Combine your riding holiday with the comfort of a 4-star hotel and unique natural beauty!
Menorca is the easternmost of the Balearic Islands with a coastline of 220 km and more than 50 beaches, two-thirds of which are unspoilt. Menorca was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993. Here you will find the S'Albufera d'Es Grau Natural Park (marshland), five nature reserves, a marine reserve along the north coast and 19 areas of special ecological interest. The island is a natural paradise with a multitude of gorges, caves and unique plant and animal species.
Menorca's climate is mild all year round with occasional rainfall (especially in autumn).
The
Cami de Cavalls dates back to the 14th century. The King of Aragon had reconquered Menorca and historians believe that horses played an important role in defending the island even then, as the Cami de Cavalls runs largely along the coastline. In the 18th century, under British rule, the paths were expanded into an important communication network for the island and to protect it from Moorish and European invaders. The Cami de Cavalls provided local and military authorities with effective surveillance of the coastline and easy access to watchtowers and other military installations. Today, the path is open to everyone and covers the entire 200 km coastline of Menorca. The path is very important to the Menorcans, as it has a new significance today in addition to its historical value: it allows you to discover different landscapes and return to your origins: the Cami de Cavalls on horseback!
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and welcome. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. After settling into your room, dinner will be served in the hotel restaurant.
Day 2: This morning, you will first visit the San Adeodato stud farm, which belongs to the hotel, where you will learn about the Menorcan horse. Later, the horses will be assigned according to riding experience and you will go on a short ride in the surrounding area to the prehistoric village of Sant Agusti. Lunch consists of regional specialities and is served in a beach restaurant. In the afternoon, you will ride along the Cami de Cavalls into the hinterland. On the way back, you will cross the Barranc de Son Fideu, a famous gorge that contains one of the largest and most impressive caves in Menorca: Sa Cova d'es Coloms, also known as the ‘Cathedral’, which you will enter on horseback before returning to the stables.
Day 3: You will meet at the stables. Today you will ride through the most important gorges of the island: Algendar, Trebalúger and Albranca. To avoid the rivers and the steepest sections of the gorges, you will occasionally ride a short distance inland. Before noon, you will reach some of the most beautiful, wildest and hardest to reach beaches: Escorxada, Fustam and Trebalúger. Lunch awaits you on the beach at Cala Mitjana. From here, you will return to the stables of San Adeodato via the Cami de Cavalls.
Day 4: Today's route takes you through the S'Albufera d'Es Grau Natural Park, past impressive cliffs. Along the way, you will pass several wetlands (Tamarells Cove, Sa Torreta and Arenal de Morella) and a few of the old watchtowers that helped defend Menorca in the past when it was often under attack. A little further inland, you will pass the megalithic settlement of Sa Torreta. This path leads you to the Favàritx lighthouse, one of Menorca's seven lighthouses. Here you can enjoy a picnic and a short break. The second part of the route follows a hilly path through a landscape that alternates between cultivated and wild, with ecologically interesting sites such as Pou d'en Caldés, home to many endemic plants. You will also ride through the old military grounds of Favàritx. On the climb to Sa Marina de Mongofra Vell, you will pass spectacular rock formations such as Es Capell de Ferro. At the end of the day's ride, a very special ecosystem awaits you: the Addaia marshes, consisting of salt ponds and aquatic vegetation. Both in autumn and spring, many different birds can be observed here.
Day 5: A day without riding. If you are interested, an excursion across the island can be organised. The excursion is optional and not included in the price, nor is lunch on this day. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6: Today's ride takes you along the north coast. The starting point is Binimal.là beach. The path through the dunes takes you to Cala Pregonda and a unique landscape. Continuing along the coast, you pass Menorca's marine reserve. You follow the rocky cliffs to Ets Alocs, where you take a break and enjoy a picnic. The ride continues to Cala Pilar with its bright red embankments and Arenal d'Alfurí, another place with a high concentration of endemic plants. Es Pal de Mar impresses with its fantastic beach, strewn with stones rounded by the sea. You ride inland for a short distance to Sa Muntanya Mala before finally reaching the beach of Algaiarens. Here, the landscape suddenly becomes barren: there are practically no trees left and the vegetation along the coast adapts to the strong influence of the Tramuntana (north wind).
Day 7: On the last day, you ride eastwards on the Cami de Cavalls. The trail is easy and flat at first, but ends in an extremely rugged gorge landscape. After passing through the town of Sant Tomas, the trail turns inland before leading to Son Bou. Shortly before reaching Son Bou, however, you leave the main trail to visit the Sa Vall gorge and the wetlands, passing the Talis farm on the way. From there, follow the strangely shaped cliffs that run along the coast and the sand dunes of this quiet tourist area of Son Bou. At one end of Son Bou beach (the longest beach on the island) is a Christian basilica dating from 400 AD. Then you will return to the path that borders El Prat de Son Bou: an important wetland that is an example of the rich biodiversity of Menorca. This is another ideal place for bird watching. Soon after, you will cross the longest beach in Son Bou towards Sant Tomas and San Adeodato. The day ends with a special lesson in ‘Menorcan dressage’ (duration: 1 hour) and includes, if you wish, the original and unique ‘bot’ (jump).
Day 8: After breakfast, transfer to the airport and departure.
Daily riding time approx. 5 hours.
(From May to October, riding is not permitted on some beaches.)
For the 5-day short version, the first two days of riding are the same as the programme described above. The third day of riding is the same as day 7. There is no riding programme on the day of arrival and departure.
Also
Non-riders There are numerous activities on offer at the hotel and on Menorca, including hiking, cycling tours, culture, spa, massages, snorkeling or sailing (rental car recommended).