefully, it’s not a problem to come along with a small car. In Hurtado you have to turn right, and after another five kilometres down to the valley in Vado Morrillos is our Hacienda. Can be clearly made out. Ovalle - Samo Alto - Vado Morrillos. Leave the Panamericana and drive into the town Ovalle. In Ovalle follow the road for La Serena. Leave behind Ovalle for about three kilometres, then turn right and follow the sign Samo Alto/Hurtado. The road leads through the Rio Hurtado valley. It will take about 90 minutes to get to Vado Morrillos which is five kilometres behind the locality Seron. The road is mostly asphalted and in very good condition. Only the last 18 kilometres are gravel road but still good to drive with a small car. An extremely beautiful and breathtaking route at heights of 4500 metres leads from Vicuna to Argentina. Depending on snow conditions, the pass is open between November and April. It will take six hours to drive from Vicuna to Argentina. If you want to pass the border with a hired car, you must first get from the car rental service a written confirmation attested by notary. We offer various equipment during our one day and several days' riding tours as an inclusive service for your well equipped explorations into the wilderness: Riding (One-day-tour). Riding (Several-days'-tour). Picnic in thermos box with cool soft drink. Sombrero head, windbreaker, riding gaiters, by request riding cap (European standard). Dust/waterproof camera bag private saddlebags for camera etc. well trained horse and saddle. Safety Radio Communication. Same as one-day-tour and in addition: own sleeping bag and clean inlet thermal sleeping mat comfortable tent (tunnel tent with outer cabin, by Hilleberg) outdoor crockery, cooking equipment maps for day and half day hikes on one's own initiative lunch in ice box, drinking water lunch in ice box, soft drinks. Nissan diesel, all-wheel drive, 2001 model, driver safety equipment and first aid kit. Our saddles are comfortable and assure a safe sit. The Chilean saddle, which developed from many generations, has been modified by us for horse-trekking tours: it has three layers of sheepskin, a soft leather covering and two girths. The hand-carved and wooden stirrups are made for riding with trekking shoes. What you should know. We would like you to know that we have carefully selected the equipment and that it has proven its good quality during various tours. And now a word about the people who are standing behind: Our guides are fluent in German, English and Spanish, have been employed by outdoor criteria and have to do a training in our company before they start as guides. During your precious holiday it is guaranteed that guided tours are being accompanied by guides who are speaking several languages and who are trained. Some advices what to bring amongst your personal items: fleece clothes to keep you warm during the cool nights in the Andes light and comfortable trekking shoes for hiking and riding (do not worry, there are no poisonous snakes in Chile!) a good pair of sunglasses, headgear and sun cream. Please note when you choose your clothes: September to November, April to June: warm days and cool nights around 50°F (10°C). December, January, February, March: is summertime, days around 77°F (25°C), nights around 59/68°F (15/20°C). There are 310 sunny days a year. The Hacienda Los Andes is situated in the typical dry Andean climate of South America at heights of 1000 metres. As a rule...

Ulrike Leinen - Computerspecialist - Germany Breathtaking wildernis and untouched nature, thats what we found on our hike through the valley El Chapa. Trees that are over 500 years old and uncountable birds! There sure are some wonderful hikes here!. Bernd Giesser - lawyer - Switzerland A dreamlike horseback tour through the Andes. It was the first ride of my life, I dont know how to ride. The soft saddle is like a sofa. The silence is impressive and the beauty of nature, its just great that there still are places like this on earth.. Balagar Ademe - PC-Software technician - USA Outstanding holidays! The variety of the activities of the Hacienda Los Andes are just great: horseback riding, hiking, the 500 ha nature reserv and an excursion to the indian caves. They take care of you and do a great job!. Ines Lange - Newsreporter - Germany To visit the Hacienda is almost a must when you are travelling to Northern Chile. A vacation close to nature in a fascinating landscape in the middle of the Andes, who does not dream of this? The lodge offers everything for individual travellers, no mass tourism, everything is personal and has style.. Isabelle Mazille - Senior Consult Journey Latin America Travel Agengy - England A magic place, ideal to wind down and escape from it all. The riding is excellent, easy and slow for the novice and with a challenging terrain for the experienced rider. The horses are friendly and saddles most comfortable. A great way to discover a spectacular mountain scenery with permanent blue sky, sunshine and a pleasanr breeze to keep the temperature down. A real treat!. Neil Bradbury - Doctor - England We journeyed from La Serena over arid Andean passes until finally dropping into the valley paradise of Hurtado. Days on Creolo horses in crystal air, evening 4WD adventures to the roof of the world, brilliant night time starts and wonderful hospitality at the Hacienda. Clark and Manuela have created an organic garden of eden in this beautiful country.. Toby Green - Southamerican Handbook author - England The Hurtado area is one of the best for horseback riding in Chile. Here you are right in among the high mountains, and the result is spectacular and unforgettable: snowcapped mountains, soaring