Los Canos de Meca Forest and Beach Ride

We recommend that you fly to Gibraltar, although we do pick up from both Malaga and Jerez. Most flights to Gibraltar arrive around mid day. We will be there to meet you, escort you to your transport, and begin the trip down the coast to Los Alamos. From Gib we take an 80 minute drive over the mountains between the busy port of Algeciras and the old pirate town of Tarifa, the most southerly tip of Spain. Here we are just 7 miles from the stunning Rif mountains towering up from the coast of Morocco, you almost feel you can swim across, its so close. The rest of the journey takes you along the Atlantic coast to the villa Los Alamos near the village of Los Caños de Meca, your accommodation for the week. When you arrive you will have time to freshen up before we meet for a Spanish style lunch and have the opportunity to get to know each other. After lunch we take you to our corrals and introduce you to the horses for the first time. Dinner is usually served at around 9.00pm

Your breakfast is self service, and is a choice of toast, cereals with teas, coffee and fruit juices, or if you prefer we’re. At 10 am you will make your way down the lane to where the horses are kept, you will be introduced to your horse and at 10.30am we will head off deeper into the forest for your first ride. Today is a fairly quiet ride giving rider and horse the opportunity to get to know each other. We wind along old drovers tracks still used to move sheep and cattle between farms, then turn into the Las Brenas Nature Park, a 5000 hectare protected forest which is characterised by beautiful woods of umbrella pines with rosemary, blackthorn and palms. The forest offers cool shade even on the hottest days, which can be a blessing sometimes. The trails through the forest are an absolute joy to ride through. The pine trees are well spaced, the turf firm underhoof and long uninterrupted paths allow us to canter along at a brisk pace. After a couple of hours we will break in the forest for lunch, then continue riding arriving back at Los Alamos around 3pm. The rest of the afternoon is for you to relax before we meet for dinner around 9pm.

This will be your first visit to the beach with your horse, so pop on your suncream and goggles. We will ride through the edge of the forest down to Cape Trafalgar and along ‘Playa de las Almas’ (the beach of the souls, so called since the battle of Trafalgar washed its dead upon the shores here in 1806), tide permitting, you will have your first taste of a beach cantor or gallop. At this historic place with its old lighthouse you can see as far as Morocco. With smiles and sand on our faces arriving at the other end we will head off back to the forest and wind our way to the small village of San Ambrosio, where we will stop and have lunch in a local bar. We will then ride around the edge of the forest passing cattle farms and a Hermitage first built 700 AD, arriving back at Los Alamos approx 3.30pm. Once again the rest of the afternoon is for you to siesta, just relax by the pool or take a stroll to the beach, before we meet up in the evening for dinner at around 9.00pm.

We head off into the forest along sandy trails over to the Moorish look out tower “El Tajo”, which stand some 100 metres above sea level and is one of the beacons belonging to the military architecture of the 16th and 17th century which offers fantastic cliff views of Africa. As you are more confident with your horse this ride incorporates some fun wiggly canters and an exhilarating fire-break gallop. To day we will enjoy a picnic lunch out before arriving back at Los Alamos at approx 3.30pm.

Today the horses have a rest day and we drive to Jerez to visit the “Escuela de Arte Ecuestre” (The Royal School of Equestrian Art), where you will have the pleasure of experiencing one of the finest displays of horse showmanship anywhere in the world. It’s truly breathtaking. After the show we will have lunch in a local Tapas Bar in Jerez. You will also get the opportunity to visit a large well stocked tack shop, and time permitting take in some sherry tasting. We return late afternoon to Los Alamos where you can reflect on the day’s delights.

This ride takes you through the forest towards the port of Barbate, the sandy tracks are perfect for long windy cantors, we drop down onto the old Roman cliff road where you will have stunning views of Barbate and the coast of Africa. The Barbary pirates who crossed the seas from North Africa plundered this coastline for centuries for its tuna and other riches, to combat this a series of watchtowers were built and remain almost in tact, which you can see from the Roman road. Heading back through the forest we will lunch at a small bar before heading for home and taking a small diversion for a gallop through the eucalyptus trees.

Oh no, this is the last days riding! But one you’ll never forget. We set off early down to the beach of Cape Trafalgar where tide permitting you will have the opportunity for long cantors or gallops; we ride along the coastal path to the next beach of El Palmar for more fun. Leaving the beach with even more sand and bigger smiles on your faces we cross through the agricultural land along sandy tracks and drovers trails enjoying the views over the wide open landscape through sunflower, sugar beet and barley fields. The drover’s trails have been used by Spanish and Moorish horsemen and cattlemen for hundreds of years and are still used to this day. The tracks are wide and sandy giving us opportunities for your last cantors. We will be having lunch outside San Ambrosio giving everyone a chance stop to have a well earned rest before carrying on home through the forest, where we bring an end to your unforgettable weeks riding. After saying your sad but fond farewells (until next time) to your horse we return to Los Alamos. We will meet for our farewell dinner at approx 9.00pm, where by now new friends have been made and new experiences can be reminisced over a glass or two of Rioja.

After breakfast we say our goodbyes, always sad but until we meet again, you will be driven back to Gibraltar to catch your flight home.

Your accommodation is the beautiful Spanish villa, Jacaranda, situated in its own private grounds with swimming pool, terraces and gardens. The villa complex is available for up to 10 guests, has a family like atmosphere with well appointed spacious rooms, all with en-suite bathrooms. There is a common lounge and dining area. This relatively small guest number allows for a personal and cosy atmosphere. Each day our cook will prepare delicious meals with fresh local ingredients, meat and fish. Vegetarian and special dietary needs are also catered for. All meals are included in the price of the holiday, as is wine and soft drinks with your meals. Lunch is a mixture of forest picnics and delicious local food in rural bar stops. Jacaranda is situated inside the stunning natural park of la Breña. The park consists of 5000 hectares of sweet smelling umbrella pine intertwined with miles of long meandering sandy tracks, perfect for riding. The forest tracks wind their way down to the small costal village of Los Caños, and mile upon mile of unspoilt sandy beaches.

There are three airports where we can pick clients up from when coming from the UK to Jacaranda. Gibraltar – No Charge – Approximate time to Los Alamos 1hr 30 minutes Flights from Gatwick on BA. (www.ba.com) From Manchester on Monarch Airlines (www.flymonarch.com) From Luton on Monarch Airlines (www.flymonarch.com) Malaga - £40 per person - Approximate time to Los Alamos 2hr 30 minutes Flights from most airports in the UK. (Note it’s important that the client flies in to Malaga in the morning.) Jerez - £40 per person - Approximate time to Los Alamos 1hr Flights from Stanstead on RyanAir (www.ryanair.com)

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