Transfer Option:

Day 1: Transfer from Madrid to Quintanar de la Sierra. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Ramón.

Day 2: We ride uphill on steep paths, winding through the dense pine forest until we reach Neila. Visit one of the most spectacular lakes of glacial origin - the Laguna Negra. These 10,000 year-old lakes are an impressive example of the formation of landscape by ice and erosion. In Neila you find beautiful houses and a bridge from the Roman times.

Day 3: Today we descend, again through vast pine and oak forests, until we reach Monterrubio de la Demanda. We stop for an extensive picnic on the way. Initially declared to be a Nature Reserve, the Sierra de la Demanda is a real biogeographical mix - a kind of island with humid and Euro-Siberian climate in a predominantly dry Mediterranean world- where extensive gall oak groves, shady beech groves and real forests of Scotch pine cover the majority of the territory. The forest is full of red deer and with some luck you can also spot a wolf, wild boar, otter, badger or one of the small desmans of the area. Birds are also very well represented in this mountain region including the European honey-buzzard. Upon arrival in Monterrubio, you can observe the parochial church that represents one of the oldest works of Romanesque in the region.

Day 4: Today we follow the 'Green Route' through valleys and trenches towards Barbadillo de Herreros. We cross the tunnel of the Ferrerias and ride towards Pineda and pass the port of the Manquillo. This 'Green Route' partly follows the old railroad tacks, abandoned since the fifties, that linked the Sierra de la Demanda with the Altos Hornos of the Basque country, and served for the transport of minerals.

Day 5: Closer to Arlanzon, the landscape changes and becomes flatter with cultivated fields. Visit the prehistoric site of the Sierra de Atapuerca, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2000. The archaeological treasures were discovered when the mining railroad was constructed. They played an important role in understanding the human evolution and have determined a new human species that lived 800,000 years ago. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6: We ride towards Burgos and the San Pedro Cardeña monastery - a place of great history which is connected with the life of El Cid. You can visit the town with its famous cathedral, or just relax before dinner.

Day 7: Monastery of San Pedro Cardeña - Covarrubias
We leave the monastery behind and passing through an impressive high-road we ride across the Castilian deserts towards the Las Mamblas mountain range until we reach Covarrubias. There we say goodbye to our horses. We have is time to visit the fortified medieval town with its historic buildings and ancient church. We then meet for a farewell dinner in a famous restaurant of Covarrubias.

Day 8: Transfer to Madrid after breakfast.

The overall climate of Castillia is similar to Southern California: hot in the summer, pleasant and moderate in the spring and fall, and fairly cool in the winter. Rain is possible anytime, but rare in summer. The main rainy season is from the end of October to the beginning of May.

Rain gear suitable for riding should be carried along, particularly during the months from November through April
A belt pack in which to carry your camera and other small valuables during the ride is handy.
Attire is strictly informal throughout, though if you are planning to visit other cities on your own later you may wish to bring a jacket and tie. Regular film can be obtained locally, but special sizes may not be available-bring plenty. It is a good idea to bring your own soap, since not all hotels supply it.
Also, please bring comfortable walking boots as you have to walk with the horses downhill on a rocky surface on the second day for at least one hour.

Passports
Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart except:
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Note: EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU Member State. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Either is acceptable. Passports held by EU nationals need only be valid upon entry to and exit from Spain. Possession of a return ticket, any length of validity on their document, sufficient funds for the length of their proposed visit should not be imposed.
Passport Note
Spain is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.

Visas
Not required by nationals of EU countries regardless of purpose and/or length of stay; 2. not required by nationals of other countries referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days.
Visa Note
Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements