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A combination of our Ronda to Atlantic and
Atlantic Coast Ride. The pace is moderate with
some nice canters along the way. From Ronda with
its spectacular Tajo canyon that divides the
town in half you start your ride. You'll
ride through three National Parks, cross the
Sierra de Aljibe and large meadows with herds of
bulls, until you reach the endless sandy beaches
of the Atlantic and Zahara de los Atunes. You
will then ride on to Bolonia where you can visit
the Roman ruins.
PG-AN1R
Rates: Lodging and
meals, from Malaga, 12 riding days
14 days/ 13 nights $ 3,050
Single if
requested +$ 420
Low
Season $ 2,625
-- based on
€
2,145/ 1845 Single
€ 295
2008 Dates:
03/02-03/15
03/30-04/12 04/20-05/03
05/11-05/24 07/06-07/19
08/03-08/16
08/24-09/06 09/28-10/11
11/02-11/15
12/21-01/03
Meeting: Malaga
Airport:
Malaga
Transfer: included from
Malaga
at set times
Level:
Intermediate, riders should be in good physical
conditions due to long hours in the saddle on
some days
Horses:
Andalusian Cross
Tack:
Very
comfortable Spanish saddles give you a firm seat
- a simpler version of the western riding. We
only ride at a walk or canter (no trot).
Pace: Moderate, slow
during descents and with nice canters canters in
the lower elevations, 5 to 6 hours daily
Min/Max Riders: 4-10
Notes:
Some steep mountain trails
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at the airport
in Malaga and transfer to Ronda where you stay
overnight in a hotel or overnight at Rancho La
Paz.
Day 2: On the first day
you ride through deep canyons that are only
accessible on donkey trails, which are still
being used by smugglers. Cortes de la Frontera
is one of the typical white villages for which
the whole region got its nickname 'Pueblos
Blancos' (white villages). Time seems to stand
still when you enter this village in the
evening. This part of Andalusia is also an
historical region: You should visit the wall
paintings in the caves Cuevas de la Pileta
before dinner. Overnight in a guesthouse.
Day 3: After descending into
the canyons of the white villages you enter the
naturepark Cortes de la Frontera. Soft, springy
forest trails alternate with livestock and
donkey trails. The slopes are covered with pine
cork oak forests through which you slowly
descend towards the plain. At the Puerto de
Galis, the border between the provinces of
Malaga and Cadiz, the horses stay for the night
while you drive to Alcala de los Gazules. The
central Village Square is the heart of the
village life where people meet - especially late
at night after dinner. Bordered by half a dozen
of pubs and in safe distance from the church,
every villager walks across the square at least
once a day. Virtually undiscovered by tourism,
Alcala is one of the few remaining typical
Andalusian villages. There is even a saddlery
here that you might like to check out.
Day 4: The last stage through
the mountains. You have probably already admired
the surefootedness of your Andalusian horse. You
now ride through the natureparks Aljibe and
Alcornocales, which are very rich in wild game
and have been established to halt the Spaniards'
passion for hunting. As no cars are allowed in
the parks, you carry your lunch picnic in the
saddlebags. In the afternoon you ride over
rolling hills on trails that are bordered with
hedgerows opuntia cacti through large meadows
and fields of sunflowers. The horses stay
halfway between Alcala and Jerez while you drive
back to Alcala.
Day 5: The
large-scale landholdings of the bull and horse
breeders are located in the triangle between
Alcala, Jerez, and the coast. You ride across
large meadows with fighting bulls and cows with
their calves. One meadow is often several miles
long. Spring is spectacular in this area as the
meadows are covered with wild flowers and are
very lush and green while they dry out during
the summer. You will certainly meet 'vaqueros',
Spanish cowboys who spend their days in the
saddle looking after the cattle on these large
ranches. You stop for lunch at a 'venta', a
typical country restaurant, just below the old
Moorish fortress Medina-Sidona. On wide sandy
trails and the livestock trail 'Paquiri', named
after the famous matador, you ride to Los
Naveros where the horses spend the night. You
drive to Zahara de los Atunes on the Atlantic
Coast. The next nights you will spend in a hotel
right on the beach where you can enjoy a swim in
the pool or the Atlantic Ocean.
