Guestbook

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.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 6-day unguided Panorama Trail. It was just my husband and I with no guide and, of course, our two fine horses who were reliable, fit and forward going. We've done lots of guided and unguided trails before and this one was no disappointment despite the fact we had lots of rain, limited views and several times arrived at our accommodation like drowned rats - but that's unlikely to happen to you. Instead it makes us want to return and do another trail in the much more likely good weather! The horses were good, as good as the ones in Crete (and I liked those). Yes, they had their quirks and you needed to be fully confident with general horsemanship, feeding, grooming and tacking up sometimes fidgety, restless horses, as there is of course no one around to help you. It took a few days to settle into the rhythm of how things worked, as it always does on these trails, but Rudi (the owner/head of the stables) was always at the end of the phone if in difficulty and he gave you a helpful briefing at the start of the trail and every evening. Both horses rode very well, always calm, confident and forward going. The route was superb and thanks to the GPS devices we never went more than a few yards wrong as we just followed the pre-loaded route. It was almost entirely off road on tracks that wound through valleys and mountains and felt as adventurous as the cross-Wales route we did a couple of times. No day was too long - maybe 5-6 hours riding plus 1.5 hours siesta at most, but some days have plenty of gates and some sections leading the horse on foot meaning you need a certain level of fitness to enjoy it. The accommodation was the best we have had on a trail riding holiday. I am not talking 5 stars but who wants that when you come in filthy and tired from a day in the mountains: instead we had lovely rural hotels, hostels and guest houses - characterful, good service, great food and lots of it, beautiful settings and always the horses were nearby in a small paddock with all the food left under a tarpaulin for us. We liked the varied geology (different but as varied as that we encountered in Romania): the red sand (slippery in the extreme when wet), the black volcanic ash, the slabs of stone (you need to lead across), the table top mountains (hair-raising drops and I am sure that, had we had the weather, astonishing views). The villages were beautiful to ride through, take lunch in, stay in overnight: Besalu (wonderful old bridge), Santa Pau (great restaurant), Sant Feliu (tapas in a beautiful square), Rupit (beautiful walk from where we tethered the horses across the gorge to the quaint old village) Tavertet (incredible cliff edge position). The final night in the farmhouse of their friends was special - what a building, so old and characterful. I think there are alternate routes, perhaps depending on the weather, so don't take the website too literally as you may not go everywhere and do everything, but the general spirit of the ride was captured accurately. Yes, we had a few 'moments' where you realise the ride is not 4 horseshoes for nothing, but that is largely because you have to sort yourself out when going unguided and it adds to the satisfaction. This was a well-organised trail by a professionally run outfit and I am glad they trust you with their horses. It also introduced me to Catalonia which was unexpectedly beautiful and good in all kinds of ways. We hope to be back.

Sally & Roger B.