Known as the Blue Coast, your riding holiday in Portugal will take you along the southern stretch of the country’s west coast, Costa Azul. It’s here that you’ll find peaceful, deserted beaches and pristine countryside, all discovered from the back of a proud Lusitano.

Your hosts will meet you at Lisbon Airport at 5:30pm and drive you south (approximately 100km) to the starting point of the ride. This drive will be your first chance to glimpse the lush green coastal mountains of the Grândola, overgrown with pine and cork oak forests.

Your first night’s accommodation is Monte das Faias, a beautiful country house of typical ‘Alentejana’ architectural style situated on a cork oak farm in the foothills of the Grândola Mountain Range. Equipped with all the comforts of a modern hotel, the special touch here is the charming staff, who will go out of their way to ensure you’re enjoying your stay in their elegant establishment. There is time to enjoy a dip in the pool or the hot tub, or relax in your well-appointed room, before sitting down for a three-course dinner. Be sure to loosen your belt buckles, Globetrotters, and try each one of the moreish Portuguese specialties on offer. This is one riding holiday where you won’t be going hungry! From bacalhau (cod fish) to caldo verde (soup) to feijoada trasmontana (a hearty meat stew), you’re going to eat AND ride your way around the country!

This morning, after indulging in a delicious breakfast (freshly baked pastries, fresh fruits, traditional bread of Grândola and local honey or homemade jam), you’ll meet the Lusitano horses. Well schooled, responsive and with a naturally proud head carriage, you’ll feel like kings and queens astride these powerful equines as you ride through the hills in the direction of your first destination: Santiago do Cacém. A blend of maritime coast, pine forest and Alentejan inspiration, it’s here where you’ll have to pinch yourselves as the stunning Portuguese countryside stretches away before you. There will be opportunities to trot and canter and you’ll notice how surefooted the Lusitanos are.

After working up an appetite, a tasty picnic spread is on offer for lunch (think something delicious grilled alongside fresh salads). Full and well rested after lunch, you’ll continue on, riding through the forests of pines and cork oaks.

Today’s ride will finish at Quinta da Ortiga, where you’ll stable the horses and catch a short transfer (approx. 30mins) to your hotel, Quinta de Malmedra. This establishment has both personal charm and modern luxuries (yes, there’s a pool). Settle in, globetrotters, as you’ll be staying here for the next two evenings.

After another stomach-filling breakfast to start the day, you’ll be transferred back to the horses, who have enjoyed a peaceful evening at their stables. Today you’ll cross forests of eucalyptus, savouring their distinct scent clearing your nose and the sound of the leaves cracking under the horses’ feet. You’ll stop for a picnic lunch and a siesta near Morgavel’s Water Reservoir.

After lunch and a well-earned siesta, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy some fast canters on the sandy trails that cross the Portuguese countryside before heading back to the hotel, where you might have time to enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool before dinner. You’ll enjoy another peaceful night in your slice of Portuguese paradise.

Today’s ride will see you travel over sandy trails through fields and forests, with several fast canters thrown in for good measure and fun! You’ll ride past the Santo Andre Lagoon where, if you’re lucky, you might get the opportunity to see some flamingos and storks wading in the water. In the afternoon, the horses get a rest while you have the opportunity to visit wild dolphins in their natural habitat, in the Sado River near the town of Setúbal. The estuary of the River Sado is home to a community of about 27 bottlenose dolphins and to observe these elegant, playful creatures in their own habitat will be a sight to behold.

*Please be advised, depending on the weather, the program can also be changed so that you visit the dolphins in the morning and ride in the afternoon. If unfavourable weather conditions prohibit you from using the boat, you’ll spend the time further exploring the region.

Tonight you’ll be staying in Vila Nova de Santo André, a gorgeous town known for its Blue Flag beaches and a brilliant nature reserve with an unbelievable diversity of birdlife.

You’ll ride on in direction of Portugal’s coastline today, globetrotters, and it’s here that you’ll finally get to experience some exhilarating long canters along the beach. It promises to be a beautiful ride at first light as the sun rises over the dunes. With birds soaring overhead and the green of the pine forests against the shore, you’ll feel a wonderful sensation of peace and tranquility. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch in the pine forest and have time for a refreshing swim in the salty sea before riding back to Santo André for the evening.

You’ll be riding towards Grândola today, and there will be plenty of opportunities for some good fast canters – woohoo! A small Alentejan town, Grândola is set amidst plains of crops and vast gatherings of cork trees. While it might be hot and dusty in the summer months, it has somehow managed to capture the feeling of a place where people work hard but don’t take life too seriously and enjoy it at a slower pace. Red earth paths alternate with those of sand and you might even come across herds of cows or sheep being tended to by shepherds. You’re making your way back to the hotel you stayed at on night one of the ride, so after you’ve stabled the horses, there might be time to have a refreshing swim in the pool before enjoying dinner.

Today will see you riding past the Sierra de Grândola (the mountain range of Grândola) through rolling landscapes and picturesque villages where curious inhabitants, attracted by the noise of the horses’ hooves on the paths, will come out of their houses to greet you. As usual, you’ll pause for one last picnic and siesta, before continuing on to the forests of cork oaks.

It will then be time to say farewell to your faithful Lusitano steeds before you head back to the hotel (the same as the previous night) and enjoy your final dinner together in Portugal, topped off with a tipple of port.

After breakfast you will be transferred back to Lisbon Airport for onward travel. Please don’t book departing flights until after 12 midday.

A transfer service is available to and from Lisbon Airport on the first and last days of the itinerary (€100 per person round trip, to be paid in cash on arrival). Pick up time is 5:30pm on day 1 of the ride (please ensure your flight arrives no later than 4:30pm). The meeting point in Lisbon’s airport is located to the right after leaving the luggage collection area. You’ll be welcomed there by a ride representative.

The transfer will depart your accommodation on the final day after breakfast at 10:30am. No flights are to be booked before 12 midday on departure day (1pm or later preferred).

Globetrotting is happy to provide a competitive quote on international flights, travel insurance, car hire and hotels before and after your ride.