Malaga, Ronda, Jerez, Tarifa ride/culture

Day One

Arrive at Malaga Airport and head to the enchanting town of Ronda (1 ½ hour drive). Ancient Ronda is a colourful tapestry woven from a skein of tangled threads making it one of the most breathtaking cities in all of Andalucía. The landscape, the layout of the town, its history, the romantic legend of its bandits with their evocative names, the bullfighters and artists whose names have gone down in history: all this makes Ronda a unique city. This afternoon or early evening you will be able to enjoy an equitation lesson or a ride out on a beautiful Andalucian horse.

Day Two

There is no better way to become acquainted with the historic town of Ronda than by taking a tour around the narrow streets in a horse drawn carriage. The city beckons you to explore, from the ancient Arab “medina” on the south bank of the Guadalevín River, whose walls are still partially standing to the Puente Nuevo (“new bridge”) that spans the Tajo Gorge. You will visit the Alameda del Tajo, where around every corner you will find a historic monument then restore your strength in one of the many restaurants that offer an abundant selection of dishes typical to this area. This afternoon there is the option to ride again.

Day Three

Today you will travelling to Jerez de la Frontera (1 1/2 hour drive) Jerez has long been an internationally recognised city thanks to its wine and sherry production. For horse lovers Jerez is more notably the equestrian capital of Andalucía and home to The Royal Riding School. Jerez is seeped in equestrian heritage and culture. Late this morning you will be visiting one of Jerez’s bodegas. The most famous bodega in town is Gonzales Byass Bodega, founded in 1835 and the birthplace of ‘Tio Pepe,’ which was first exported to Great Britain in 1844. Today, the impressive visitor centre sets you on a course of discovery as you learn to appreciate and savour the wonderful local wines.  In the late afternoon you will have the opportunity to ride around the vineyards of Jerez or you can hone your equestrian skills by having a lesson on a beautiful Andalucian horse.

Day Four

This morning you will visit the famous Royal Riding School of Jerez. You will be watching the wonderful performance: ‘How the Andalusian horses dance.’ The Royal Riding School is renowned throughout the world for their breath-taking exhibition and their painstaking training methods make this show a real delight as they perform intricate and demanding movements with effortless grace and control. This equestrian ballet is set to traditional Spanish music and demonstrates both styles of Spanish Riding, Doma Vaquera and Doma Clasica. This afternoon there is the option to ride again with our expert trainer & horseman. A Flamenco dinner will be included in the old town tonight.

Day Five

This morning you will be heading for the coast, en route we suggest a visit to Medina Sidona a lovely little hill top town made unique by its fascinating blend of Spanish and Moorish architecture. Here you will have the option to visit one of the regions much acclaimed bull farms. A guided tour will explain to you the daily routine on these farms and you will see at close hand the wonderful black bulls of Andalucía in their natural habitat and marvel at the skill of  the ‘vaqueros’ or Spanish cowboys as they go about their daily duties. Later today as you approach ‘La Costa de la Luz’ (coast of light) you will quickly understand from where this region has gained its name. The light here seems to possess a quality all of its own. The sand on the beaches on this western coast of Spain is finer and a more golden colour than the neighbouring Costa del Sol, even better for riding on! This evening you will be riding on the beautiful Andalucian horses that live on the edge of the beach of Tarifa.

Day Six

Today you will be riding on the beach; for many this is seen as the high light of their trip. For experienced riders you will be able to trot and canter along the golden sands with the opportunity for your horses to dip their hooves in The Atlantic Ocean. This beach is part of a nature reserve and many migrating birds use it as a stop over before they fly to Africa.

Day Seven

Today the choice is yours either relax on the beach or enjoy another day riding in this spectacular area.

Day Eight

Head back to Malaga for your flight home.

Cost per person in shared twin from:

£755pp staying in either apartments or three star hotels
£825pp staying in 4 star hotels
£1125pp staying in luxury accommodation

Single Travellers

If you are a single traveller and would like to take a holiday like this as part of a group with transport included please have a look at the website of www.solosholidays.co.uk where you will find a departure on 14 May 2010.

Please note occasionally we will need to make changes to the order in which this itinerary is run as several of the visits are only open certain days of the week.

We will tailor make you a short or long stay holiday in Andalucia please do not hesitate to call us if you would like us to plan a personalised itinerary for you. To see a full lsit of our horse riding holidays please click here.

We inspect all the horses in our horse riding holidays to ensure the best quality holiday for you.