The hidden face
8 days, 7 nights. 6 days on horseback. Accommodation and full board included.
Mountains and Plateau
Enjoy magnificent landscapes with a historical, cultural and gastronomic approach.
A 6-day route on horseback to discover the landscapes of the lesser-known side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Full breakfast and picnic lunches prepared with homemade traditional food to be enjoyed in the outdoors next to the horses and, for dinner, a tasting menu that combines tapas, Mediterranean, Andalusian and Castilian cuisines.
Many riders are familiar with the Sierra Nevada mountains and some have ridden its terrain. However, the essence of the region is not reached until you discover the hidden side with Cabacci. After three decades of riding this route and sharing its beauty with others from all over the world, we present a new itinerary, culturally and gastronomically enriched, offering exciting gallops across the gentle slopes and vast plains of the northern face of the Sierra Nevada.
Through this experience we will discover the history of the Moors who remained in these lands after being expelled by the Catholic kings from the city of Granada. We will also walk through picturesque villages that have kept their architecture unchanged since the Moorish period.
As a general rule, if the usual hotels are not available, we will make sure that our guests are accommodated in establishments of a similar level of quality and comfort.
Highlights
An unforgettable experience
This trail covers the lesser known northern slope of this mountain range, within the protected areas of the National Park and the Nature Reserve. The contrasts are extraordinary: the remains of glaciers in the highest areas, deciduous forests and holm-oak groves with a diverse fauna, spectacular views from the highest plateau in Spain and villages that have survived since the splendour of the time of Abderramán III in the 11th century.
A ride that mainly passes through areas where the landscape, flora and fauna are protected.
An itinerary designed to get closer to the authentic culture, gastronomy and essence of the region.
Dinners to enjoy the specialities of the fine traditional cuisine.
Full picnic lunches catered by local restaurants, served in a picturesque spot just a few meters from where the horses are tied up.
A vigorous route, with lots of trotting and long gallops.
Ideal riding weather from March to October. Click here to see average temperatures.
Itinerary
Day 4 - Wednesday
Jérez del Marquesado - Sendero del avión - Jérez del Marquesado Today we will cross Jérez del Marquesado to go to the "Picón", one of the highest mountains in the Sierra Nevada, at 3,090 metres, but we will stay at 2.000 metres. We will find small streams and waterfalls where the water comes down from the mountains of eternal snow. We will follow the same path that a group of young people from Jérez took in 1960 to rescue the American soldiers whose plane had crashed on the peaks of the "Picón". We will have our picnic next to the stream "La Tizná". Afterwards we will return to the Hotel El Picón for dinner and overnight stay.
Picnic by the Tizná stream. Dinner and accommodation at the Hotel Picón de Jérez, in Jérez del Marquesado.
Day 7 - Saturday
Lugros - End of the world - Lugros After breakfast you will be taken to the stables where your horse will be waiting for you. On the last day of our route we will visit one of the most spectacular places in Sierra Nevada. “The End of the World.” This red clay valley, reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, was formed during the Quaternary period by meltwater from the Sierra Nevada range and contains within its walls the largest inhabited cave complex in the world. More than 4,000 people still live in these caves. We will have our picnic in "Marchal", surrounded by this spectacular landscape. In the afternoon we will return to the stables in Lugros, where we will say goodbye to our horses and travel by car to Guadix. In this monumental city we will visit the caves and in the evening we will take you to dinner in a refined culinary restaurant where you can enjoy a real flamenco show, an authentic experience far from the usual tourist offerings.
Picnic lunch in Marchal. Dinner and flamenco show in Guadix (subject to availability). Overnight stay at the Palacio de Oñate hotel in Guadix.
Day 2 - Monday
Lugros - Shepherds' Path - La Pantaneta - Lugros. At 9.30 a.m., after breakfast, we will take you to the stables of Cabacci in the Sierra Nevada, located in Lugros, 15 minutes from the hotel. After meeting and preparing the horse that will be with you for the entire week, we will set off towards "La Pantaneta", a small lagoon surrounded by mountains and formed by the meltwater of the Sierra Nevada. On this first day of riding, in which you will get to know your horse, we will follow an easy trail surrounded by dense pine forests. You will be afforded fantastic views of the high plateau at an altitude of 1.200 meters. After a home-cooked picnic lunch next to La Pantaneta, where the more adventurous can go for a swim, we return to Lugros and back to the hotel.
