Gerês-Xurés Nature Reserve

After breakfast we will saddle our horses and start the tour! We will leave Lobios and head to Bande, about 25 kilometres away. The terrain will be uphill at first, we will ascend one of the surrounding mountains to look at the panorama and the later stages of our journey. Then we will continue along the Roman Via Nova trail. Along the way we will pass the remains of a Roman settlement, and further on we will stop for a rest stop. Further down the trail the terrain will flatten and we will be able to speed up a bit. In the late afternoon we will arrive in Bande, where we will be set up in a lodge with bathrooms. We will spend the evening at a local restaurant, where we will get to taste delicious, local dishes.

In the morning we will have breakfast and and set off for our second day of riding. Our today’s destination is Maus de Salas, about 25 kilometres away. During the day the landscape will change quite often. We will cross the Rio Lima and reach a village where prehistoric traces of human presence can be seen. We will stop for a break along the way. In the afternoon we will reach the tiny mountain village of Maus de Salas, where a charming wooden lodge by the lake awaits us. We will have dinner on site or head across the border to the village of Pitões das Junias and return to our house by the lake for the night.

In the morning we will have breakfast and ride out for Minas das Sombras. A good part of the route stretches along the border between Spain and Portugal. On the way we will pass historic mines which have been an important part of the region’s economy for centuries. In Roman times gold was mined there and in the 20th century, especially during the Second World War, an intensive mining of tungsten was taking place. The mines were closed and abandoned in the early 2000s. We will stop for a break along the way, in a park, and then go to the tops of small mountains. There we will camp under the stars and stay overnight in tents.

After breakfast we ride to Portugal! We have about 28 kilometres ahead of us on in the saddle. The first part of the today’s journey follows the trail from Minas das Sombras to the border, where we will enter the Peneda-Gerês National Park on the Portuguese side. We have to report our crossing at the border, so we will use the opportunity to have a break. Depending on the state of the rivers and streams we will continue either through the forest and cross the water or take the route along local roads and trails. On some parts of the route there may be sections where we jump off our horses and lead them on foot. In the late afternoon we will arrive at Campo do Gerês, our base for today. A dinner awaits us there, with cuisine typical of northern Portugal. We will spend the night in cabins, with access to shared bathrooms.

It’s our last day of riding through Spain and Portugal. The trail will descend more and more, leading towards the edge of the national park. Along the way we have a good chance to encounter the wild, native Garrano horses – an endangered breed of Portuguese ponies. Along the way we will stop for our last break of our tour. Further on, the trail will take us towards small castles and Roman churches before we reach Ponte de Barca. For the final farewell dinner of the tour we will head to one of the charming restaurants there and spend thelast night in a local 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.