Day 1
Riding: No riding.
You will arrive at Cogolles de Guadix at the Reina Axa hotel where you will meet everyone at the end of the afternoon. After a short briefing by the team, you will all enjoy a select variety of local tapas.
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Day 2 - Lugros-Sandero de los Pastores-La Pantaneta
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
After a good breakfast, you will make your way by car to the Cabacci farm to meet the horses (15 minutes drive). On this first day you will become familiar with your horse, You will ride along an easy trail with wonderful views of the highlands (1200 metres above sea level). You will ride the 'shepherds path' that runs through thick pine forests. The dense forest, the silence and tranquility allows you to immerse yourself in the almost magical nature of the surroundings.
You will arrive at La Pantaneta, a small lake surrounded by mountains that were formed due to the melting waters of the Sierra Nevada. Here you will enjoy a traditional picnic. If you are brave you can bathe in the cool water. In the afternoon you will return to the Reina Aixa Hotel to have a delicious dinner and rest.
Day 3 - Lugros-Camarate-Jerez del Marquesado
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
The easy paths on the mountains have made it possible for locals to lead their cows and bulls to the green high mountain meadows know as El Camarate and this is where you will ride today.. It is a very special place with large meadows and Atlantic trees. It is known as the 'enchanted forest' - where you think dwarves and fairies must live. You ride to an altitude of 2000 metres and around noon you will enjoy a picnic lunch that you have packed in your saddle bags. Then you will descend to the small town of Jerez del Marquesado where you will spend the night.
Day 4 - Jerez del Marquesado-Plane Path
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
You will cross the white streets of Jerez del Marquesado to head to Picón, one of the hightest mountains in the Sierra Nevada (3090 m). You will continue to ride at an altitude of 2000m and will find small streams and waterfalls where the water descends from the mountains which are covered in perpetual snow. You will follow the same path as a group of young people from Jerez who in 1960 travelled to rescue American soldiers who had crashed their plane on the peaks of Picón. You will enjoy a picnic next to the "La Tizná' stream.
Day 5 - Jerez del Marquesado-Alquife Mines-La Calahorra
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
Today you will head East crossing the immense plain known as the Altiplano de Sierra Nevada where you will have possibly the best, longest and most relaxed canters of the week as its wide clay paths make it very comfortable for the horses. In the middle of the plateau you will find a red mountain that surrounds the Alquife iron mines which have been in operation since the Bronze Age. You will enjoy a picnic next to the La Rosandrá stream and you will head to La Calahorra where you visit the last medieval castle build in Spain before the Renaissance. You will spend the night in La Calahorra at the Hospedería del Zenete, a beautiful 4 star hotel.
Day 6 - La Calahora-Zalabí Valley-Lugros
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
Today you will descend from the altiplano (1200m) towards the the Zalabí Valley riding through a green landscape, surrounded by cultivated fields. In another time in history (Andalusí), these fields were used to grow mulberry trees to feed the worms needed for the manufacture of silk. The silk was specifically used to dress the Muslim Sultans who inhabited Andalusia. You will enjoy your picnic at La Tehea, a natural water source of Arab origin that emerges directly from the ground. Your day will end with a move to Guadix (15 minutes) where you will enjoy the delicious local cuisine and wines at the Hotel Palacio de Oñate, our base for the final two nights of the trail.
Day 7 - Lugros-End of the World-Lugros
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
After breakfast, you will head to the farm where the horses are waiting for you. On the last day of your trail you are going to visit, what is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular areas in the Sierra Nevada - "El Fin del Mundo". This valley of red clay, similar to the Grand Canyon was formed in the Quaternary by the melting waters of the Sierra Nevada and houses in its walls, the largest inhabited nucleus of caves in the world. Over 4000 people still live in the caves!
You will enjoy your last picnic in the Marchal, surrounded by this spectacular landscape. You will return in the afternoon to the farm in Lugros where you will say goodbye to your horse and return by car to Guadix. In this monumental city you will visit the neighbourhood of the caves and have dinner in the evening with the option of going to an authentic flamenco show.
Day 8 - Transfer
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Granada airport for your departure.
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.
