9 Day South Transhumance Horse Riding Tour in Spain

Facilities

Spain is crossed by old drove routes that served the pastoral economies of yesteryear. In Spain, these routes are called Cañadas Reales with 75 meters wide and around 700 kilometers long. They are still used by cattlemen who practice transhumance, spending summer in the mountains with their cattle and returning each autumn to the winter pastures, lowlands, faraway. These old trails are more than mere routes for sending livestock to market.

These routes are the toll motorways of yesteryear, the infrastructure that sustained transhumance - the pastoral practice whereby livestock spent the winter months in the lowlands and moved up to hill pastures for the summer. This is a real experience traveling on horseback.

You will follow the Cañada Real with a thousand years old, pure nature, during 200 kilometers from Navarredonda de Gredos to Trujillo, crossing three different regions in Spain (Extremadura, Castilla la Mancha y Castilla y León), riding in Cáceres province, Toledo province, and Ávila province, from the summer pastures in the mountains to the winter pastures in Extremadura. Exclusive for genuine riders!

This is real transhumance, crossing different regions and riding a long distance very different of transterminancia (sheepherding) movement from the valley to the highest place in the mountains in the same region. Emilio knows very well the Cañadas Reales, keeping his family tradition that for ages, practiced the transhumance with the castle, so he will show you interesting facts along with the ways.

Daily itinerary

The pace of this ride is moderated, walk, trots, and long canters along the Cañadas Reales. The itinerary is nine days, eight nights, and seven days of riding from Sunday to Saturday. The length of the ride is around 200 kilometers. The distance covered on average is 25 to 35 kilometers per day. Please note that the itinerary may vary due to weather or other circumstances.

Day 1: Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) - Navarredonda de Gredos

Meeting point at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) at 3:00 p.m., transfer to Navarredonda de Gredos, two hours drive with a break in Avila town for a short visit, amazing walled medieval town World Heritage Site UNESCO. Enjoy your welcome dinner at the hotel with Jerebeque Trails Horse Riding in Navarredonda de Gredos, a mountain village at 1,600 meters altitude with beautiful views of the highest peaks in Sierra de Gredos, where your adventure on horseback starts.

Day 2: Navarredonda de Gredos - Cuevas del Valle - Mombeltrán

After breakfast is time to meet the horses, riding through the Tormes valley and pine forest, open fields with stunning views of Gredos Mountains. Lunch at Puerto del Pico, with great views of the south side of Gredos. After a comfortable lunch, you ride downhill along the Roman Road with more than two thousand years old, very well preserved with more than 10 kilometers.

You cross Cuevas del Valle, a picturesque mountain village close to the end of the day in Mombeltrán, a beautiful village with a castle from the 12th century. Night and dinner at a charming rural hotel in the center of the town, beside the medieval castle.

Day 3: Mombeltrán - Navalcán

You follow riding in the Cañada Real, down the mountains with amazing views of Gredos. You cross the Tietar River after a comfortable picnic beside the river. Ávila province is left, at this point, they are crossing to Toledo province. Night and dinner at a charming rural inn in Navalcán.

Day 4: Navalcán - Las Ventas de San Julián

Riding in the morning through the Cañada Real. In this part of the trails, the Cañada is very well preserved, the landscape changes riding beside the reservoir water with dramatic views of the Gredos Mountains, along the cork oaks fields (Dehesa) with good canters along the day. Lunch in the countryside beside a medieval church in La Corchuela village. Riding in the afternoon to Ventas de San Julián. Dinner and night at Parador de Oropesa, luxury accommodation in a medieval castle, top class.

Day 5: Las Ventas de San Julián - Navalmoral de la Mata

Departure after breakfast, you follow Cañada Real in a flatter and wider area with opportunities for good canters, funny day. This part of the trail is very remote and far from civilization. This day, you cross to Cáceres province in Extremadura. Dinner and night at a rural hotel in Navalmoral de la Mata.

Day 6: Navalmoral de la Mata - Casas de Miravete

This day, you continue riding along the Cañada Real getting the Tajo River and crossing it through the impressive medieval Albalat Bridge. Picnic beside the Tajo river. In the afternoon, you have a nice ride along the Tajo river direction to Casas de Miravete. Dinner and night at hotel.

Day 7: Casas de Miravete - Jaraicejo

Departure after breakfast, you ride in the morning uphill crossing the Puerto de Miravete getting the Venta del Colorado with magnificent views of Dehesa Extremeña, huge views of open countryside. After lunch, you ride to Jaraicejo. Opportunities for good canters during the day. Night and dinner in a charming rural inn.

