Portuguese Spiritual Way by Horse
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ULTREYA TOURS www.ultreyatours.com [email protected] +1 646 934 6859 PORTUGUESE SPIRITUAL WAY BY HORSE If you believe the world is best viewed through the ears of a horse and that no hour spend on the saddle is wasted, then this is the Camino for you. Be among the first to discover the Portuguese Spiritual Variant / the Maritime Way which follows the final journey of the Apostle Saint James’ body into Santiago de Compostela. Spend 8 days traveling horseback from the Medieval City of Tui to the Roman built city of Pontevedra and along the coast of the Ria de Arousa to Santiago de Compostela before obtaining your Certificate of Achievement, the Compostela. Join a guided tour or plan your own departure with 4+ FACT FILE participants: €2.700 per person Accommodation Luxurious • Single room supplement: extra €40 per night Manors & 3 to 4* Hotels • Start in Pontevedra (5 nights / 6 days): total €1.800 per person Singularity Horse-riding trip • Start in Soutomaior (6 nights / 7 days): total €2.100 per person Total Riding Distance 160 km • Start in Baiona (8 nights / 9 days): total €2.700 per person Duration 9 days / 8 nights • Start in A Guardia (9 nights / 10 days): total €3.000 per person Starts Baiona Stops Vigo, Soutomaior, Pontevedra, Poio, Combarro, MONTH DEPARTURE DATE ARRIVAL DATE Armenteira, Barrantes, Ribadumia, Mar Sat, 16 Mar 2019 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 Vilanova de Arousa, Cambados, Sines, April Sat, 30 Mar 2019 Sun, 7 Apr 2019 Vilaxoan, Vilagarcia de May 1 Sat, 11 May 2019 Sun, 19 May 2019 Arousa, Valga, May 2 Thu, 23 May 2019 Fri, 31 May 2019 Padron, Milladoiro July Sat, 20 Jul 2019 Sun, 28 Jul 2019 Ends Santiago de Compostela August Sun, 4 Aug 2019 Mon, 12 Aug 2019 October Sat, 5 Oct 2019 Sun, 13 Oct 2019 PORTUGUESE SPIRITUAL WAY BY HORSE • Access to the Obradoiro Square on the last INCLUDES day with the horses • Dedicated bilingual Guide with 15 years • En-suite accommodation in charming luxurious experience on the Camino de Santiago manors & 3 to 4* charming hotels • Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel • Meals and accommodation for the Horses near your hotel (the organizer always plans more • Emergency support from our local team horses than needed so you will never be without • All taxes and gratuities for the guides and a horse) hotels • Transfers in and out from Santiago airport, other • All Breakfasts, lunches and Dinners airports on request • A Pilgrim Kit per person including an official • Private Van Support during the riding days Pilgrim Passport (Credential) • A detailed guidebook per room • Ride between 24 km and 39 km per day • A horse per person and all necessary equipment ULTREYA TOURS www.ultreyatours.com [email protected] +1 646 934 6859 CAMINO PORTUGUESE SPIRITUAL WAY BY HORSE DAY BY DAY ITINERARY This 8 nights horse-riding route brings you along the last 160 kilometers of the Camino Frances - Portuguese Spiritual Way into Santiago de Compostela. DAY 1 - MAKING YOUR WAY TO BAIONA Make your way to stunning Baiona by taking a private taxi, bus or train from Vigo (about 30 min drive) or a taxi from Porto (1h30 drive). From your hotel enjoy beautiful views onto the Monterreal peninsula and the strong Atlantic Ocean. On March 1, 1493, the Pinta, one of the ships from Columbus’ voyage to discover the New World returned to Europe and arrived in Baiona, making the town’s port the first to receive news of the discovery of America. A replica of the ship can be visited, and the event is celebrated every year. So, if time allows during the afternoon, go for a tour of the old town, visit the Pinta and relax by the ocean before watching the sunset onto the bay of Baiona and enjoying a gourmet dinner in your hotel. DAY 2 - 26 KM - RIDE FROM BAIONA TO VIGO Today, you finally begin your equestrian pilgrimage on the Portuguese Way Coastal Way or Caminho da Costa in Portuguese. After meeting the horse, you will share the journey with, we will saddle up and leave behind Baiona, to follow the coast across the Rías Baixas through the beach-town of Nigrán and towards the city of Vigo. The region you will be traveling through until Cambados is world-famous for its Albariño white wine and delicious shellfish but the views are also breathtaking. You will ride along long white prestine beaches and admire, in the distance, the magnificent Illas Cíes, named the most beautiful beaches in the world, and the Bay of Vigo with its Natural Park. After riding 26 km along the coast, you will be arrive and stay in in the city center of Vigo. Vigo is Galicia’s most important harbour and busiest city with over 300, 000 inhabitants. Vigo’s old district covers an interesting area on the