Guestbook

Thank you for the experience on the Fresh and Saltwater Trail in hot June 2018. The organisation was great. It started with Daniela, who reserved a space for me on this ride at short notice. She sent me all the information and details as well as good directions to arrive by motorbike so that I did not have any issues finding the peacefully situated hostel in Crespià. This is where I met my nice group of fellow riders and my roommate, who was also a lucky choice! Each time, the accommodations were something special, never bog-standard, always beautifully situated, clean, cosy and charming. The hosts were friendly and there were often possibilities to go swimming in a pool or a nearby river. En-route, we never missed out on a bathing opportunity – fantastic in 30°C. A special highlight was swimming with the horses in a lake. I would like to say thank you again to my amazing Dinamico, a great horse. The food was a real treat every time, no matter if it was in the accommodation in the evening, from the saddle bags during the ride or a picnic served by Manel. Always local dishes, freshly prepared, tasty, varied and plentiful. In addition, water, red wine, cold sparkling wine, coffee – there was everything we could have wanted.

Manel, our trail assistant, was a piece of gold. Always in a good mood, always there, constantly helpful and reliable, no matter what we asked of him. For him there are never any problems, only solutions; he is a real treasure. I often admired Niki, our guide, for her patience and calmness, even when she explained something for the fifth time because someone just did not get it. She was always there to help us getting on the horses, and she continuously helped some people tacking up their horses to make sure nothing went wrong. It certainly required some skills to keep our group together. Moreover, she always made sure that the horses were alright, no matter if it was during the ride or in the evening in the paddocks. The horses were simply great! Friendly, enduring, sure-footed and well-behaved. I would have loved to take my PRE Dinamico home with me! What a wonderful horse, well-trained with good gaits and a dynamic forward thrust (he lives up to his name!), but easy to handle and a comfortable ride. A truly reliable horse, self-confident, friendly, attentive, and he was careful with placing his hooves in difficult terrain. Fearlessly he mastered anything without any problems. My all-terrain horse at home in the Black Forest, Germany, would have surely showed me the red card more than once on this route.

The route was exciting, and the terrain was a challenge leading us through diverse beautiful landscapes. The last day was quite long, after 8 hours in the saddle we could not wait to reach the sea…the only issue was that some riders had not read the trail description and the physical requirements well, or they had simply overestimated their abilities and some members of the group struggled. Even the best organisation or tour description is powerless against this. Some riders lacked the necessary knowledge of responsibly handling their horses as well as tacking them up. Thanks to the friendly horses theses riders did not get lost in canter. At least two people would happily let themselves be carried by their horses, which led to unsatisfying situations and a lack of control. My conclusion: all in all, I have collected wonderful impressions and experiences at Panorama Trails. I drove home happy and full of beautiful memories. On the way back, I would have liked to exchange the saddle of my motorbike for Dinamico’s several times.

Ulla

This was my 3th ride with Panorama and second with Nacho. Always going alone but never feeling alone. What makes this trail unforgettable is the combination of nature, horses and people and I was very lucky with my group and my guide.

As for the communication before the ride, it was flawless, immediate response from Daniela to all my questions.

We stayed at some magical places and also at some simple ones. Usually it was possible to do some walking around or sitting on the terrace of our accommodation after the ride. Where do I sleep is not so important for me but I think that nobody had any issues. Very friendly staff everywhere we stayed.

As for the food, local food, colourful picnics made by Nacho, surprising lunches made by Dani and Manel, everybody loved the food.

This time I got another challenge from Nacho, the horse he suggested for me had some issues when grooming. I accepted and once the brushing was done he did everything perfectly, picking up foots, not moving when saddling and getting on. I was left with the best horse for riding, experienced, strong, forward going, not getting scared of anything. I got a lot of help from Nacho when grooming and never felt hurried. My horse kicked during first canter and was a bit nasty when the distance was too short but it stopped when I did what Nacho advised me. When we were in rain and my fingers were freezing it was my horse who just carried me to the destiny without much riding from my side :)

The riding is not so long, about 4-6 hours a day, we climbed a lot up and down, we walked leading horses which is nice to stretch legs and give horses some rest, we trotted and cantered, crossed rivers and villages. We had some exciting moments with cows running in front of us and a helicopter landing just few meters from us and then riding above our heads. I still can’t believe that the horses were able to tolerate this. We were all the time escaping from the rain thanks to Nachos previsions and planning and only got wet once but it was also interesting experience. I consider Nacho to be my friend and somebody I respect and I learned a lot from him about horses and about riding and about the country. He explains a lot and prepare us for different situations which may happen and how to act. I think some rules are absolutely necessary and together with good communication in group and passing out the message can help to avoid any problems like sudden stopping when cantering or getting hit by brunches etc. I personally like it that the horses ride in a line. It does not mean we can’t change position, just that we have to be careful when doing it. The line is like Nacho says ¨safety zone¨. About the difficulty I would say this, I am not an experienced rider, still learning, but I like to ride fast and I would hold on. If there is a moment I would like to ask to stop because my stirrups are out or after jump I am sitting on the neck I better bite my tong and get myself back to position, because if I do that of course we would stop but then the opportunity to canter for all group is over, so everybody should consider his skills and see the difficulty of the ride in description.

The country is incredible, much more beautiful than on the photographs, breath-taking views and small stony villages.

Lastly but not less important I want to say I really liked my group. 2 French, 2 Swiss, 2 Slovaks, 2 Germans and one Spanish guide :). I laugh so much during this trip. Everybody listened to Nacho. I felt being taken care of, people were helpful and thinking about the others, communication when riding was perfect.

So, thanks to everybody, it was a pleasure to meet you, see you in the next ride.... maybe :)

Jana H.

This was our first, but definitely not our last trail with Panorama Trails.

It was a perfect week, wonderful horses (I have fallen in love with Torpedo), beautiful accommodation (with some nights in wonderful, old buildings), everything was very tasteful and cosy. The food was always outstanding, the picnics perfect (Thank you, Dani!!) – just like the breakfasts and dinners in the accommodation. Nacho created the right atmosphere, but he was also a perfect and responsible guide. All in all, perfectly organised – even our “special transfer” from Besalú (the end of the trail), where we had parked our car for a week. And the other riders were awesome – we made a great group!

Sabine H.

Yet again, I booked a trail with Panorama-Trails in Girona. And once again, it was a perfect holiday with a great international group of riders, perfect organisation and wonderful impressions of the country and its people. The weather was unpredictable during the trip, it had its own mind! Nevertheless, thanks to his remarkable experience and local knowledge, our guide ensured that we hardly ever got wet, and that nearly every picnic at lunchtime was accompanied by sunshine. The horses were chosen perfectly for every rider, and I have actually fallen in love with my horse, Torpedo. All in all, a totally recommendable trip and certainly not my last stay!

A guest

My 2nd trip with Panorama Trails! What happiness!!! The scenery is breath-taking and the horses are amazing. An unforgettable trip!! Nacho, the guide, is attentive and you feel really safe with him.

Vanessa W.