Vilafreser – Espinavessa – Vilafreser – Sant Martí d’Empúries – Vilaür – Vilafreser ◀︎ View other date options ▶︎
Beach & Meadows
“Exquisite route through the plains of the interior and the Catalan coast”
“7 days / 6 nights – 4/6 hours x 6 days riding”
It is a route through the fantastic landscape of the Empordà region and its littoral. Meadows, plains, and beaches along paths that will allow you to discover the Costa Brava. This beautiful region offers a rich medieval history and a lot of variety of landscapes. It has been voted one of the “best destinations in the world” in 2012 by National Geographic Traveler magazine, deservedly earned. You can also discover the Aiguamolls del Empordà Natural Park, a protected coastal territory designated as a RAMSAR site. It is an important area for birds, and it is located on marshland, serving as a refuge for predominantly waterfowl and migratory. More than 300 different species have been spotted here. This territory is relevant for its wide diversity of fauna and vegetation in maritime-terrestrial areas. Dunes of natural formation, small villages, castles and churches, medieval sites, paths along fields and crops allow you to enjoy a perfect experience for unique and unforgettable days on horseback.
DAY 1 - WELCOME TO MASIA CAN GRAU
You will arrive to Masia Can Grau, a guesthouse dedicated to equestrian tourism and located halfway between the foot of the Pyrenees and the nature and wild reserve of the Medes Islands: the ideal place for a horse-riding start and an original way of discovering the region. On arrival day, you can enjoy a comforting convivial home cooked dinner, and you will be told about the special characteristics of our Andalusian, Thoroughbred and Arabian crossed trail horses. You will be introduced the week´s program with an opportunity for a one-to-one conversation with the team, designed to find every rider their perfect horse.
DAY 2 - THE JOURNEY BEGINS: VILADEMULS TO FLUVIA RIVER
DAY 2 THE JOURNEY BEGINS: VILADEMULS TO FLUVIA RIVER Today, after breakfast, short briefing with your guide and saddling the horses, we are ready to start our adventure. 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. After our daily picnic, we will enjoy again nice trots and canters through Mediterranean forests to the hotel Masía La Palma. It is an interesting Catalan country farmhouse restored in the historic respect of protected buildings and transformed into a comfortable hotel. 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 - THROUGH THE EMPORDA HEALTH
After an excellent breakfast, we will join our horses and saddle up again and we will start going in West direction, back to Vilafreser. Despite being a prosperous area, the Empordá region still conserves the traditional rural and village way of life. The paths and tracks have not been asphalted nor has the countryside been fenced off so there is an unlimited combination of paths and bridleways to explore. Over the rolling hills around we ride through typical brush wood forest, thick with bushes and calcareous soil. We finally join again Masia Can Grau for a relaxing end of the afternoon, sharing this peaceful place with our horses at home. For who would like more, we can order an optional recomforting massage before dinner.
DAY 4 - ROSES GULF
Today is a long day in the saddle. We leave Can Grau in West direction and we enjoy long canters through the Alt Empordà pine forests. Every hour we pass another beautiful village, castle, churches, arches, tunnel, old wooden doors with wrought iron knockers, the beauty of the stonework of the past. As the afternoon draws on, we can sense the proximity to the coast and at last we arrive at the Mediterranean large gulf of Roses. The assistance team is waiting for us and has prepared everything for the rest of our horses. For dinner, a delicious paella to complete this amazing day.
DAY 5 - ¡¡¡VAMOS A LA PLAYA!!!
After an earliest start, we trot our horses down to the beach. The long curve of the bay of Rosas stretches before us, kilometers of golden sand. Here we enjoy some excellent canters on the beach, then, we head inland again following the river Fluviá, past a bird sanctuary where we can see flocks of migrating birds. The terrain is flat with lots of rice fields and peaches, pears, and apple orchards. The pace today is lively! After our daily picnic in an evergreen oak forest, we will continue our journey to the equestrian farmhouse of Can Sort. We’re transferred then to our accommodation Masia Can Grau for a local and fresh products dinner.
DAY 6 - HOMEWARD BOUND
After breakfast, we tack up and leave Vilaür South direction through Mediterranean Catalan scenery, crossing the small villages of Galliner and Vilamarí. We enjoy spectacular views over the coast plains and the foothills of the Empordà region. Crossing pine and oak forest, we stop for a rest and to have our daily picnic. For the last part of today, a gentle ride to finally join again Can Grau, where we can shower our horses and enjoy a delicious dinner.
DAY 7 - ADIÓS AMIGOS
Breakfast and departure…. Friends forever!! See you next year!
Accommodation
Masia Can Grau www.masiacangrau.com or
Can Sort www.cansort.com
Hotel Masia La Palma www.masialapalma.com
Hotel El Moli de l’Escala www.elmolidelescala.com or Hotel RioMar www.hotelriomar.com
NOTE: Similar accommodation in case of unavailability. The itinerary can be modified in case of incidents due to climate change (high temperatures, birds’ migration, fire, dryness, etc…). Particularly with the beach ride: it is not possible to canter when there is too much wind for i.e.