This beautiful and relaxing ride will take you into the Alentejo region that has the last unspoiled stretch of Atlantic coast in all of southern Europe and is at the edge of hundreds of square miles of cork oak fields, vineyards and rice fields. You will ride through the arboreal hills where you can appreciate the beautiful forests of Serra de Grândola and grand vistas overlooking the Atlantic ocean . You will also have the chance to ride along the beaches of Melides lagoon. The horses are sure-footed Lusitanos or Lusitano crosses and it is week where you will be immersed in nature spending your time between the hills, white dunes and the sea. On the rest day you will have a chance to view dolphins if you like or visit the charming Alentejo town , Alcacer do Sal.
Departure & Return Location
Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS)
Date and Rates
14-21 May, 2022
€ 1650 based on double occupancy
€ 250 single supplement
Set transfer included from and to Lisbon Portela airport
7 nights accommodation/ full board except on free day, lunch and dinner is extra
5 days riding
Price Includes
7 nights accommodation and board except meals on the free day (lunch and dinner)
Wine, water and soft drinks
Horses and guiding
Set transfer to and from the airport
Price Excludes
Airfares
Lunch and dinner on the free day
Any Private Expenses
Tips
Additional activities such as dolphin watching or visiting the local saddler in Alcacer do Sal
You will be riding well-trained Lusitano and Lusitano Arab crosses between 4 and 4,5 hours a day through the untouched landscape of Grandola. Your guide, Luis, who is a veterinarian, also breeds Arabians for endurance races. There is one free day where you can either relax, enjoy a spa treatment/go swimming or visit Alcacer do Sal to visit a saddler or go in a dolphin viewing trip.
You will stay in comfortable accommodations where you can relax after a day on the saddle, along with great dining options. The accommodations will be good hotels, pousadas, country houses, and private estates; the accommodation choices are Serenada, Nômade and Barradas da Serra in Grândola and Hotel Cooking & Nature in Santiago do Cacém. Double and Single rooms are available.
- Ride through the hills and cork forests of Grandola
- Ride well trained Lusitano and Arab Lusitano trail horses
- Ride to the beach of Comporta area through the pine forest and the vineyards
- Enjoy long canters along the rice fields and where the footing allows
- Visit one of the oldest handmade saddleries to the old village of Alcácer do Sal (it can be organized upon request)
Day 1 Arrival
Arrive at 5:30 p.m in the meeting point at Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS) for your transfer. You will travel south for approximately 120 kilometers to your accommodation in a rural comfortable house called Uva do Monte or Serenada, located in Grândola, one and a half kilometers from the sea. Uva do Monte or Serenada is a very charming rural house equipped with the comfort of a modern hotel. There, you will find a relaxed atmosphere where you can swim in the pool or rest in the comfortable rooms before your first day on horseback. Dinner will be at the hotel, so you can relax and rest. After dinner, you will enjoy your first night in Portugal.
Day 2 Ride through the hills of Grândola
Today you will be taken by car to Passeios a Cavalo Melides, where the horses are stabled. You will start from there to go through the hills of Grandola where you will enjoy a beautiful cork tree landscape. After the first few canters, you will notice that horses’ sure-footedness and wonderful characters. For lunch, you will enjoy a delicious picnic prepared with typical Portuguese food, accompanied by fresh bread and good wine. You will rest for a while after lunch then you will ride back through the forests of cork trees. You will reach Coudelaria Quinta do Almargem where you will stable the horses. A short 10-minute car transfer will bring you back to the hotel, Uva do Monte or Serenada, where you can refresh and prepare for dinner at Fadista, a restaurant in Melides.
Day 3 Cork forests and panoramic views
Today you will be taken by car to Passeios a Cavalo Melides, where the horses are stabled. You will start from there to go through the hills of Grandola where you will enjoy a beautiful cork tree landscape. After the first few canters, you will notice that horses’ sure-footedness and wonderful characters. For lunch, you will enjoy a delicious picnic prepared with typical Portuguese food, accompanied by fresh bread and good wine. You will rest for a while after lunch then you will ride back through the forests of cork trees. You will reach Coudelaria Quinta do Almargem where you will stable the horses. A short 10-minute car transfer will bring you back to the hotel, Uva do Monte or Serenada, where you can refresh and prepare for dinner at Fadista, a restaurant in Melides.
Day 4 Early morning beach ride and Santo André lagoon
Today, you will ride from Uva do Monte or Serenada to the beach. It will be a beautiful ride at first light as the sun rises over the dunes. There is the possibility of a beach canter before reaching a lovely picnic spot in the pine forest where your horses rest while you may swim in the sea. After lunch at Melides, Santo André Lagoon, you will ride through the dunes and reach the beach stables where the horses will rest. After riding, you will enjoy a short transfer to the hotel, Uva do Monte or Serenada.
Day 5 Rest day and activities
The rest day will be at Uva do Monte or Serenada. After breakfast, you will pack your bags and around 12 noon, you will have a short transfer to the new hotel where you will rest and sleep. Nômade or Pinhal da Coutada is a small countryside resort where you can walk along the pine trees, ride a bike, or just relax in the biological pool. You will spend the night and have your dinner at the hotel. Visits can be organized upon your request to the old village of Alcácer do Sal and visit one of the oldest handmade saddleries in Portugal. Also there is the possibility to take a boat tour and observe dolphins if you so wish.
Day 6 Beach of Comporta through the pine forest and vineyards.
Today you will ride from Nômade or Pinhal da Coutada to the beach of Comporta through the pine forest and vineyards. It’s a beautiful ride at first light as the sun rises over the dunes. There is a possibility for a beach canter before reaching a lovely picnic spot in the forest area where your horse will rest while you may swim in two natural lagoons. After lunch, you will ride through the forest to the vineyards of Brejinho da Costa winery. Nômade or Pinhal da Coutada is where you will spend the night and your dinner will be at a local restaurant.
Day 7 Brejinho da Costa winery to the Sado River and farewell dinner
Today you will ride from Brejinho da Costa winery to the Sado River. Opportunities for faster riding will occur today; your horses will carry you safely through rive fields. Sandy paths will be found in the place where you can ride with the sound of the sea closer to you. On your return, you can enjoy a nice refreshing swim before arriving back to Nômade or Pinhal da Coutada. The farewell dinner and your last night will be in Nômade or Pinhal da Coutada.
Day 8 Transfer back to Lisbon Airport
After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS) for your departure.
