HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

HORSE RIDING HOLIDAYS, HORSE TREKKING AND DUDE RANCH IN THE BEAUTIFUL SIERRAS OF ROCHA, URUGUAY

Our vacation ranch Caballos de Luz is located in the stunning Sierras of Rocha, Uruguay, only three hours from Montevideo, and less than an hour from the beaches of La Paloma. Here are we breeding trail horses and training them to be our travel companions.

We invite you to come for horseback riding vacations, get to know us and our horses, and to enjoy the life of a small organic horse farm, with rides and treks on beautiful trails.

Choose between horse tours of a few hours and horse treks from 2 to 3 days to discover a unique and magic part of Uruguay. We are not a typical dude ranch, as we do not have cattle, but you will love riding with us through this wonderful countryside.

Caballos de Luz is a woman owned and run business, if you can call following your life’s passion a business, that is.

Can’t find all information here online or want to get a custom offer? Contact us, we’d love to get in touch!

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

How it all started…

Who wE are now

Lucie

Lucie has been thinking mainly about horses since the age of three. After many years doing dressage and showjumping in Austria, with rather moderate success, she travelled around the world several times, first by plane, train, bus and rickshaw, then more and more on horseback.

In South America she found countries where it is still easy and acceptable to travel solely on horses, and so she travelled some 2000 km on horse back. First she joined the Nomads United in Peru, then she chose to travel alone with a horse and a packhorse.

After two years as a horse tour guide in Costa Rica life called her to Uruguay, where she found the land of her dreams and, with the great help of Santiago, built her home and farm in the Sierras de Rocha.

Highly inspired by the work of horse men Monty Roberts, John Lyons and Pat Parelli, her time is divided between being a hostess to her horse riding guests and the starting of young horses with violence free natural horsemanship, which she finds extremely fascinating and rewarding.

She also enjoys singing and composing music. Below are some examples:

What other people say about us

• Along Dusty Roads

• Travel Begins at Fourty

• Paradise Uruguay

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

HORSE TREKS FROM 2 TO 3 DAYS

Our passion is horse trekking, horse tours that last for a few days and let us get out of daily life and truly appreciate the connection with our horses that deepens day by day.  After a few days out in nature in Urugay, far away from daily schedules, internet and cellphones, our rhythm starts to be guided by the song of birds and the hoof beats of our horses. This is an experience that you will be carrying with you for the rest of your life. 

We offer tours from 2 days to 3 days, with nights camping by the fire. This is a horse riding experience that takes you far away from the beaten track and close to Uruguays real back country.

Please contact us to organize a tour that suits your time preferences and riding abilities. We need a minimum of four riders to go on a trek.

To see an example check out this photo story that photographer Florian Schweer did about our last three day tour.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

Horse Tours from 2 hours to all day long

Our guided horse tours lead us from our house through uncountable paths, often in native forest where we can observe autochthonous animals and abundant birdlife. The tours last from 2 hours to all day long, depending on the experience and expectations of our guests.

The Sierras offer a wide range of terrain, very varied and never boring.

We cross big pastures full of cows and sheep, climb up rocky paths towards the ridge of the mountain range, from where on a clear day we can see the ocean. We cross little rivers and creeks, have long gallops on grassy paths, visit old deserted stone houses, observe the farmers’ work with their sheep and cattle, and have picnics in our favorite enchanted hideaways.

Part of our rides may also be visiting and checking on our other horses, that live in different fields at a distance from our house, or moving a herd of horses or foals from one pasture to another.

Horses for beginners and experts

We have all kinds of horses, from very steady, sweet natured horses for beginners or riders who have been out of the saddle for a long time up to more spirited horses that will be a delightful ride for experienced riders.

Our horses vary from Purebred Arabians and local criollos to mixes of all kind of breeds. What we are looking for in our horses are unique characters and an excellent attitude towards the rides in the sierra. 

Our horses grow up and live in their respective herds, thus enjoying a natural, healthy life full of social contact.

We believe that horses that trust and respect us and are comfortable with their life, are the best and most fun companions, both as working horses as for trailrides and trekking. We chose our riding horses for their physique, their character and their willingness to work. They are safe in traffic and surefooted even in demanding terrains.

Our foals

Some of the horses we are riding have been bred and born here on our land. We take great care to give them a good start into their life, starting with first contacts of imprinting, followed by regular monitoring while they are growing up in big pastures further away from our home, and then taking all the time and patience it takes to make them willing partners as riding horses.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

ECOLOGICAL GUESTHOUSE WITH VEGETARIAN COOKING

Stay with us for more than one day and spend a night in one of our peaceful guestrooms in the middle of quiet and beautiful nature, while enjoying delicious vegetarian food.

Guest ranch in the Sierras of Rocha, Uruguay

Caballos de Luz is a small horse farm registered with  Uruguay’s Ministry of Tourism.

In a marvelous natural surrounding, we rent out a cottage, a spacious thatched hut and a double room, the three of them rustic but comfortable, each with private entrance, bathroom and kitchen.

Apart from going horse riding, you can go for a swim in our natural river pool,  go hiking or tracking down birds and wildlife. Or you can chill out in one of the hammocks, listen to birdsong and read a book from our multilingual library.

Out in nature

Whenever possible, we take the meals outside, in the shade under our beautiful old Coronilla trees, or directly under the starry sky.

Vegetarian restaurant

We love to cook! In our kitchen, we prepare international vegetarian food. Whenever it is possible, vegetables are grown in our own organic garden and are harvested right before the meal.

Rooms

Respecting nature

We believe in the importance of taking care of the environment

We provide only limited (and rather slow) WIFI, but we have a hammocks, a great library, and kind horses to hang out with.

