The Coto de Doñana National Park is one of the largest and most famous wetlands in Europe. Wide plains, swamps, marshland, streams, pine forests, dunes and sandy beaches characterize the landscape. Thousands of birds are at home or winter here. Within the park live more than 1000 horses half wild, which are said to be the descendants of the horse population that Columbus and the other explorers brought back to America.
Even today, horses still have a very special status in the protected area and serve as an important means of transportation. On this tour you will visit the famous equestrian village El Rocío in the National Park Coto de Doñana.

Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer from Seville to the hotel in Mazagon. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 2:After breakfast, the rider are picked up and taken to the Arte Andaluz stables, where their four-legged companion is already waiting for them. You will be greeted by our host and professional rider Alejandro on one of his star horses, both stallions, with a demonstration of the high school: Caramelo (sweetness in Spanish), "the golden horse", a Luso-Arabian, or Sueno (dream in Spanish), a magnificent black, pure Spanish horse. We enjoy a delicious picnic surrounded by horses in the grounds. In the afternoon, the guide gives the riders an introduction to the Spanish "vaquera" riding style. The horses are assigned to the riders according to their experience and requirements. After this first contact to ride you will ride along the beach in the late afternoon to enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in Spain.
Dinner at the hotel in Mazagon

Day 3: After breakfast, rider are collected from the hotel and taken to stable by Arte Andaluz. Today we are going back to paradise, the beach of the Donana Natural Park, the largest beach in the country, 28 km long, which makes it seem like an infinite beach. It is only 5 minutes away from stable, but it will take so much time because before arriving at the beach our guides will show the group some different and very special viewpoints. One of the most important is the Asperiillo cliff, a fossil dune system that stretches over twelve hectares of coastline. It is the highest cliff of its kind in Europe. After riding over the various cliffs, it's time to head to Castilla Beach to ride, where rider can enjoy a few gallops along the beach. You will see the watchtowers "Torre del Loro" and "Torre del Rio Oro" dating back to the 18th century, which protected the area from attacks by Berber pirates. After lunch, transfer with your luggage to Villamanrrique de la Condesa, one of the oldest towns in Huelva. Dinner at the Hotel Ardea purpura, a very special place to relax and unwind with good gourmet cuisine.

Day 4: After breakfast, we meet up with our horses at stable in Villamarrique de la Condesa. We will ride around the river Quema, a very important symbol in Rocio folklore. This is where the pilgrims going to El Rocio are baptized before they continue, to ensure that they can see the Virgin in a clean and uncontaminated state. During the pilgrimage season, the river is filled with horse-drawn carriages, women in flamencoclothing and crowds of people on horseback. On the other side of the river is the first monument to the Virgin. People are used to combining a pilgrimage with a quiet journey, but the Rocio pilgrimage is a celebration from start to finish, full of Spanish culture, language and music. You will have lunch at the restaurant Los Pinares del Alcazar, located in the middle of forest . After lunch, you will return to the stables by a different route. 

Day 5: You to ride after breakfast to village Hinojos, via the Boyal Dehesa and the San Lazaro lake, a place full of vegetation, pines, olive trees, poplars... A green and pleasant path with the Donanana Natural Park next to us until we reach village Hinojos, where we can take a break before lunch with the horses. The village Hinojos is a place that leaves no one untouched, full of history and culture, with the typical white houses with low roofs and flowers in the windows, reflecting the purest Andalusian style. Lunch and dinner at village and overnight stay at the same hotel, Ardea pururea.

Day 6: Today you make your way to El Rocio, the "town of the horses". You follow the path of the religious brotherhoods that come to El Rocio, also known as L Raya Real, on horseback, on foot and in horse-drawn carts. As only maintenance vehicles are allowed on the road, you take lunch with you in your saddlebags and make a short stop for lunch on the way. Finally, you will arrive at one of the most beautiful and important places in the country and especially in the south: El Rocio. El Rocio is a paradise for rider: the streets are made of sand, and cars have no priority over horses. All the houses, bars and restaurants have places to tether horses. Here you can experience the art of flamenco and the close relationship the Spanish have with horses as you see people of all ages walking through the town to ride , some working with their horses, others simply enjoying themselves. After lunch at a local restaurant, rider have the afternoon at leisure to visit the church and observe the free-roaming mares and filly in the Marismas in front of village . Their breed is Marismena, not Spanish, but a local breed from the Donana Natural Park. And do a little shopping too, as village has some special stores with typical Spanish accessories for horses and rider.
Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight stay at El Palacio de Donana Hotel Boutique. 

Day 7: You to ride after breakfast at the Donana Nature Park, where you can observe deer, cattle and hares. While enjoying the view of nature, we won't forget one last long gallop.
After lunch in a local restaurant, it's time to get dressed up and go for a ride through the village like a typical Andalusian rider: visit different parts of the village, have a drink here and there and enjoy the well-known Spanish life in its own way from horseback. A typical afternoon in El Rocio. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight stay at El Palacio de Donana Hotel Boutique.

Day 8: After breakfast, transfer to Seville airport and departure (travel time approx. 1.5 hours).

Subject to change without notice!

Accomodation
You will stay overnight in beautiful guesthouses and hotels typical of the country.

Saddle & Tack: Spanish vaquero saddles with sheepskin, curb bit.

Experience: Experienced riders. who are able to control your horse in all gaits and have trail experience.

Horses: PREs and Andalusians, mostly from their own breeding. St. to 1.65 m.

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