Cabalgatas La Sierra

Ride through high pine forests, rolling meadows and sugar cane fields. Explore fragrant woodland, valleys and streams with panoramic vistas of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Your base in this remote and beautiful part of central Mexico is Finca Enyhe, a lovely hacienda style house. Pepe and Lucia are the owners of Finca Enyhe and one or other will usually accompany each ride. Their knowledge of the country, the flora and fauna adds a great deal to the ride.
You ride at heights of between 1,800m and 3,000m and experience a wide variety of microclimates with different flora and fauna; from the high pine forests to the sugar cane fields below and all that lies in between.

The horses are Trakehner, Thoroughbred/ Quarterhorse crosses and Mexican Criollo ranging from 15 to 17 hh.

A real highlight between November and mid-March is a visit to the Monarch Butterfly sanctuary. Here millions of butterflies that have migrated from eastern Canada survive the winter by clinging to the fir trees.

Accommodation at the Finca is in very comfortable and spacious twin or double bedded en-suite rooms, beautifully furnished in a colonial Mexican style. These are surrounded by lush gardens with an amazing variety of plants, flowers and fruit trees. The picturesque town of Valle de Bravo with its cobbled streets and many small restaurants and bars is a short walk away.

CLASSIC RIDE
This is a circular trail through the Sierra Madre Mountains and the surrounding meadows and valleys. At the end of each day's ride the horses stay out on the trail and you are transferred back to the comfort of Finca Enyhe where you can relax with a margarita or tequila by the swimming pool. On most days the ranch sends a vehicle but in the centre of the mountains there is a large lake and on the furthest day you come back by boat. Lunch is a picnic served out on the trail.

RELAXED RIDE
On the Relaxed Ride there is an average of three hours riding each morning with the afternoons free to visit the town or simply relax at Finca Enyhe. It may be possible to ride again on some afternoons. The pace is slower and more relaxed than on the Classic Ride but still with some trots and canters.

COOKING FIESTA RIDE
This is a Relaxed Ride where four afternoons are entirely for cooking lessons so that you can learn how to cook Mexican traditional dishes and enjoy tasting them at dinner time.

Itinerary

Please note that the itinerary may change depending on the weather at the time and other local conditions.

Classic Ride Itinerary

Relaxed Ride Itinerary

Classic Ride Itinerary

Saturday
We recommend that you arrive in Mexico City at any time today. We can arrange accommodation for you the Hotel Marriott Reforma or various other hotels in the 'Zona Rosa' district of Mexico City. Please let us know if we can book a hotel for you; the cost of this night is not included in the ride price.

Sunday
Your transfer to the start of the ride will depart from Hotel Marriott Reforma at 08:00 sharp. If you have not stayed at the Hotel Marriott Reforma, you will need to make your own way to this hotel in time for the transfer. You will then be transferred by car to Finca Enyhe in Valle de Bravo. It is a journey of around two and a half hours to Finca Enyhe from downtown Mexico City.
After settling into your room and having an orientation of the Finca, you choose your type of saddle, meet your mount and have a trial ride in the arena. After lunch you have a short two hour ride to "Monte Alto" which is the hillside just behind the Finca. Thereafter you are free to relax poolside or in a hammock and soak up some of the warmth of the sun with a margarita made to an old family recipe. Dinner each evening is served on time at 7:30pm.

Monday
Begin each day at 7.30am with a delicious Mexican breakfast and always leave the Finca by 8.30am. Today’s ride (c. 5 hours) takes you across agricultural valleys and forests. Stop on the trail for a picnic lunch which usually includes a camp fire on which tortillas are warmed as are fillings for your tacos. After lunch ride on to reach 9,000 feet and the village of Los Saucos. The horses will stay here overnight and you are taken by car back to Finca Enyhe to spend the late afternoon relaxing by the pool or wandering around the town. After dinner there is a talk about monarch butterflies in preparation for a wonderful experience at the butterfly sanctuary next day.

Tuesday
After breakfast, transfer by car to Los Saucos. Today’s ride (c. 6 hours) includes a visit to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Ride where between November and the end of March only you have the opportunity to spend some time in the presence of the mysterious and wonderful Monarch butterflies in the forest. Continue riding until lunch and later through meadows and valleys and along riverbanks until you reach Rancho La Compañia, one of the oldest ranches in the area, where cockerels and quarter horses are bred.
From here transfer back to Finca Enyhe by car where a refreshing margarita may be waiting for you by the pool.

Wednesday
Return to Rancho La Compañia. Today’s trail (c. 6 hours riding) takes you past two lakes on the property before winding its way to the top of "La Sierra de Juan Luis" from which you have fantastic views three thousand feet below. At this point you may feel a change in the temperature. This is due to the temperate wind that blows in the "Tierra Caliente" which warms this part of the mountain. Your picnic lunch is set out next to El Peñon, the huge rock formation that gives special character to this chain of mountains. After lunch you pass another large rock formation, El Coloso, then ride through El Manzano, a small agricultural valley and finish the day’s ride in Cerro Gordo. A car will take you back to the Finca, where dinner will be, as always a delicious three course meal with coffee afterwards.

