Name: 8 Day Eusko Trek: Combo Basque Mountains and Atlantic Beach Horse Riding Tour in The Landes
Brand: Centre Équestre le Marina
Price: 1659 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 10.0 (1 reviews)

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

14:00

Check-out Time:

08:30

During the tour, you will stay in various accommodations.

Night one: Gite de Charme, Amestoïa, or Manechenea in Saint Etienne de Baïgorry
Night two: Breakfast and bed and a mountain lodging
Nights three and four: Hôtel Erreguina in the Aldude Valley (Banca)
Nights fifth, sixth, and seventh: three-star guest house of the Equestrian Center Marina (Mimizan)

Program

Consider this trek as a four-day getaway from civilization. If not, where else could you bump into herds of wild horses grazing freely in the high mountain pastures? Named “Potokka”, a breed of pony or horse native exclusively to the Basque Country, these proud animals in the wild are fiercely safeguarded by a brave stallion. Deemed one of the oldest nations on Earth, barely changed over centuries, the Basques are often misunderstood because they have been openly reclaiming their independence from France and Spain forever, it seems.

Get to know the nation remaining true to its identity, rich culture, and delicious cuisine and you will forever be in love with them. With a daily mileage, exceeding 30 to 35 kilometers in six to seven hours, be ready for an exciting yet challenging trek that requires a good level of fitness and much confidence. While moving on varying terrains, there will occur a few rugged sections difficult to ride on, so Centre Équestre le Marina asks their equestrians to dismount from their horse and to cover such spans of route on foot with the horse by the bridle.

For the rest of the trek, you can feel free to canter or to trot at your will, as horses are fit, willing, and sure-footed. When in Rome do as the Romans do. When in the Basque country, after a lavish meal in an unfettered atmosphere have a short siesta. You will be served local specialties generously cooked by the owners of two-hour accommodations that they come across the route. On the way, they stop in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a picturesque town strategically located on Santiago de Compostella, a famous pilgrim route.

Worth visiting by walking, its cobbled streets with the main artery running from the 15th century Porte St-Jacques to the Porte d’Espagne offer a handful of shops selling anything you might have ever dreamed of buying and restaurants with decent pilgrim menus. One of such will be chosen as a dinner place. Cooled by flavorsome breezes, the endless coast of New Aquitaine invites a gallop along the sandy beach at full throttle or a dip in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Daily itinerary

Day 1: Bordeaux - Mimizanpimientos-despeletta pays Basque

Centre Équestre le Marina provides group transfers from and to the main transport hubs: Bordeaux Airport (BOD) and Saint Jean SNCF railway station. Group transfer to Saint Etienne de Baïgorry. Night visit of Saint Jean Pied-de-Port. Dinner at a downtown typical Basque restaurant (not included in the price). Night at a three-star bed and breakfast or a two-star hotel (Manechenea).

Day 2: Saint Etienne de Baïgorry - Banca

At 8:00 a.m., you will have breakfast. At 10:00 a.m., get started and visit the famous village of Saint Etienne de Baïgorry (horseback). The aim is to reach the top of Monhoa Mount with a magnificent 360-degree view of the Aldudes Valley and the Ocean. The goal is to reach the highest farm in the Aldudes Valley” Espila”. Then you drive down to spend the first night in Hotel Erregina.

Day 3: Banca via Roncevaux - Lindus and Urepel

08:00 Breakfast
10:00 Getting started. The ridge between France and Spain: the longest and the most breathtaking trail of the whole week
14:00 Lunch in the wild in Spain
18:30 Arrive at Urepel, a picturesque village in the Aldudes Valley
Stay at the Erreguina Hotel (Banca)

Day 4: Aldudes Valley - Banca

08:00 Breakfast
10:30 Getting started - time to discover the traditional life of the Basque people
Lunch: tasting local cuisine and food
14:30 Climbing Harguibel Mount. Enjoy the magnificent view of Spain’s virgin forests
Dinner: Fresh trout from the Banca Valley River
Stay at Erreguina Hotel (Banca)

Day 5: Banca via Ispeguy and Erratzu (Spain) - Lesperon

08:00 Breakfast
10:00 Getting started. Descending to Elhorrieta Pass. Discovery of “Kromlech“ prehistoric graves
View on the Aldudes Valley, Spain, and the ocean. Descending to Ispéguy
12:30 Lunch at a typical Spanish restaurant
15:30 Descending the path of smugglers from Ispéguy to Erratzu, the first border town
17:30 Town visit (horseback). The mountain part is officially over. Group transfer to the Atlantic Coast
20:30 Dinner on the way to Mimizan

Days 6 and 7: Lesperon - Contis - Bias - Mimizan

New rhythm: from one of the biggest forests to one of the longest coastlines in Europe, spoil and indulge yourself with a long gallop on the white sandy beach of New Aquitaine. Depending on the tide, you can also stay longer in the night to admire a superb sunset. The last-day dinner will be served at one of the nicest restaurants in Mimizan (seafood and traditional local meals).

Day 8: Departure

Get packed. Group transfer to the Int’l Airport of Bordeaux. Depending on the traffic, a stop in Bordeaux downtown is possible.