hillsides, and to cap it all the beautifully green valley of the Rio Hurtado!. Lonley Planet Author for Northernchile Jeff Davis check our hacienda carefully out! He, a non-rider, discouver the 1000 acre hacienda nature reserve on horseback. His comment: Good place to hang out.. peacefull and nice The following is the text that will be published in the new edition of Lonely Planet 2003 Overlooking the banks of Rio Hurtado, Hacienda Los Andes (tel 53-691-822; web www.haciendalosandes.com; singles/doubles from US$32/20) i the kind of place thats hard to leave. The hacienda is a beautiful, colonial-style building with clay-tile floors and terracotta roof tiles, designed and built by German owner Clark Stede and comanaged by Austrian Manuela Paradeiser, both of whom speak German and English. Rooms are comfortable and simply furnished..Camping is available next to a stream and is a tremendous bargain at US$4 per person. Campers can use the hacienda showers and buy meals at the big house. More than just a place to stay, though, Hacienda Los Andes offers a variety of activities within its 1000 acres of cacticovered hills and along its lush riverbank. The house specialty is horse riding tours, starting at US$60 for a 5-6 hour ride. Overnight, multiday and week-long riding excursions are also available. Two hiking trails (4km and 7km) lead into the Hurtado hills and canyons. Mountain bike rental is available (US$25 per day, including lunch). Off-road, 4WD excursions lead into the Andes and to Indian rock painting sites. If that all sounds like too much work, theres always the sauna (US$15 for two person), the Jacuzzi (US$15 for two), restful hammocks overlooking the river, a 3km walking trail among the rivers lush vegetation, a nude beach at a secluded spot in the middle of the creek, and the dark night sky above. Meals (breakfast US$7, lunch $10, dinner $10) are created using local fruits, cheese and vegetables from small farmers in the Hurtado valley. In nearby Hurtado, [Restaurant Penita] is a cheaper, friendly place with freshly prepared meals. Dont expect fast food here. To reach the hacienda, you can drive or take the daily bus from Ovalle to Hurtado; the hacienda is 3km before Hurtado, just before the bridge. Or, the hacienda provides pickup service from Ovalle and Vicun~a (each US$35 per person) and from La Serena (US$60 per person). The hacienda is 46km from Vicun~a via gravel mountain road, and 97km from Ovalle (the road is paved as far as Samo Alto). This is U.K. Rough Guide Chile-Author Andrew Benson story about us: The first thing you see when arriving at Hacienda Los Andes is a sign welcoming you to Paradise. Ive seen this sign or similar ones many a time - elsewhere in Chile where heavenly landscapes and divine locations are admittedly two a peso. But from my initial impression onwards this place lived up to the promise. Hacienda Los Andes is a little bit of Mexico thrown into a fertile valley of mid-northern Chile - the style of the buildings, with their terracotta roof tiles and yellow walls, would certainly not look out of place in the colonial cities to the west of Mexico City. Indeed, many of the subtly exquisite furnishings and items of decoration were imported from just that country. Yet everything fits into this particular part of Chile, the amazing Norte Chico (Little North), with its giant cacti and arid desertlands and the exuberant vegetation of the riverside plantations of papaya, alfalfa, figs and grapevines. Clark and Manuele, the couple who own and run the hacienda are not Chilean. He is a Berliner, she from Vienna, and they run the joint with Germanic precision, organization and efficiency. But their love of their new home comes over from the outset, they have the knack of forging admirable contacts with the locals - wonderfully reserved yet amiable people - and they have adopted Chile, especially this fabulous region of it, as their own. The food on offer is not typically Chilean either. Vegetables and fruit, all grown organically on the farm, abound, partly thanks to a dreamlike climate and incredibly fecund topsoil. Succulent meat and fish are served with imaginative sauces and in unusual combinations, perfectly prepared by Rosa the local cook. Yet by using the incredibly flavoursome and appetizing produce fresh from their own land or grown and reared by fellow farmers from the area they again remain faithful to their surroundings. Manuele echoes the quiet reserve of the natives in her understated Austrian way, welcoming but discreet. Clark Stede has the affable charm, sharp sense of humour and garrulous boisterousness typical of many Berliners, and could best be described as a German huaso - Chiles less famed answer to the gaucho. By his own admission - pace Manuele - his first love is his horses, the Haciendas leading attraction. Im no horseman but on a challenging six-hour horse trek into the cactus-spiked mountainside never once did I experience a moment of fear. I rode the most noble, gentle steed: Patriota was faithful, responsive and patient, and I think I gained enough confidence to contemplate many more rides in the future. Even the saddles are a joy. They are literally tailored for Clark and Manuela by a talented craftsman from mid-southern Chile where the couple used to live. They had him create a hybrid saddle between a conventional riding model and the type used for rodeos. That way there is no danger of slipping forward as you wend your way down the precipitous bridleways that plunge down from the bone-dry mountaintops into the verdant valley of the Rio Hurtado where the Hacienda sits. This is not a quiet place - silence is broken by the constant gurgle of the river, the strum of the...