Preliminary day-by-day program
DAY 1 WELCOME TO CATALONIA
You will arrive at the farmhouse at end of afternoon and you will meet the Horse Trails team. During dinner we will go over the week's program. You will be told about the special characteristics of our Arabian and crossed Anglo Arabian trail horses, fit for “endurance”. You will be given an opportunity for a one-to-one conversation designed to find every rider their perfect horse. Then, you can enjoy a fantastic and cheerful dinner!
DAY 2 VILADEMULS TO THE FLUVIA RIVER
We have a copious breakfast and, after a short briefing with the guide, we prepare our horses. We cross Vilafreser village and its medieval Sant Sadurní church, then a gentle ride through oak forest, accompanied by scents of thyme and rosemary. We continue through the beautiful area of Vilademuls, a large municipality made up of 12 small villages and numerous "masias", testimony of the traditional Catalan rural life. The most antic documental citation in 922 about Vilademuls describes that its name comes from the settlement of a farmhouse dedicated of the breeding of mules, the hybrids of horse and mule or of the donkey and mare. Every hour we pass another beautiful village with church, arches, tunnels, old wooden doors with wrought iron knockers. We will have our daily picnic and then, we will enjoy again nice trots and canters through Mediterranean forests to the hotel Masía La Palma, another ancient farmhouse transformed in a comfortable country house. After settling our horses in the paddocks that await them there, we enjoy a rest at the swimming pool or in the gardens before a delicious dinner.
DAY 3 TO BESALU MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
After an excellent breakfast, we leave up to the Fluvia River into the forest and over the rolling hills around. We ride through typical Mediterranean brush wood vegetation, thick with bushes and calcareous soil. This is a rocky area with old buildings of traditional rural architecture like shelters for herders and small stone walls. After our picnic we will enjoy amazing views on the way from the Sant Miquel de la Roca hermitage. It is accessed by a path from the village of Crespià, passing by the ragged church of Sant Bartomeu de Portell. This Gothic-style religious building, embedded in a rocky cliff formed by agglomerated rocks, is located at the top of the cliff, rising at a great height above the Fluvià River. In the far distance we can make out the medieval village of Besalú. It is a jewel of a Romanesque city, with its bridge over the two rivers and Jewish past, with its old neighborhood almost intact. Our destination is the nice hotel Jardins de la Martana, located in front of the famous medieval bridge. Crossing it by foot, we will find our restaurant for dinner and enjoy the special ambiance of this village.
DAY 4 THROUGH THE EMPORDÁ REGION
For our last day riding, we leave Besalú and the unique atmosphere of this ancient medieval village where the squares, stone cut pillars and cool shady arched passageways are a wonder to be hold. The peaks of the Alta Garrotxa are all around us. The air is poignant with the smell of wild herbs and Mediterranean fragrances. The ride is upbeat. The strong crossed Andalusian horses are still full of strength. Their trots are long and rhythmic along the small climbing paths between country cottages with amazing views of the Pyrenees. Back to Vilafreser, we will head towards the hermitage of Ollers, where we have our picnic. Now it becomes a bit hillier and passing through Sant Mer and Les Serres we arrive back at the farmhouse again. On the way we can appreciate in the distance the Vilafreser tower, an 18-metre-high medieval Catalan defense tower that housed the noble family of Vilafreser in the 13th century.
DAY 5 ADIÓS AMIGOS
Breakfast and departure to the airport.
NOTE: Similar accommodation in case of unavailability . The itinerary can be modified in case of incidents due to climate change (high temperatures, fire, dryness, etc…).
