Tour Itinerary: Day 1: Welcome! At dinner the guide will go over the week’s program, you will be told about the special characteristics of the Andalusian trail horses. And after dinner you will be given an introduction to the weeks programme with an opportunity for a one to one conversation designed to find every rider their perfect horse. Finally you will discover how to play the ‘Champagne rules’ which is anyone found guilty of holding up the ride at any point having to buy a bottle of local cava for the group that evening, making for lively dinners! Day 2: Sant Ferriol the name of the horse. Today the pace is varied and exhilarating. You will enjoy the canters and the pretty mountain tracks. Today’s destination is a beautiful monastery. This is from the 16th century, a jewel of Romanesque architecture built by Cistercian monks that conjures up scenes and the spirit of the book “the Name of the Rose”. From here we have panoramic views over the Empordà region out to the Mediterranean coast. After a delicious picnic lunch, we will have a pleasant ride along the ridge and back to the hotel for diner. Day 3: Besalu the Ancient Capital. Our destination is the ancient capital of the Alta Garrotxa, Besalú: a medieval fortified village. A jewel of Romanesque architecture set between two rivers. The squares, stone cut pillars and cool shady arched passageways are a wonder to behold. Not to mention the cut glass of its churches. Here we will stop for tapas in Besalú. Ice cold beers and rich full red wine in Manolo´s bar at the village square. We will have some time to explore the village. Today’s riding is quite lively with some long canters along the banks of the river Fluvià. In the evening we will ride back along the ridge for a refreshing swim in the pool and a delicious dinner. Day 4: San Sylvestre of Thousnd Loves. Today we will ride along the valley of la Miana, where it is not unusual to disturb a resting eagle and to be able to watch it soar gracefully beneath us in the valley. We will take a break high up on a mountain at the ruined chapel of San Silvestre, a spectacular piece of Romanesque architecture. This morning we ride through forests that are probably trodden by as few as three people in one year, a magnificent opportunity to see wild boar and deer. Then we arrive at the hotel for a late Spanish lunch: delicious paella and, of course, the siesta. After lunch we will drive you down to visit Girona. The capital of the region, this little city has wonderful shady streets, beautiful architecture, the widest cathedral in Europe and great shopping. Or you can take it easy and relax by the pool. Day 5: Coguleras, the Hidden Valley. Our destination is Coguleras, a mountain valley that reaches almost up to the heights of Sant Julià del Mont at 1.000m. We ride quietly down through a forest alongside a mountain stream, to the flood plains by the little village of Sant Jaume de Llierca where we have coffee or a sherry in the local bar. Here there are some majestic farm houses built by the nobility in the 12th century. Today you will really appreciate the strength, agility and stamina of your horse in this varied terrain. They climb like mountain goats, and fly across the flood plains like gazelles. For lunch we climb up to the ridge of Sant Julià. Here we eat a delicious picnic in a meadow beneath a shady tree, before riding back to the hotel. Days 6-7: The two day Smugglers Trail Ride. This is a circular ride that covers over 60kms in two days. You will ride over the immense mountain ridge of Sant Julià del Mont down to the valley of Santa Pau, this is the heart of the Garrotxa’s volcanic region. We will stop for a glass of wine in the little village of El Torn set by the meandering river Ter. Having had a wander around the little alleyways and squares and admired a few old doors and a look at the church, we continue on to the picnic site by the river. After this little break you will gallop across the valley. The next day we cross over the mountain ridge and on to the planes of the Fluvià, one of Catalonia’s biggest rivers from where you will gallop to Sadernas. This is the entrance to a rocky gorge that leads high up into the Pyrenees. Amidst this dramatic mountain scenery there is an immense Romanesque bridge over a large river pool. This is perfect for a refreshing swim before the picnic lunch. In the evening back in the hotel we will attend to the horses and leave them happily grazing in the meadows. Then we have a farewell dinner and the cava flows, a fitting end to a fantastic week. Day 8: The Goodbye Breakfast. After a goodbye breakfast, hotel check out. Notes: Price Includes: 
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Also see tour packages in: Europe Spain Outdoor: Land Rambler Horse Riding |
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