Picnic at the Pantaneta. Dinner and overnight stay at the Hotel Reina Aixa in the village of Cogollos de Guadix.
Day 5 - Thursday
Jerez del Marquesado - Alquife Mines -La Calahorra Today we head east, crossing the immense plain known as the Sierra Nevada Altiplano, which will allow us perhaps the best, longest and most relaxed gallops of the week: its wide clay roads make it very comfortable for our horses. In the middle of the high plateau we will see a red mountain that surrounds the iron mines of Alquife, which have been in operation since the Bronze Age (from 3300 BC to 1200 BC). After a picnic next to the stream "La Rosandrá", we will go to La Calahorra, where the last medieval castle built in Spain before the Renaissance awaits us. Dinner and accommodation in La Calahorra, at the Hospedería del Zenete.
Picnic lunch at La Rosandrá. Dinner and accommodation at the Hospedería del Zenete Hotel, in Calahorra.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Lugros - Camarate - Jérez del Marquesado After breakfast and a short 15 minute drive to the meeting point with the horses, we set off in the direction of Camarate. As we ascend, we follow easy paths and trails lined by holm oak and olive groves. These are the same paths that cows and bulls use to reach the high mountain pastures. By midday we will have reached an altitude of 2,000 metres. In a place with wide meadows and trees of Atlantic origin, we will enjoy the picnic that we carry in our saddlebags. Afterwards we will descend to the Hotel El Picón de Jérez, in the small town of Jérez del Marquesado.
Saddlebag picnic in El Camarate. Dinner and accommodation at the Hotel El Picón de Jérez, in Jérez del Marquesado.
Day 6 - Friday
La Calahorra - Zalabí Valley - Lugros Today we descend from the high plateau to the Zalabí valley, through a green landscape surrounded by cultivated fields. During the time of Muslim rule in Andalusia, mulberry trees were planted and used to raise silkworms in the manufacture of clothing for the sultans. We will have our picnic at “La Tejea”, a natural spring that has been in use since Arabic times. From there we return to the stable in Lugros and drive to Guadix to the Hotel Palacio de Oñate, where we will spend the last two nights of our route. A tasting menu dinner and local wines await us.
Picnic lunch at La Tejea. Tasting menu dinner in Guadix. Overnight at the Palacio de Oñate hotel in Guadix.
Click here to see the average temperatures and rainfall in Guadix.
Please note, this is a suggested itinerary only and subject to change at the discretion of our guides due to weather and other influencing factors.
Useful information
Schedules
→ Breakfast: from 8 a.m. → Meeting time every morning at the hotel reception: 9.30 a.m. → Picnic times: from 1:30 p.m. / 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Rest included. → Daily tour ends at approximately 17:30. → Hotel Dining Hours: from 8:30 p.m.
Where are the horses?
For the first two days and the last day, the horses are 15 minutes away from the hotel, at the Cabacci stable in Lugros. The remaining days of the ride they'll sleep near our different hotels.
Don't forget to bring
✔︎ Helmet. ✔︎ "All-terrain" riding boots (preferably waterproof) to walk beside the horse in rocky terrain. ✔︎ Appropriate riding pants. ✔︎ Riding gloves. ✔︎ Gaiters, if you use them habitually. We will provide you with saddle bags for you to carry with you if you wish: ✔︎ Non-breakable canteen. ✔︎ Sun protection (we recommend long sleeves). ✔︎ Lip protection. ✔︎ Insect repellent. ✔︎ Mosquito bite relief ✔︎ Swimsuit. ✔︎ Windbreaker. ✔︎ Extra battery to take pictures if your phone runs out of power. We have a basic emergency kit, but don't forget to bring any specific medication you may need.
Remember
→ Meeting at the hotel reception on Sunday (day 1) at 8 p.m. → Remember to leave your luggage at the hotel reception before 9.30 am on the days you change accommodation. → It is your responsibility to prepare your horse during the ride and to look after it and its equipment when you return to the stables. →Special diet? Let us know in advance!