Day
6: In the morning you ride through
meadows and fields of sugar beets, beans,
cotton, and the bright yellow sunflowers. The
support vehicle awaits you as usual with the
lunch picnic and today you will need to fortify
yourself for the fast rides on the beaches. You
will soon note that you're reaching the beach in
Conil: Feel the anticipation of your horse!
Except for very few stretches, the beaches are
deserted. You enjoy long canters and gallops on
yellow sand and into the blue waves of the
Atlantic! You ride along the coast on sandy
trails and through pine forests, past Cap
Trafalgar where Lord Nelson fought his last
sea-battle, to Caños de Meca. You drive back to
the hotel in Zahara. At the beach you can see
the small fishing boats that deliver their catch
every day to the local hotels. Enjoy these
Atlantic delicacies for dinner.
Day
7: Another day on the beach awaits you.
First you ride along sandy trails through the
coastal pine forests and around the fishing
village Barbate. A 7-mile long stretch of
deserted beach invites you. This area is under
the supervision of the military; so, no hotels
have been built. In a fast gallop you reach
Zahara. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8: After breakfast you start your
ride along the beaches. The firm sand gives you
the opportunity to get used to your horse in all
gaits. On a clear day you can see as far
as Morocco. In Bolonia you have lunch in a
typical Spanish ‘venta’. If you want you can
visit the famous Roman ruins. Then you ride
along a sandy beach, (several miles long) that
invites to brisk canter, to Tarifa. The horses
stay in Tarifa; the riders are driven back to
the hotel at the Atlantic beach.
Day
9: Today’s ride takes you into the
interior along soft trails and ancient paths.
You follow a mountain range which brings you to
the Santuario Nstra. Sra. De la Luz, an old
pilgrimage site. On an historic smugglers path
you cross a narrow mountain pass before reaching
Facinas in the late afternoon. Transfer for
overnight as the day before.
Day 10:
In the
morning, enjoy a few nice canters before
reaching the Almodovar Reservoir. Noisy creeks
rushing down from the mountains make the air
fresh and cool. Here, far from everything, the
support vehicle awaits you with a picnic. The
whole valley has been declared a bird
conservatory and is home to several rare
species. At the end of the day you reach Los
Barrios, only 6 miles from Gibraltar. Here, the horses will be put up for the night. Riders are driven
a short distance to the hotel in Alcala where
your luggage awaits you.
Day 11:
You ride across the hunting grounds what was
once one of the largest estates in Europe, the
Almoraima, home to a vast population of deer, as
well as a rare and very shy species of wild goat
called the Cabra Iberica. The oak forests in the
small canyons are sprinkled with bizarre
sandstone formations. One of them is the
‘Torero’, a rock 20m high that resembles the
head of a bull fighter in amazing detail.
Overnight as the day before.
Day 12: Until today you have probably
been amazed by the endurance and smooth canter
of your Andalusian horse. Now you can admire how
surefooted they are when climbing the mountains
of the National Park Alcornocales. Only by
special permission are we able to enter this
protected nature reserve once owned by old
Andalusian nobility. These mountains are covered
with cork oaks and other deciduous trees and
keep the natural waters all year round, even in
the summer. Rare plants, such as orchids, grow
in the shade of the trees. Although this
mountain range is only 1,600 ft high, it offers
spectacular views over the Mediterranean Sea and
the Atlantic.
Day 13:
Today you have
an unforgettable ride on your enduring and
sure-footed horses. Inside the Sierra de Aljibe
Nature Park you ride, in one day, up to the
Finca Buenas Noches, situated at 1,900 ft. On a
winding path at 2,900 ft you ride on to Corso de
los Lobos. Picnic lunch at an elevation of 3,500
ft. Then follows a spectacular descent
down to the beautiful village of Jimena. Here
you say goodbye to the horses
and spend the last night or drive back to Rancho
La Paz and stay overnight there.
Day 14:
Departure after breakfast - arrival in Malaga
after 11:30 AM |
- lunch break
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