Day 1
Riding: No riding.
Arrival and welcome: You will be transferred from the airport to the hotel to check in. Dinner will be at the hotel's restaurant.
Day 2
Riding: 2 - 3 hours
To begin the programme, you will visit the stud of San Adeodate, where you will be told more about the fabulous Menorcan horses. After learning more about them, you will be assigned to your horse and enjoy a short ride around the farm and visit the historic village of Sant Agusti.
Lunch will be taken a typical beach restaurant where you will enjoy some time to sit around a table trying the Menorcan produce. In the afternoon you will tour inland along one of the trails of the Cami de Cavalls. On the way, you will cross the Barranc de Son Fideu, a famous ravine which holds one of the highest and most impressive caves on Menorca: Sa Cova d'es Coloms, also known as "the Cathedral". The end point of the day will be back at the stables of the hotel.
Day 3
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
After breakfast, you will be met at the hotel and transferred to the stables. On today's ride, you will pass through the major ravines of the island: Algendar, Trebaluger and Albranca. Following the Cami de Cavalls, you will find that on many stretches of the path you will need to leave the coast to venture inland to avoid some of the steep slopes caused by the cascading water. During the morning, you will venture off the Cami de Cavalls briefly in order to visit some of the beautiful, wild and difficult to reach beaches of the area: Escorxada, Fustam and Trebaluger. After a visit to the beach of Cala Mitjana for lunch, you will ride back to the stables of the hotel.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 4
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
After breakfast, you will meet at the stables again to begin your day of riding. Today's path runs entirely within the boundary of the Natural Reserve of S’Albufera (marsh) d’Es Grau (the centre of the Biosphere Reserve) and it covers some of the most impressive cliffs on the island. During the route, you will find several wetlands (Tamarells Cove, Sa Torreta creek, Arenal de Morella) and also some of the Watch Towers which, in the past, safeguarded Menorca from several attacks and sieges.
This stretch will lead you to one of the seven Lighthouses which surround Menorca’s coastline: Favàritx Lighthouse. Here is where you will take the opportunity to enjoy a secluded picnic lunch and a good leg stretch if you'd like to. For the latter part of the day, the route will alternate between cultivated farming land and more wild landscapes, with some areas of interesting ecological value such as Pou d’en Caldés.
At the end of the trail, the path will present a new ecosystem: the Port of Addaia wetlands, combining salt marshes and aquatic vegetation. Both in autumn and spring, this is a good place for bird watching.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 5
Riding: No riding.
REST DAY: An optional excursion (not included in the price) will be organized to discover more about Menorca. Lunch will be to your own account (not included in the price) and dinner will be back at the hotel.
Day 6
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
After breakfast this morning you will start your ride through one of the most unspoilt, hidden and beautiful stretches along the north coastline. The starting point is the beach of Binimel.là. The path through the dunes will take you to Cala Pregonda, where you will discover a unique landscape. Following the coast, you will ride parallel to the Menorca's Northern Marine Reserve, created in 1999, which safeguards an area of around 5.2 marine hectares of reef along the northern coast. You will ride along several steep, rocky cliffs in order to reach Ets Alocs, where you and the horses will have a well-deserved break to eat lunch and have a rest.
Moving on, you will pass Cala Pilar, with to its red dyed slopes and following the path you will come to Arenal d’Alfurí: another spot with a high concentration of important endemic plants and floral species. Next, you will traverse Es Pla de Mar with its fantastic pebble cove before turning inland toward Sa Muntanya Mala and finally arriving at Algaiarens beach. Here you will discover the more arid part of Menorca - the forest practically disappears and the coast vegetation adapts itself to the strong Tramuntana (north wind). This land is rich in hardy plants such as rosemary or the Menorcan camomile.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 7
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
Today will be your final journey; you will ride through the Cami de Cavalls, heading toward the east side of the island. Today's ride will begin in a gentler landscape but soon progresses to the rugged, ravine studded terrain that this region of Menorca is best known for. After passing through the town of Sant Tomas you will begin to head inland toward the town of Son Bou stopping at the ravine of Sa Vall and it's associated wetlands along the way. This is an ideal spot for bird spotting as it is one of the most biodiverse habitats on Menorca (apart from the sea, of course!). Passing Talis farm, you will arrive at the tourist beach of Son Bou. At the edge of Son Bou, you will find an interesting Christian basilica dating from 400 BC and have some time to take a look around. At certain times of the year, it's possible to ride on the beach itself but during the summer months of May to October (inclusively) it's forbidden by Menorcan law. In the afternoon, you will take the path back to where you started your ride: the stud of San Adeodato.
On return to the hotel, you will have the option of taking a 1-hour dressage lesson which will include learning to perform the famous Menorcan dressage move "The Bot". The Menorcan horse is one of the only breeds in the world that is able to perform this upright movement where the horse will walk along on its hind legs!
* Please note that this is not compulsory and you can certainly opt-out if you do not wish to take part. No alternative riding will be offered.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 8
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, you will be transferred from the hotel to the airport.
The route can be changed due to security reasons, bad weather or for reasons beyond our control such as natural disasters, local events, local strikes
The staff will provide all the means and resources to provide the best solution, even modifying the route if necessary or offering alternatives.
According to the Menorca law, during the summer, (from May to October, both inclusive) horse riding on some beaches is forbidden.
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