About the tour

Daily mileage: 30 to 35 kilometers
Age admittance: Children, minimum 13 years old (accompanied) and adults (autonomous)

Monitoring and safety rules

Standard safety rules must be followed around horses at any time. Participants can benefit from quality guidance from duly certified monitors/tour guides speaking French, English, German, and Russian, specially trained to go along with partakers during many-hour trails and introduce them to the stunning nature of the Atlantic coast of France and Spain (French professional certification: A.T.E., CQP ASA or BPJEPS Tourisme Équestre).

Horses and tacks

There are 35 horses, with a majority of Anglo-Arabs. They are safe, brave, and easygoing; well-trained, very well-balanced as they live in herds and outside. They have nice and friendly connections with the man. The majority of the horses are kept in an outdoor herd. These perfectly trained, safe-to-ride horses put riders at ease in no time, establishing a friendly bond with them along the way. They are fitted with quality English horse tack. Saddlebags are at your disposal on-site upon a simple request.

Riding pace

Moderate in the mountain with some fast sections each time when/where possible. Fast and long gallops in the Landes pine tree forest and on the beach.

Leader supervision and security

English speaking guide, having a good knowledge of the mountain ride and Landes. He will be concerned about making you discover his lovely country in the South West of France.

Instructors

Michel Girard Mille

With 30 years of experience in teaching horse riding in harmony between horse and rider, Michel provides a huge experience of instructing the quality of the communication between horse and rider in dressage and show jumping. Showing up with successful own competing until the age of 45, he followed up with giving classes to his students who provided various placements at the national level (French championships). In love with his horses and nature, he is a guide who established itineraries with exceptional views and picknick spots in the region of Aquitaine, Perigord, Basque Mountains.

Location

Located along the Atlantic coast, split between France and Spain, the Basque country offers you a stunning combination of lush forests, verdant hills and slopes, windy beaches, and rocky cliffs plunging into the Atlantic Ocean. A horse trek with a bird's-eye view over the stunning scenery is very handy to discover this area proudly perched on the coastline, sporadically embellished with traditional fishing villages.

Deemed one of the oldest nations on Earth barely changed over centuries, the Basques are often misunderstood because they have been openly reclaiming their independence from France and Spain, forever, it seems. Get to know the nation remaining true to its identity, rich culture, and delicious cuisine, and you will forever be in love with it.

Distances

Bordeaux International Airport (BOD) - St. Jean Pied de Port, 130 miles - 2 hours and 45 minutes

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Food

During the stay in the Pays Basque, dinners are taken at the hotel you are staying for the night. You will taste Basque specialties. Dinner in the restaurant or hotel includes two glasses of wine or two soda, tea, or coffee. Lunches are organized by the riding center, and soda and wine without restrictions are provided. Dinners at Mimizan are prepared and taken at the guesthouse on the terrace beside the swimming pool.

Lunches are leisurely and relaxed, often followed by a short siesta. Lunches and dinners are made from typical food from Pays Basque and prepared by the owner of the two-star accommodations. When in Rome do as the Romans do; when in the Basque country, after a lavish meal in an unfettered atmosphere, have a short siesta.

You will be served local specialties generously cooked by the owners of the two-star accommodations that you come across the route. A meal in the guesthouse, restaurant, or hotel with traditional local meals or seafood comprises a glass of wine or a soda, tea, or coffee inclusively. A typical lunch served by the equestrian center also includes soft drinks and wine.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Coffee
Tea
Soda
Alcoholic beverages

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Vegan
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

6 full riding days (4 for mountain riding and 2 for forest and beach)
Use of riding equipment and horses
All transfers during riding days
7 nights accommodation
Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Wine, coffee, tea, and soda
Services of an English-speaking guide

What's not included

Airfare
Dinner on the first night
Airport transfers
Mimizan Beach transfers on Monday and Saturday
Personal expenses

How to get there

Recommended Airports

BOD

Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport

190 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 52 per person

Arrival by bus

Take the RDTL Bus from Labouheyre to Mimizan: 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. all year (5 EUR, 40-minute trip).

Arrival by shuttle

Centre Équestre le Marina offers transfers for 45 EUR per person for one way or 90 EUR per person for return transfers. Transfers from and to the airport are every Sunday from two to eight riders. The bus starts from Mimizan at 12:00 p.m. with going to pick up the riders arriving at Bordeaux or to the railway station.

For people arriving by train or plane to Bordeaux, the meeting is at the airport Hall A at the place called “MEETING POINT" at 2:00 p.m.Centre Équestre le Marina kindly asks all partners to plan the flight departure time from Bordeaux after 1:00 p.m. on departure day. Departure from Mimizan is at 8:30 a.m., which means arrival at the airport is at 11:00 a.m.

Arrival by train

There is a shuttle from Bordeaux airport to the railway station (15 EUR, 45-minute trip), then, clients should find a train to Labouheyre (21 EUR, 50-minute trip). Please make sure to arrive before 3:30 p.m.

Airport: Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport Airport transfer available: Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (US$ 52 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 21 days before arrival.

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