Gerês-Xurés Nature Reserve

We will spend the first part of the day atively… relaxing. After breakfast, we will travel by car to Encoro das Conchas, a lake created by the Conchas Dam. We will have a chance to swim and enjoy the sun. Next we will kayak to the other side of the reservoir to see the ruins of a camp where Roman soldier were stationed. It was built between 69-79 AD and abandoned around 120 AD. At lunch time we will will return to our hotel. In the late afternoon we will head to the stables, saddle our horses and…off we go! First we will arrive at a lovely spot by the creek, where we will feed our horses and have a bite to eat ourselves before continuing our journey. Then, under the cover of darkness and guided by moonlight, we will set off for Maus de Salas along a trail called Feiras. This road links the three spots where the old smuggling paths used to begin. We will arrive on the spot around midnight and stay for the night at a local hotel, in rooms with bathrooms.

After breakfast we set out to ride along an archaeological trail running around the Salas reservoir. Along the way, we will stop to listed to the history of the place, and we will also get so see local dolmens – megalithic structures used to commemorate the dead. Following the trail we will get closer to the border with Portugal. In the previous century weapons, food, coal and tungsten were smuggled along these very path on a large scale. In the afternoon we will reach Porqueiros, where our horses will stay for the night and we will return to the family hotel. The rest of the day will stay quite active. First, we will hike to a picturesque waterfall hidden among the trees, and those willing can take a dip in the crystal-clear and… quile chilly water. On the way back, we will visit a mysterious and almost completely abandoned stone village. Night at the family hotel.

Today we will have multiple occasions to simply relax. After breakfast we will set off in the direction of Quintela. The route initially leads through villages and towns before hiding among trees and bushes. There will be a couple of nice places to trot and canter on paths that are historical remnants of ancient settlements in the surrounding area. In the afternoon we will arrive at a lake where our horses can swim (with our active participation). We will also have lunch here, spend some time in the thermae and visit the Aquis Querquennis museum. Our horses will be transported back to the stables and we will return by car for another overnight stay at a family-run hotel.

After breakfast we set off for Portugal! Today’s route will delight us with the vast landscapes of the borderlands, but there will be other attractions, too! Along the way we have a good chance to encounter wild-living, native Garrano horses – an endangered breed of Portuguese ponies. They are rather calm and quite curious, nosy even, so if they come too close to us we will escape them cantering. On the other side of the border the surrounding landscape will change and we will once again follow bushy paths of the old smugglers. In the afternoon we will arrive in the picturesque town of Castro Laboreiro, nestled among the mountains, where we will enjoy traditional Portuguese cuisine in the evening. We stay at a local hotel for the night.

This is the last day of horse riding, we ride out to return to Spain. After breakfast we will saddle our horses and set off. With a bit of luck we will encounter the Garrano ponies again. On the way we will have plenty of opportunities for pleasant canters. We will stop to rest in the shade of the trees at the historic church of Pena de Anaman, where will also learn a bit about the turbulent history of the borderland people. In the afternoon we will arrive at the stables and bid farewell to our brave horses. In the evening we will sit down to our last, farewell dinner and spend the night in the family-run hotel.

It is time to say goodbye to the beautiful borderlands of Spain and Portugal. All riders will be transferred to the airport and head back home.