Day 8: Jaraicejo - Trujillo

Departure after breakfast, riding in open countryside with great views of Trujillo town, very historic town with a mix of cultures, still exist Roman remains from the Roman town Turgallium, which nowadays is Trujillo. At the top of the town, there is a spectacular castle founded in the 10th century by Arabs in the main square many beautiful palaces built by Spanish Conquistadors during the 16th-century. After lunch, you ride to get your base in Extremadura (Trujillo). Good canters on the last day to finish your amazing experience on horseback. Time to visit lovely Trujillo town in the afternoon and farewell dinner in Trujillo.

Day 9: Trujillo - Madrid

Breakfast at hotel, depart from Trujillo at 10:00 a.m., be at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) about 12:30 p.m. so please book your flight not before 2:00 p.m. All riders will be transferred at the same time. If any rider needs to arrive in Madrid before, all riders depart earlier or they can arrange a special transfer at an extra cost.

Level of riding

Intermediate to experienced riders means that you should be comfortable to walk, trot, and canter in a group and in open spaces and your seat should be independent of your hands. On the rides, you will be riding for between four to seven hours a day so it is important to be as riding fit as possible.

Guide

Every ride is personally guided by the experienced Emilio with experience over 30 years as an equestrian guide he is a terrific guide. Emilio is an expert rider and has a special ability to match his horses with riders. He is leading the groups with his confident and well-mannered horses that are a pleasure to ride and to be around, you will always feel very safe. He is an English speaker.

Horses

Excellent PRE horses, Hispano-Arabs, born at home, very much loved, very well trained, beautifully looked after and good-natured, very easy to ride. They are all well fed and in great riding shape. Serene horses, as the result of excellent natural horsemanship, will make you feel an immediate connection with them. They are a pleasure to ride and to be around. Most of them were born and bred at home, others are with them since they were fouls.

The best looked after and most loved horses that you can find all over the world for riding holidays. Besides, beautiful PRE horses, they also have some pure Hispano-Arab crosses and a few crosses. They breed their own horses. After your magical work, you will enjoy riding them. They can tell you many stories of them since birth. Their beloved horses are, above all, happy horses. They live in freedom and in groups, living, eating, drinking, sleeping, and traveling together with the most natural life they can offer them.

The best well-mannered horses for riding. They live in a huge pine forest, the common land of 500 hectares in the Gredos Mountains or in the rich pastures in the Dehesas of Extremadura. They keep fit as they can walk around 20 kilometers every day in freedom. They live with other groups of animals, more horses, donkeys, cows, and also wild animals such as wolves, roe deer, deer, wild boar, foxes.

Tack

They use the finest quality English saddles and tack with silicon seat savers and small saddle bags in front of the saddles. All the tack is in excellent condition, very comfortable for horses and riders. The horse tack quality is outstanding.

Support

A support van follows the group during the whole week, meeting you in the morning for tapas-breaks, lunches, at night and also to move your luggage so you have access to your luggage during the day at least three times or when is necessary to carry anything on the horse. You have some small saddle bags in front of the saddles for small things such as a bottle of water, sunscreen, camera, and mobile phone. The service along the rides is outstanding.

Nonriders

The ride is suitable for non-riding companions. They can travel in the support car and join in meals, dinners, and other activities, or if they wish can rent a car in Madrid too. They can move on their own and join the group for dinner.

The horse riding tour will take place in Spain.

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All meals from the welcome dinner on the first day to the breakfast on the last day, as well as white and red wine with lunches and dinners, are included in the price. The food is one of the highlights of this trip. Mamen will delight you with the tapas-breaks waiting for you in any unexpected place with Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, olives, nuts, etc. Lunchtime is a relaxing and social affair with delicious home-cooked Spanish dishes as Paella, tortilla Espanola, Iberian pork barbecue, salads, and soft cheese very typical from Extremadura 'Torta del Casar', excellent quality, followed by a siesta in the peace of the countryside.

After the riding days, your dinner in the evening is around 9:00 p.m. and you have a choice from different dishes and courses of local Spanish recipes. Your dinner is at your guesthouse accommodation. All the drinks are included during the meals, excellent Spanish red and white wines, beer, canned drinks, and water. Special diets (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies, etc.) can be arranged with advance notice.

• Massage

• Riding tour
• Excursions described in the itinerary
• 8 nights accommodation
• All meals from the welcome dinner on the first day to the breakfast on the last day
• White and red wine with lunch and dinner
• Horses and tack
• English speaking guide
• All transfers from the meeting point
• Luggage transport
• Taxes

• International flights
• Single supplement fee
• Alcoholic drinks other than wine with dinner
• Massages
• Items of a personal nature
• Gratuities

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 20% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 28 days before arrival.