Day One
Arrive at Malaga Airport and head into the countryside just 40 mins drive to our luxury hacienda. You will be staying in a 200 year old restored luxury cortijo close to the ancient capital of Andalucía with facilities including an infinity pool, private gardens, chapel lounge, wifi, air conditioning and shady gazebos overlooking the valley and acres of olive groves and pine forests. All rooms are en-suite and have been restored in typical Andalucian style with bamboo ceilings and rustic tiles. You will be staying half board here. The riding in this area is endless through an ever changing landscape of hills, forests and vineyards. You will be able to enjoy either lessons or riding out on beautiful Andalucian horses.
Day Two and Three
Today the riding will continue the hacks follow different routes. One of them takes you through the olive groves and vines arriving eventually at La Posada el Tempranillo, here you will stop for refreshments. You will then ride onto Alameda through the olive groves, taking in the spectacular views across the valley to Palenciana and Badolatosa. We then reach our destination which is a beautiful Cortijo, nestled in the side of the hill. Here if the river is low enough you'll ford the river we then stop for a picnic.
Afterwards we make our way back to the Cortijo via a different route. Other routes stop off at local bars, and pass through La Camorra a local national park full of pine trees. Early morning or night rides are a must in July/August.
This evening you will be dining with your fellow guests and hosts (en-famille) in the chapel lounge. All meals are prepared from fresh local produce or from the Cortijo's own gardens.
There is no better way to enjoy this breath taking area than from the back of a horse.
Day Four
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. In Jerez the accommodation is bed and breakfast and is in a charming hotel located on the old cobbled streets in the centre of town close to the restaurants and tapas bars.
Day Five
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.
Day Six
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 beach on the beautiful Andalucian horses. In Tarifa the accommodation is on bed and breakfast basis.
Day Seven
Today you will be riding on the beach for the second time; 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 Eight
Head back to Malaga for your flight home.
Cost per person in shared twin from:
£995pp staying in 3 / 4 star accommodation
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.
To read Equestrian Escapes reviews click on the link
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 list 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.
For tips regarding your holiday such as what to wear and riding ability, please visit the Travel Tips page.
We work hard to ensure that each customer has a great time on their holiday. Please see some riding holiday reviews here.
We have a large range of holidays to suit a range of riding abilities. Please see here for more information.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.