Ride Overview
In the heart of Andalusia, you will discover the spectacular Sierra Nevada landscapes. Near Guadix, you ride through canyons that open up to vast desert plains that then trail off into verdant forests and meadows in the mountains.
Discover quaint white villages with architectural contrasts between Spanish and Arabian styles as this area was one of the last Moorish occupations in Spain. Your week of exploring these hidden paths and trails will culminate with a tour of Guadix and allow time for shopping and tasting the famous tapas – this is Andalusia at its best!
2025 Dates: (6 Night / 5 Day): March 23-29, April 27-May 3, May 25-31, June 8-14, July 6-12, Sept. 21-27, Oct. 19-25
Rates: $2,545.00 USD per person in a shared room (Single Supplement $415.00 USD)
***Days of riding are about 4 hours with afternoons free for relaxing our touring on your own locally.
Included
- 6 nights accommodation
- 5 days of riding
- All meals during the ride
- Horse and all tack
- Guiding services
- Luggage transfers
- All local taxes
Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel Insurance
- Drinks other than allowed
- Transfers to/from the start/end of the ride
- Any tours/entrance fees not in the itinerary
- Gratuities for the team at the end of the stay
Day 1: Arrival
Independent arrival at Picon de Jerez hotel, in Jerez del Marquesado .
At 8 p.m., welcome and briefing by guide.
Day 2: Lugros - Le bout du monde - Lugros
At 9.30 a.m., after breakfast, we will take you to the stables of Cabacci in the Sierra Nevada, located in Lugros, 15 minutes from the hotel.
After meeting and preparing the horse that will be with you for the entire week, we will set off towards "La Pantaneta", a small lagoon surrounded by mountains and formed by the meltwater of the Sierra Nevada. On this first day of riding, in which you will get to know your horse, we will follow an easy trail surrounded by dense pine forests. You will be afforded fantastic views of the high plateau at an altitude of 1.200 meters.
After a home-cooked picnic lunch next to La Pantaneta, where the more adventurous can go for a swim, we return to Lugros and back to the hotel.
Day 3: Lugros - Camarate - Jérez del Marquesado
After breakfast and a short 15 minute drive to the meeting point with the horses, we set off in the direction of Camarate. As we ascend, we follow easy paths and trails lined by holm oak and olive groves. These are the same paths that cows and bulls use to reach the high mountain pastures.
By midday we will have reached an altitude of 2,000 metres. In a place with wide meadows and trees of Atlantic origin, we will enjoy the picnic that we carry in our saddlebags.
Afterwards we will descend to the Hotel El Picón de Jérez, in the small town of Jérez del Marquesado.
Day 4: Jérez del Marquesado - Sendero del avión - Jérez del Marquesado
Today we will cross Jérez del Marquesado to go to the "Picón", one of the highest mountains in the Sierra Nevada, at 3,090 metres, but we will stay at 2.000 metres.
We will find small streams and waterfalls where the water comes down from the mountains of eternal snow. We will follow the same path that a group of young people from Jérez took in 1960 to rescue the American soldiers whose plane had crashed on the peaks of the "Picón". We will have our picnic next to the stream "La Tizná".
Afterwards we will return to the Hotel El Picón for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Jérez del Marquesado - Zalabí Valley - Lugros
Today we descend from the high plateau to the Zalabí valley, through a green landscape surrounded by cultivated fields. During the time of Muslim rule in Andalusia, mulberry trees were planted and used to raise silkworms in the manufacture of clothing for the sultans.
We will have our picnic at “La Tejea”, a natural spring that has been in use since Arabic times. From there we return to the stable in Lugros and drive to Guadix to the Hotel Palacio de Oñate, where we will spend the last two nights of our route.
A tasting menu dinner and local wines awaits us.
Day 6: Lugros - End of the world - Lugros
After breakfast you will be taken to the stables where your horse will be waiting for you. On the last day of our route we will visit one of the most spectacular places in Sierra Nevada. “The End of the World.”
This red clay valley, reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, was formed during the Quaternary period by meltwater from the Sierra Nevada range and contains within its walls the largest inhabited cave complex in the world. More than 4,000 people still live in these caves.
We will have our picnic in "Marchal", surrounded by this spectacular landscape. In the afternoon we will return to the stables in Lugros, where we will say goodbye to our horses and travel by car to Guadix.
In this monumental city we will visit the caves - a true sight to behold.
Day 7: Departure
End of your horseback riding in Andalusia after breakfast. Possible transfer to Granada. We advise you to extend your stay in Andalusia and visit the city and the Alhambra. Ask your guide on site to book tickets for the visit.
* Indicative itinerary that may be changed if necessary.
Keleigh P.
My trip to Spain was wonderful and Juan and Angelika were great – I really enjoyed it and them. The weather wasn’t the most cooperative but we only had one day where we really got soaked from torrential rain. I loved riding through the Spanish villages and eating the local cuisine – it was such fun.
Thank you again!