Dionysus Trail - North Macedonia

Debs who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. BRILLIANT - EXCEEDED ALL MY EXECTATIONS ! | The riding was, for me, the perfect combination of :-
Distance per day - enough riding without being overtired - and not feeling like "oh, I wish we could have gone further......"
Terrain - Varied and truly beautiful. We rode to the top of mountains to take in the stunning vistas and along remote tracks through many vineyards. The profusion of yellow flowers & red poppies growing between the rows of vines was a 'kaleidoscope' of colour. Skylarks sang in the air above our heads and other birdsong followed us where-ever we went. You could stop, breathe-in these peaceful moments and truly feel alive. The rush of modern-day life ebbed away.
HORSES - were the star-of-the-show. Sure footed, gentle spirited with a strong work ethic. Their unique fast walk, covered great distances with speed and in a smooth gait. They were fit, hardly ever broke a sweat and always ready for some exhilarating canters. Some of these were very fast. But I never felt unsafe as the guides had a great way of balancing great fun and safety.

I was very sad it was all coming to an end on our last day. I WOULD DO THIS RIDE AGAIN !

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

The accommodation exceeded all expectations. Considering some of the remote places we rode in, I was very pleasantly surprised at the high level of accommodation. Often in boutique hotels, with their own vineyards and wines on the table with the evening meals. All of these wines were described to us. Their pride in their produce was well-justified.

The food was absolutely fantastic. The Macedonian people take great pride in 'bringing you into their world' of fine, honest, wholesome freshly prepared food. Alex, the tour's dedicated chef, prepared wonderful meals. Alex takes great pride in what he does and we were always fed well and to a high standard. Picnics at tables in vineyards, in fields near the honey bees and in farm homestead gardens. Table cloths, cutlery, wine cooling, glasses and dinner plates. How did he do it !! I was very surprised I only put on 4lbs after this holiday !!!

How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?

It was listed that accommodation did not offer hairdryers. I took mine and never needed it, as there were hairdryers in every place.

I could have had a little more space in my suitcase for 'another' bottle of wine to bring home 🙂

How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?

N/A : ITS as efficient and helpful as always

Do you have any other feedback for us?

I cannot sing the praises of this holiday enough. BOOK IT !! You will not be disappointed.

Vasco, the owner (and our Guide) of Sherpa Horse Riding is incredibly hard-working and proud of his holidays and rightly so. I rode with him 3yrs ago on his Miyak Tribe Trail (which was great too) and I was keen to experience the (new) Dionysus Trail.

Vasco has had to find/plan this new route and places to stay along the way. Arrange visits and wine tasting at many high-class vineyards (and he's learned about the wines/grapes too). As well as ensure there were safe-places for our horses to rest and graze in the evenings. How does he do it ?

Vasco's horses are fit, well fed, well cared for and up to the job. The Western tack promotes a good, relaxed seat and the neck reining means you can ride the horses on a relaxed rein, allowing them to do their job unhindered. This is less tiring for the horses and the riders.

Vasco's team of guides and grooms worked tirelessly and always with a smile. They patted and praised the horses and treated them with kindness/respect. After riding the horses were immediately led away, untacked and given hard feed, then allowed to graze, roll and rest. ALL of this is very IMPORTANT to me.