Cerro Dorotea rises 800 metres above the Last Hope Sound, a windswept massif that has anchored gaucho movement between Puerto Natales and the interior estancias since the late 19th century. The mountain's northern and western slopes remain crisscrossed by bridle paths originally cut by shepherds driving merino flocks toward summer pasture, and today those same routes carry visitors on horseback through Patagonian steppe, lenga forest, and exposed ridgeline overlooks. The terrain shifts abruptly: low scrubland gives way to beech thickets, then opens onto alpine meadows where condors quarter the thermals and the Paine massif stands clear on the horizon. A horse riding tour Puerto Natales typically departs from one of three working estancias on the mountain's flanks—Estancia La Península, Estancia Dos Lagunas, or Estancia Cerro Guido's satellite outpost near the trailhead. Each ranch maintains criollo and semi-wild Patagonian horses, compact animals bred for steep grades and sudden wind. Guides are often multigenerals descended from the region's original settlers, fluent in the topography and the seasonal behaviour of guanaco herds that still use the high passes. Rides range from two-hour circuits through beech groves to full-day traverses that summit the western shoulder at 600 metres, where views stretch across the Última Esperanza fjord to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. The conservation fee of 5,000 CLP, introduced in 2023 for foreign visitors, funds trail maintenance and erosion control on the heavily trafficked eastern ascent. That investment has kept the main bridle path navigable year-round, though winter snow above 500 metres can close the summit approach between June and September. Spring and autumn bring the clearest light, with long Patagonian dusk extending riding hours into early evening. Cerro Dorotea's appeal lies in its proximity to Puerto Natales—a 15-minute drive from the town plaza—and its role as a transitional landscape between the steppe and the cordillera. Unlike the Torres del Paine circuit, which draws trekkers by the thousand, Cerro Dorotea remains a working ranch zone where horseback remains the practical means of covering ground. The estancias that offer horse riding tours operate within the rhythm of sheep farming, calving, and shearing, and rides often pass through active paddocks where gauchos are mending wire or moving livestock. That coexistence of tourism and agriculture gives the experience a functional texture absent from purpose-built trail systems.