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Why ride with us ?

PAYS BASQUE HORSE RIDES...

It's an exhilarating trail, with lot of thrilling sceneries over wild valleys framed by rugged peaks as eagles and vultures soar overhead. It is also very interesting to discover the culture of the Pays Basque people and the reason why they want to live apart from France. This trek is really exciting and requires real fit intermediate rider confident at all paces and able to ride 6 to 7 hours each day over varied and sometimes challenging terrain. All the opportunities to trot or to canter offered by the landscape are taken !

RIDE ITINERARY

From St Jean-Pied-de-Port , capital of Basse Navarre, and Unesco World Heritage Site, to Sare, listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France, we will follow both the path of St Jacques de Compostelle and the different mountain passes in the tracks of the smugglers through the Quint region, discovering the Gulf of Gascogne in the background.
St Jean Pied de Port ... Urepel ... Les Aduldes…Bidarray…: here, the countryside that is green as Ireland and more harmonious than Tuscany can only astound you. Primeval virgin forest, spruce villages and hamlets, fresh, pleasant hidden valleys with thousands of sheep and wild ponies, that put the finishing touches to the countryside.
Maybe one of the most magical places in the world and an unforgettable trek !

Day 1 - Sunday
Arrival at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Bayonne railways station or at Biarritz airport and transfer to the hotel in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Capital of Basse-Navarre. This town is one of the most important town, cross-roads of the route to Saint Jacques de Compostelle, at the foot of the mountain pass, the Col de Ronceveaux.
Dinner is not included tonight.
Overnight at the hotel des Remparts**.

Day 2 - Monday
With our horses we ascent to the Monhoa summit. We cross over the Urdanzia Pass and enjoy spectacular views of Aduldes valley.
Dinner and overnight at the Hôtel Erreguina** in Banca.

Day 3 - Tuesday
Today we ride along watersheds and views of the Spanish side of our riding country. Then we cross the Lindus Pass and enter into the Quint land and the Aldudes valley.
Dinner and overnight is in the village of Urepel in the Gite St Sylvestre aux Aldudes.

Day 4 - Wednesday
We ride through of the village of Aldudes and ride up the Mount Harguibel. Here we explore the Spanish virgin forest. We are now riding „in the middle of nowhere“ and far from the civilization.
Dinner and overnight at the Gîte ** in Urdos.

Day 5 - Thursday
Today we cross the Elhorrieta Pass and enjoy the panoramic view of Ispéguy Pass. We then reach the village St Etienne de Baïgorry , where we taste some local wines produced by the vineyard of Mignaberry.
Dinner and overnight at the Hôtel Manechenea in St Etienne de Baïgorry.

Day 6 - Friday
Today we descend towards the famous village of Bidarrai, situated at the base of the Crètes of Iparla. We follow the Col des Veaux watersheds and the Col des Trois Croix until we reach the village d'Espelette with its unique house facades covered with hot peppers.

Dinner and overnight at the Gite d’altitude* in the Col des Veaux.

Day 7 - Saturday
Our ride continues and pass by the most beautiful village of France – Sare. We climb up to Rhune and enjoy for a last time a panoramic view over the Gulf of Gascogne. Our ride is over.

HORSES, TACK AND RIDING EXPERIENCE

YOUR GUIDES

The ride is supervised by a Equestrian Tourism Guide (French ATE or GTE). They perfectly knows the region and will be happy to share their knowledge with you.

A support vehicle will move all lugage from accommodation to accommodation, and will join you for picnic lunches.

ACCOMMODATION

DATES AND RATES

- transport to and from the meeting point,

- transfers from and to the closest train station of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (70€ per person per way, to pay directly),

- dinner on day 1 and 7,

- drinks,

- any other service or optional visit entries, personal expenses,

- tips,

- a tour to discover other regions of France before or after the trail (castle life, golf training, thalassotherapy spas...), see our "after ride proposals".

- optional insurances.

BOOKING - MORE INFORMATION

GENERAL INFORMATION

The meeting point is on Sunday after-noon at the “ Hotel des remparts “ at 5 pm, or before at the railways station of Saint-jean-Pied-de Port at 16h20 if some are arriving by train.
We can organise the transfer ( 70 € / pers ) from the airport of Biarritz or from the railway station of Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied de Port ( 110 miles ).

CLIMATE

The Pays Basque enjoys the moderate climate of the western south of France.

In the mountains where the major part of this trail is, the climate is fresher, particularly in the morning and during the night.

HEALTH

There are no specific health formalities and emergency medical treatment is as widely available in the country.

ENTRY FORMALITIES

A valid passport is required of all foreigners entering France, except people living from a Schengen agreement country for who a valid ID card is enough.

All foreign citizens who wish to come to France must be able to present regulatory proof of the purpose of their stay, means of support and accommodation. In some cases, they need a visa to enter France. Visas must be applied for before leaving for France at a French consular office.

France is a member of European Union. No visa is required for citizens of other EU states.

No visa is required for US visitors staying less than 3 months.

Please check these informations at your local French embassy.