Please note that ours is a guest ranch, not a four star hotel. Accommodation is simple and rustic, each with wonderful views and a deck for sun bathing and star gazing. Fresh bedding and towels are provided. There is no air condition or toileteríes.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

Rates for horse riding and accommodation

A day in the Sierras

For a day “all inclusive” with three meals, a room (on double base) and a guided horse riding tour we charge US$ 145 per person. If you prefer a single room, we charge US$160.

Horse tours

Most of our horse tours last around 2 hours and cost US$ 65.

The terrain is versatile. We will be crossing pastures, land ride in, native forest and have our horses carry us  up rocky hills.

Our horses are well trained, well cared for and suitable even for less experienced riders. For beginners we offer a riding lesson followed by  a shorter ride.

Children: For our standard tours we accept children from 12 years of age on, exceptionally, if they have had some riding lessons before, we accept younger children.

For younger children we offer shorter tours where crossing the river is not required. The child will ride its own horse, but will be led on foot or from another horse.

Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

Cost 35 Us $

Horse trekking

The costs for horse trekking are US$ 200 per day. This includes about 4 hours per day in the saddle, all meals, tent and bedding, and the support of two guides and pack horses or car. . Min 4 participants, max 8.

Transfer to location

If you need transfer from Rocha bus station, sometimes we can pick you up. For this we charge US$ 25. Alternatively you can take a taxi which will also cost around US$ 25

Day long rides

We offer 5 hours in the saddle with homemade picnic lunch for US$ 110 per person. 

Minimum of participants: 2

US$ 110  

Payment

We take cash in US Dollars, Uruguayan Pesos, and Euros.

We do not accept credit cards, but usually you can get up to US$ 400 per day from the cash machine in Rocha. However, the machine is not the most reliable. So, if possible, we recommend to withdraw money in Montevideo, Punta del Este or La Paloma.

For reservation deposits you can use my European bank account, or paypal.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

HORSEMAN AND HORSEWOMANSHIP

We firmly believe that horses treated with love, patience and profound knowledge of equine behavior will make better and more reliable companions on the trail.

Our training methods have been inspired by the great masters of the USA such as Monty Roberts, John Lyons, Pat Parelli and Stacy Westfall. We also apply methods by the Uruguayans Gustavo Ortega and Ricardo Espalter.

Philosophy

Rather than looking for the horses’ submission, we aim for their cooperation. A relaxed, fearless horse is more fun to be around, and helps us teaching the beginners that come to Caballos de Luz. We aim to make the horse understand its responsibilities and keep up its positive disposition towards work, as part of what we offer are horse treks, with many hours on the road, where a self motivated, content horse is a grand asset.

Foal and young horse work

We start with what is called imprinting: close encounters with foals in the first hours and days of their lives. Besides being utterly enjoyful... it starts a bond between horse and human that may last a life time.

Furthermore, we start our own and customers’ horses with ground work basics and train them to be trustful riding horses.

Course of horsemanship

We regularly give horsemanship weekend courses and welcome people to join us to learn and practice these techniques and skills with our horses.

Please contact us for more information and the next course dates.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA

The area around Rocha offers much more than horse riding. Here are some of our favorite activities.

Whalewatching

In Rocha you can, with a little bit of luck, spot dolphins all year round. Also, Rocha is one of the few places in the world where you can spot humpback whales right off the beach, without having to hire a boat. Whale watching season at Rocha’s beaches is from middle of August to November. The closest beaches from where you can observe whales are less than an hour drive from our home. In season, we are more than willing to help you organize an unforgettable day of whale or dolphin watching. You can find more information here (in Spanish).

Visit La Paloma

La Paloma and its beaches is located just an hour drive from Caballos de Luz. The quiet beach town offers hotels, hostels, and all kinds of little cafes and restaurants. And best of all: La Paloma offers a variety of beaches. Some of them calm and child friendly, some surfer friendly with impressive waves. All of them with wonderful sunset views!

If you’d like to go to the beach for a day rather than spend it riding horses, we are happy to take you.

Visit Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is about 2 hours journey away and one of Uruguay’s gems. It houses a massive sea lion colony just a few meters off shore and has no public road to get there, so it still feels rather remote and exposed to wind and weather. That is... in off season.

In high season (January, February and March) we recommend it less, as its magic is no longer a secret and it attracts more than its fair share of visitors.

Accommodation and food is generally very rustic and overpriced, so you may consider a day trip.

Laguna de Rocha by canoe

The Laguna de Rocha is a protected area, where the ocean’s salt water mixes with sweet lagoon water, creating breeding ground for many fish and see critter, which again are an excellent food source for big amounts of migrating birds.

A must see for “birders”, it is yet completely undeveloped touristically -  there are no guided tours. If you are interested in visiting, please let us know when you book your stay with us and we will try to track down the ranger for a private bird watching tour.

Bird watching

Caballos de Luz is also an amazing place for birdwatching while waiting for your horseback ride or maybe just by the pleasure of birdwatching itself. All year round it’s possible to see lots of different species of birds eating in our garden, waiting for the horses to drop some food on the ground, stealing the cat food, or maybe only minding their own business around the property.

HOME ABOUT US HORSE TREKKING HORSE TOURS ACCOMMODATION & FOOD RATES HORSEMANSHIP ACTIVITIES IN ROCHA CONTACT

CONTACT US:

You can write a mail to caballosdeluz@gmail.com, or use the below form to inquire about horse rides , horse back riding holidays and rural accommodation here in Rocha.

OUR LOCATION:

Sierras de Rocha
Rocha, Uruguay