Thursday
Upon arrival to Cerro Gordo, your mount will be ready to start today's ride (c. 6 hours). You will be riding thousands of feet above Zacazonapana town and experience breathtaking views from the periphery of the mountain range. Lunch is served in another magnificent spot called El Divisadero (meaning a place from where you can see). In the afternoon reach another viewing point from which you can see all that you have covered on horseback over the past few days as well as the route ahead. As you begin your breathtaking and memorable descent, you can appreciate outstanding views of the lake and of Atezcapan. A truck transports you to a local boat, waiting to transfer you across the lake to Valle De Bravo. From the boat you will be able to see La Peña where the Aztecs came to make human sacrifices. The boat ride takes about 25 minutes and is a lovely way to end the day.

Friday
Begin the day by crossing the lake by boat to meet your horses for today’s ride (c. 6 hours). Ride for a couple of hours in what is known as "Tierra Caliente", the type of land for which Mexico is famous. Here there is no forest or shade, just a vast open valley, planted and ploughed in a traditional manner without the aid of tractors or machinery. Fresh winds begin to blow as pine and oak trees gradually start to shade the path. Finally you will glimpse the rocks set out for a fireplace and you will know that lunch time has arrived. Ride on through forest, where Spanish moss hangs from the trees.

Saturday
The ride is shorter today (c. 3.5 hours) as you ride back to Finca Enyhe in time for lunch. During the day you ride through the main street of San Francisco Mihualtepec and see how local people live and maybe find out how the traditional "barbacoa" or "carnitas" are cooked. These are traditional meals prepared only by men. You also ride through Rancho Santa Rosa, the largest ranch in the area. If you are lucky you may be able to see how the horses that are bred in this ranch are trained for show jumping.
In the afternoon there will be time to visit the town of Vallee de Bravo and do some shopping, or enjoy the facilities on the property and have a massage session in the comfort and privacy of your bedroom. The centre of town is just a short 10 – 15 minute walk away and armed with a map it is a great way to explore the artisan market, the zocalo or maybe head to the lakeside and enjoy a cold beer as you look out across the waters.
At 7.30pm there will be a mock cock fight in a corner of the garden. It is entirely up to you whether you decide to watch it or not, but if you do then you will be treated to an unusual opportunity to watch the cocks fight but come to no harm, as their own natural spur is protected with a mini boxing glove. After the three rounds of cock fights you will be taken into town to enjoy a farewell dinner (payable locally) in a beautiful restaurant located in an old colonial building. You will need to pay for this in cash (US Dollars, Mexican Pesos or Euros). Credit cards are not accepted at the restaurant.

Sunday
Breakfast will be served at the slightly later time of 8am. Your transfer to Mexico City international airport/or your hotel leaves at 9am, arriving at around noon or just before depending upon traffic.

Relaxed Ride Itinerary

Saturday: Arrive in Mexico City at anytime today (or it is also possible to arrive on the Sunday before noon in order to be ready for an early afternoon pick-up) and transfer to your hotel. We can arrange accommodation for you the Hotel Marriott Reforma or various other hotels in the 'Zona Rosa' district of Mexico City. Please note that this night’s accommodation is not included in the ride price, but we are happy to help with making reservations.

Sunday: You will have most of the day free to explore Mexico City. Meals in Mexico City are not included.
Your transfer to the start of the ride will depart from Hotel Marriott Reforma at 5pm sharp. If you have not stayed at the Hotel Marriott Reforma itself, you will need to make your own way to this hotel in time for your transfer. You will then be transferred by car to Finca Enyhe in Valle de Bravo. It is a journey of around two and a half hours to Finca Enyhe from downtown Mexico City.
Meet your hosts and settle into your rooms before dinner. Later there will be a short briefing of what to expect during the week.

Monday to Friday: Breakfast is served each morning at 8.30am and at 9.30 you meet the horses and try the tack in the riding arena before going out for the three hour ride that will take place every day.

Return each day to Finca Enyhe to have lunch, which will always be served at 1:30 pm.
Every day the afternoons are free. During the week two trips are organised and included. The first one is a visit to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary (this trip is only offered from November to March). A second trip is a tour around the lake by boat.
There are many other options for the afternoon:
-    You could have an additional two hours riding at no extra cost.
-    Enjoy the gardens as well as the swimming pool and heated jacuzzi.
-    Visit the town and the handicrafts market.
-    Sign up for any of the outdoor activities that are offered in town such as mountain bikes, trekking, bird watching, kayaking, boat trips, parapenting and hangliding (tandem flights).
-    Play golf in one of the three 18 hole golf courses located in town.
-    Pamper your body with a treatment in the nearby spa.

Bookings and payments for all these alternative activities are made directly to the provider of the service.

Last but not least is a farewell dinner in a typical restaurant in town on Friday night. Please note that this dinner is not included in the ride price and you will need to pay for it in cash (US Dollars, Mexican Pesos or Euros). Credit cards are not accepted at the restaurant.

Saturday: Breakfast will be at 8:00 am, half an hour earlier than the previous mornings. Your transfer to Mexico City will be at 9 am, arriving to the international airport approximately at around 12 noon, depending upon traffic.