Saddle up and ride 'em high

Six years ago, Sally Vergette, a 30-year-old farmer's daughter from Cambridgeshire, went on holiday to Ecuador.

A few weeks after her return, she gave up her job and moved to South America, guiding riding holidays in the Andes for a hacienda owner.

Today she has built up a thriving riding business, leading groups, many British or American, on expeditions across the hills, camping or staying at comfortable ranches, with 15 alternatives, varying widely in price.

In a world where adventurous holidays have become commonplace, riding up to 14,000ft possesses a unique magic. We set off after a sybaritic breakfast, cantered steadily upwards through eucalyptus plantations and pinewoods, and within a couple of hours were gazing at the snowclad Cotopaxi volcano, from beside the lagoon at its base. The sense of vast emptiness exercises a power of its own. Mist thickens and breaks over the peaks, the sun beats down fiercely, then recedes with dramatic swiftness in that equatorial climate, to be followed by the odd rain shower. There are wild flowers in profusion and many uncommonly friendly people.

The Andes is not the place to learn to ride - Sally's horses are livelier than the tired old screws which inhabit most trekking stables around the world. But it is not necessary to be an expert, especially when the team leader is constantly checking girths, glancing behind to make sure nobody has fallen over a cliff, and inviting anyone who doesn't like their horse to change it.

Although the beef in Ecuador does not come from contented cows, and lambs tend to be drawing pensions before they reach the table, the vegetables, fruit, fish - indeed, the cooking generally - is delicious. We encountered foods we had never eaten before, especially babaco, tasting not unlike starfruit. Not a holiday for couples who like to be alone, one is constantly meeting new people, above all hosts at the haciendas. But this is a great opportunity to get to know the people and the place. I could write a plausible A-level essay on the geography, economics and politics of Ecuador on the strength of dinner-table conversations. Every hacienda also has its own shop, selling handembroidered tablecloths, towels and shirts for a fraction of their cost in Europe; my wife invested heavily at each stop. We voted Hacienda Zuleta, north of Quito, the star in this respect, and in most others.

The beauty of the low-stone ranch buildings, many 18th century, decked in flowering climbers and creepers, is breathtaking. Agapanthus is almost a national flower, spreading its luxuriant blue charm across every garden. Peasant architecture, by contrast, is a little depressing. Adobe huts blend into the scenery well enough, but the status symbol in modern Ecuador is to build in breezeblocks, even though adobe is more comfortable in both summer and winter.

Most Ecuadorians, one fancies, would welcome an invitation into Tony Blair's big tent. Nobody has organised a redistribution of wealth in the country, and the poor are extremely poor.

There can never have been a land with more unfinished buildings. For a visitor, happiness begins when one climbs above the hamlets and smallholdings on the lower slopes, reaching the empty hills above, trees starkly silhouetted against the skyline. Seeing a landscape from a horse makes it incomparably more real and interesting than from a vehicle. We grew gradually accustomed to spending six or seven hours a day on horseback, though Sally Vergette can arrange shorter outings for the saddle-sore. I am prone to agonising cramp when riding long distances without practice, but was spared this time, thanks to my doctor's tip to take quinine tablets.

Sally is wonderfully efficient in a continent where efficiency is at a premium, the best of guides and companions. A lonely life for an English woman, she has adapted skilfully and now plans to extend her riding tours elsewhere in South America, offering a mix 'n' match of haciendas and camping, riding and walking. One family group later this spring plans to scale the summit of Cotopaxi between riding days. At Zuleta it is possible to see condors in the wild, if you are lucky, or at the breeding project.

If the idea of riding on mountains alarms you, be reassured that there is usually grass underfoot. We were scared sometimes and, when I thought Sally wasn't watching, I clutched my saddle's pommel when cantering. Like all the best adventure holidays, this offers the challenge of doing something a little difficult, while knowing that some guests over 80 have managed the trip. Recommended to anyone wanting to escape England, loving wildernesses, and past donkeys-on-the-beach.

Way to go

Max Hastings travelled to Ecuador with Cazenove and Loyd Expediciones (020 7384 2332; www.caz-loyd.com). A seven-night tailor-made trip riding between haciendas on the northern and southern sierras of Ecuador costs from £2,000pp, including Englishspeaking guide, grooms and back-up vehicle, all meals included, based on two sharing. Return flights to Quito not included, but can be arranged, from £510.

The best hacienda break