DestinAsian

THE SADDLE HIGH

MY HUSBAND DAVID AND I WERE snuggled in sleeping bags on a still Patagonian night in the mountains of Argentina’s Lake District, recounting the afternoon’s vertiginous ride across the Paso de las Lágrimas, or Pass of Tears. In the darkness beyond the campfire, horses nickered softly. It was the third day of our seven-night adventure with Jakotango Riding Safaris, a local outfitter owned and run by one of the country’s top riding guides, Jakob von Plessen. Set in and around 12,000 hectares of private land bordering the Nahuel Huapi and Lanín national parks, the experience so far had been remarkable, a chance to ride native criollo horses in the company of modern-day gauchos while taking in the glories of this untamed wilderness at an easy pace.

That said, I’m not an experienced rider, and the hours of saddle time were catching up with me. My glutes ached. My legs felt like jelly. David was unsympathetic; he was sore too. But it was worth it. As the

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