horseback riding – Llanera for a day
The ride with my horse Fatima, was nice and relaxed. We rode along the river, across the cork dry plains and through the forest. Quite unexpectedly, we saw an armadillo in the bushes. Like the giant anteater, this is a nocturnal animal, so we were lucky!
Today I went horseback riding with Dutch couple Ted and Anneke, their translator Gabriela and our “cowboys.” The horseback riding started with a slight delay; someone had forgotten to close the gate the night before, so some of the horses had run away. So we had to wait a while until the horses returned -:) After I hoisted myself-not too charmingly-on my horse, the new adventure could begin.
We had chosen a short, not too strenuous ride. Gabriela quickly proved to be an experienced rider, but for the rest of us it took some getting used to again. It had been a while since we had ridden.
Armadillo
The ride with my horse Fatima, was nice and relaxed. We rode along the river, across the corky plains and through the forest.
Quite unexpectedly, we saw an armadillo in the bushes. This is a nocturnal animal, so we were lucky! The armadillo quickly hid again, but we could clearly see the carapace.
Fatima
Despite the fact that I had not ridden for a long time, riding went very well and I secretly regretted a little bit that I had chosen the short ride. I enjoyed riding and the varied nature around me. After it was time to say goodbye to Fatima, I promised myself to go for another ride soon.
Llanero music
After horseback riding, we were able to stay in the Llanero atmosphere for a while. Since Ted, Anneke and Gabriela were going back to Yopal that afternoon, there was a farewell with a demonstration of the música Llanera, the Joropo. In this typical music of the Llanos, the harp takes center stage and is sung passionately about life on the Llanos.
Chico
Chico was the dancer and singer of the show, but I heard that he would also be a good guide. That came in handy, because I was going to take a walk in the woods with him later that day.
During the hike, Chico explained to me all kinds of things about the different plants and trees and how the Indians used to use them. For example, he showed how spears were made from tree branches and which trees were used for the liniments for their faces.
During the walk, Chico he also told me about his life as a Llanero. I was struck by how humble he was, like the other Llaneros I had met before. At the same time, Chico was full of fire when he talked about working with the horses and about nature on the Llanos.
Meanwhile, he was removing very small ticks from my pants, which were so small that I hadn’t even seen them myself. In the dry season, ticks are common in certain parts of the forest.
Howler monkey family
At one point we heard something in the trees and then Chico pointed to a group of howler monkeys, known in Colombia as monos aulladores. We saw a whole family with mother and little ones. The male was chilling out and stayed in the same spot for a while. We stayed very quiet and could observe him very well. What an extraordinary experience!
On the way back, we saw a turtle crossing the path of a capybara, which left the capybara totally cold -:) After a nice walk, we boarded the boat again, back to the -now familiar- lodge.
The rest of the evening, the impressions of the day still flew through my mind and I closed the special Llanero’s in my heart forever.
Travel date: February 2020.
For more info, check our travel guide Casanare -the Colombian safari- Hotel needed in Yopal prior to your trip, check here the options.