slopes above the marina including a number of beautiful plazas, a multitude of high quality restaurants serving the freshest of seafood (head in particular to the famous Oyster Street), and even the remains of an old Celtic fort town. ULTREYA TOURS www.ultreyatours.com [email protected] +1 646 934 6859 DAY 3 - 25 KM - RIDE FROM VIGO TO SOUTOMAIOR Once out of the city of Vigo, you will pass what is considered one of the benches with the best views in the world (a 5 min detour uphill from the Camino but the views are similar during the walk) with stunning views onto Vigo, the Atlantic Islands, the peninsula of Morrazo and the Rande Bridge, once the longest suspension bridge in the world. After a pleasant trail on a dirt path through woodlands, you will finally reach Redondela at the end of one of the famous Rías Baixas. You will be staying in a Pousada within the grounds of the very impressive Medieval Castle of Soutomaior, just after Redondela. DAY 4 - 18 KM - RIDE FROM REDONDELA TO PONTEVEDRA Today, expect two sceneries: half the day will be riding uphill by the coast with stunning views over the Vigo Bay and the second part will be downhill through peaceful oak forests. You will pass the infamous bridge of Ponte Sampaio, where during the War of Independence, Napoleon’s army suffered one of its greatest defeats and cross several quaint medieval villages. You are heading to the a 3* hotel in the centre of the old town of Pontevedra, the Roman built city which has been dedicated to the Virgen Peregrina (the Pilgrim Virgin). In the afternoon, and before dinner in your hotel, take a walk through the well-preserved old quarter of Pontevedra, most of which has been pedestrianized, and visit Santa María la Mayor Basilica, a jewel of Gothic- Renaissance architecture, and La Virgen Peregrina Church, a chapel with a scallop-shaped floor plan and beautiful night lighting. DAY 5 - 30KM - RIDE FROM PONTEVEDRA TO RIBADUMIA Until we reach Padron on day 7, we will now be following the Spiritual Variant / the Maritime Way. This detour is relatively new, it has only been accepted by the Pilgrim Office in 2013 (although we need to walk or ride over 160 km to obtain the certificate instead of 100 km on any other route) but has the oldest origins of all Caminos. It is said that in the year 44, after his Martyrdom, the body of James the Apostle was transported on a stone vessel along the Arousa Estuary to get to the land of Galicia where he was meant to be buried. The boat is said to have gone from Jaffa to Galicia and upstream via Ulla river until reaching Iria Flavia (Padron) and later on Santiago de Compostela. This tradition followed by Christians all around the world has been translated throughout the thousand years old Jacobean history into a varied iconography representing the Apostle’s final journey from Jaffa (Palestine) to Iria Flavia (today’s village of Padrón). This is the Initial Route of all the Santiago Trails. On your journey today, we will pass the Monastery of San Juan de Poio and the beautiful town of Cambarro, famous for its Horreos (a typical granary on pillars). We will take a break to visit the Monastery of Armenteira, which belongs to the Cistercian order and was founded by the knight Ero de Armenteira in 1168. Before hiking a section of the relaxing “Ruta da Pedra e da Auga” (the route of rocks and water - due to the number of watermills that can be found on that river) along the Armenteira river and stopping in Ribadumia for the night. ULTREYA TOURS www.ultreyatours.com [email protected] +1 646 934 6859 DAY 6 - 25 KM - RIDE FROM RIBADUMIA TO VILLAGARCIA DE AROUSA Today, we continue our journey inland, riding towards the historic centre of Cambados. Cambados is considered to be the capital of Albariño, one of the best white wines in the world and is a precious little harbor town. Here, we will finally reach the famous Galician beaches and you will be able to ride your horse on the beach until Vilagarcia de Arousa. In Vilanova de Arousa most walking pilgrims will embark for a catamaran journey of 15 nautical miles towards Padron but, we will not dismount until Santiago (except of course for sleeping, eating, enjoying the beach, our hotels and having a great time) and will continue enjoying stunning views onto the Rías from the beach and the cliffs. We will spend the night in the charming seaside town of Villagarcia de Arousa, where our partner’s equestrian center is located. DAY 7 - 28 KM - RIDE FROM VILLAGARCIA DE AROUSA TO PADRON While the walking pilgrims cruise the River Ulla following the legendary journey of Saint James disciples, we will continue across the peaceful forest on the mounts nearby until we reach Catoira, the village famous for its Viking celebration in August, and later on Pontesures.