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The triangle between Ronda, the
Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean offers ever changing,
spectacular scenery. This is horse country!
The trip starts on the beaches of the Atlantic coast where you can get
used to the horses in all gaits. Turning inland, you'll ride through the
coastal pine forests and across large meadows with herds of bulls and
wild cattle. You will then head for the mountains and ride through the
natural reserve Alcoronocales with its canyons and cork oak forests. At
3,000 ft you have a great view of the surrounding mountains and the
Atlantic Ocean.
PG-ANT8
Included: Accommodations in hotels and country inns, all meals,
6 riding days
8 days/ 7 nights $ 1,545 Single: +$230
Low
Season $
1,345
-- based on
€ 1,075 /
€ 945
Single
€ 160
2008
Dates:
03/08-03/15
04/05-04/12 04/26-05/03
05/17-05/24 05/31-06/07
07/12-07/19
08/09-08/16 08/30-09/06
10/04-10/11
11/08-11/15 12/27-01/03 |
Meeting: Malaga/Zahara
Airport: Malaga
Transfer: included at set times
Level:
Intermediate
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).
Horses:
Andalusian
cross
Pace : Moderate with great canters, 5 to 6 hours in the saddle per
day
Min/Max Riders: 4-10
Note: Single supplement waived if willing to share.
Non riders $725 (€
495) for lodging, breakfast and dinner
The "8 day-Atlantic" is a route that covers everything (beach,
pastures, mountains) from short distance riding on the beaches to longer
rides in rural pastures then on to long distance riding in beautiful
mountain conditions.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Malaga and transfer to
Zahara de los Atunes (about 3 hrs.) Dinner and overnight in a hotel
right on the ocean or alternatively overnight at Rancho La Paz near
Malaga.
Day 2: 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 3: 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 4: 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 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: After breakfast transfer to the Malaga
airport.
Itinerary subject to change
- some departure
dates have the first and last night at Rancho La Paz
Go to 14 day Itinerary Ride
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- lunch break
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