Ride Overview
Pack your bags and head to Vancouver for the start of our 7-night riding vacation in British Columbia. You will be staying at the comfortable and well appointed Tsylos Park Lodge, where daily rides explore the surrounding Chilko wilderness.
Take a week to disconnect from your phone and laptop, enjoy fun and gorgeous daily riding and return to the lodge, just in time for icy cold drinks, a wonderful evening meal, time to chill out on the deck, or a relaxing soak in the hot tub viewing a million stars.
2024 Dates: June 23-Oct. 6 (Sunday to Sunday)
Rate: $4,890.00 USD per person (25% Single supplement is available based on availability – NOTE: it does not guarantee a private bathroom, you may need to share with another guest of the same sex.)
Included
- 7 nights accommodation
- 5 days of riding
- Round trip flight from Vancouver to Tsylos
- All meals
- Wine with dinner
- Lake trip by boat
- Saddlebags
- Use of canoes and kayaks
- 2.5% GST tax
- $77.00 room tax
Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel insurance
- Gratuities for the team at the end of the stay (please budget for at least 10-20% of the ride price)
- Beverages from the bar
- Fishing licenses
Please note that the following itinerary is an example for the ride. The actual days may vary from ride to ride depending on the season and local weather conditions.
Day 1
On Sunday morning your adventure begins with a flight from Vancouver over the Coast Mountains and British Columbia. You’ll arrive at Chilko Lake and this exclusive lodge in time for a tasty lunch and a cold drink. Afterwards, you’ll gather on the deck to go over the week ahead. Your hosts, the McLean family, will show you your cabin, then lead you to the barn to meet your horse and receive safety tips for the trail, saddling techniques, and western riding instructions. After this, guests head out for an afternoon ride. This ride ensures that you, your horse and your saddle are a great fit for the week ahead. You’ll then return to the lodge in time for a cold drink and a delicious dinner.
Day 2
After a filling breakfast – think bacon, eggs, potatoes, pancakes, fruit, cereals and yoghurt – you’ll head straight to the stables. Today is a full day’s ride out from the lodge to explore
Ts’yl-os Provincial Park – roughly 233,000 hectares of rugged mountains, clear blue lakes, glaciers, alpine meadows and waterfalls! You’ll return to the lodge in time for another tasty communal dinner and a glass of wine as you wind down for the night.
Day 3
Today, after you emerge from your log cabin, soak up your spectacular surrounds and tuck into another hearty breakfast, you’ll head out for another unmistakably Canadian adventure. As you gain confidence in your horse and become more familiar with the terrain, the riding starts to speed up, with more canters along the open meadows and Chilko River.
Day 4
Another beautiful day’s ride awaits today, as you journey to the summit of Mount Tulin. After the long climb, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking 360-degree views of the Coast Mountains and Chilcotin Plateau – and a picnic lunch! Photo opportunities abound, so be sure to pack your camera in your saddlebag. Returning from the mountain, you’ll have some time to relax in your cabin or wander around the grounds before regrouping with your fellow riders and guides to share stories, laughter and a hot meal.
Day 5
Today is a rest day for the horses after their long summit up Mount Tulin. It’s also an amazing opportunity to see Chilko Lake from the water! After breakfast you’ll hop aboard a boat to take a scenic tour up the lake, witnessing its untouched beauty up close. Chilko Lake is surrounded by magnificent mountain peaks, pristine forests and ice fields. It’s fed by dozens of pure, icy glacial streams, which give the lake its vibrant turquoise colour. A day on Chilko Lake is not to be missed!
Day 6
You will be back in the saddle after breakfast this morning, enjoying long, winding canters through the pristine wilderness as you ride along one of the most memorable trails, the ‘Roller Coaster’. We don’t want to give away too much, but this is a ride that will give you a serious confidence boost AND a thrill to remember!
Day 7
On day seven you’ll enjoy more long canters along the picturesque ridge of Chilko River, with spectacular views of Chilko Valley. At the end of the ride you’ll un-tack your horses on the banks of Chilko River and release them for a refreshing swim across the river back to the lodge. You’ll then be transferred back to the lodge by boat for your final farewell dinner with your riding companions.
Day 8
Enjoy one last hearty breakfast at the lodge, then pack your bags, bid a fond farewell to the lodge and horses, and board the flight back to Vancouver (departs around 9:00am and arrives around 1.00pm).
Betty R.
It is not often one gets to ride in pristine wilderness during the day and return to a gourmet meal in the main lodge. This week of riding had breathtaking views along the river and from the top of the tallest mountain in the area – amazing. My horse Blackjack was comfortable and a joy to ride.
I appreciated the break in the week for a boat ride to learn some history of First Nations as well as to admire the gorgeous river and cloud formations.
The trails were fun and we moved right along – exactly what I wanted. And where else at the end of the weeks ride do you come home by boat while your horse swims home. Yes the horses swam across the river and made it back to camp at a leisurely pace.
A super week all around.
Rexanne F.
Just had one of my best vacations ever at the Tsylos Park Lodge! I’m not even sure where I should start.
The scenery was magnificent. The service was first class. I went for the riding and rode one of the best horses ever. Every day held some kind of magic. My favorite was the day our group rode from the lodge all the way to the top of Mount Tulin. Not easy, but so worth it. What a view!
Another favorite day was when we “rode the roller coaster” – a long & quick canter through the woods. I live in a city and my riding is usually confined to a ring, so this was a special treat. Aside from the riding, I was overwhelmed by the sheer natural beauty of the place. It really does look like the pictures shown on the website.
All of the staff are great, but I would like to give a special thanks to Louise and Tash, the wonderful Aussie guides for our horseback riding; to Josh, the head guide, for an amazing boat tour of beautiful, turquoise Lake Chilko; and to Gary, the chef, who always kindly prepared a vegetarian option for my meals.
My only warning would be to bring plenty of bug spray! There are some serious biting things in the woods!
Ava R.
The Tsylos Lodge ride was at the top of my riding vacation experiences.
The food was absolutely delicious, creatively prepared and presented with pride by Gary, their very talented chef.
The guides were skilled, friendly, willing to do anything to make the guests’ stay the best ever.
Our log cabin was cozy, clean and very comfortable.
The scenic vistas were breath taking.
I will return!!!!
Louise G.
This ride has the most breath taking views one could image. I found it hard to believe that wilderness as such still existed!
The food was not at all what I expected – It was 5 star hotel food. The horses were great and showed us a super time. My only complaint was that it was a couple of days before we got to do cantering. But, when we did – boy did we!
I am going to go back sometime again. I really loved this trip.
Ruth H.
If you want an experience that will challenge you physically and mentally in a spectacular environment then the Tsylos Ride in British Columbia is for you!
Leaving Vancouver BC by plane to a remote area accessible only by truck, you will find yourself in a pristine and magical place, Tsylos Lodge on the Chilko River. In the coming days you will enjoy fast canters, treks in lush woods, and climb to a mountain top!!
At the end of each day there is laughter, camaraderie, and gourmet meals from a master chef.
On the last day you will watch the horses swim back to the barn and wish you could stay in this incredible place for another week – or longer.
As you go home, you will feel a sense of accomplishment to have climbed a mountain by horse back as well as experiencing a place so remote and so deep in nature .
Truly a trip of a life time!