The Coxilha Rica region of southern Brazil is so named for its resemblance to an undulating green ocean. Located in the state of Santa Catarina, Coxilha Rica boasts 100 miles of mountains, as well as vast plains, streams, and Araucarian forests.
This is gaucho territory, where South American cowboys still live and work the same way their counterparts did roughly one hundred years ago. Traveling to Coxilha Rica with Ker & Downey introduces their culture and lifestyle as authentically and intimately as possible: on horseback. Ride alongside gauchos on comfortable Criollo horses, cantering up and down grassy hills, crossing pristine rivers and waterfalls, and stopping for picnics under large Araucarian trees. Here one will also find the well-preserved colonial Tropeiro Route, an essential 250-year old trade corridor where gauchos once drove herds for months between the Rio Grande do Sul and Argentina to Sao Paulo.
A gaucho experience in Coxilha Rica with Ker & Downey comes with a sense of ownership. The land feels intimately yours, stretched out as far as the eye can see toward the next fazenda. These homes of real gaucho families are all authentic, colonial, and cozy, each offering a different taste of gaucho culture. Days are spent giving the gauchos a helping a hand, driving the cattle herd to the corral and learning the tricks of the roping trade. After an active day on the fazenda, guests are invited to pull off their boots and join the gauchos around the table for a home cooked meal and a warm Pingao rum. In these parts, it is not uncommon to hear the violin playing around the campfire while legendary Mate tea is passed around. This area of untouched Brazil offers a rare slice of simplicity and sense of freedom—the essence of the true gaucho lifestyle.
Visiting Coxilha Rica with Ker & Downey is the perfect way to inspire the sense of gaucho freedom and an essential journey for any authentic adventurer.
