Spain's Costa Brava Inn-to-Inn Trail

The wild beauty of Catalonia has always brought a lot of admirers to this part of the world. Around the middle of the 19th century the painters enjoyed the hues of the intense Costa Brava green lawns and forests, of the wild and beautiful coastline, of the deep blue of the rivers and the sky as well as the reddish brown to black colors of the lava stones. You will be able to enjoy this the same way as they did, on the back of a noble Andalusian.

It is the contrasts of all these colors which make this region so beautiful. As the colors of the landscape change, Flora and Fauna change in every area you ride through. You will see stone oak, cork oak and pine forests as well as acacias, chestnuts and alders which grow in the humid areas. On the south hills rosemary, thyme, lavender and grapes grow in abundance. Among the valleys you will find olive and almond trees. Wild pigs, martens and foxes roam across the forests while eagles fly the blue skies.

Catalonia has a culture which dates back a thousand years. The romantic architecture of the small villages, churches and monasteries reveals a great past. In the region of Empordá, feudalistic landowners, the catalan aristocracy built magnificent “Masias” and “Castillós”. Still today the northeast part of Catalonia is the wealthiest region of Spain.

The huge contrast in landscapes is seen in the variety of Catalan cuisine. With lots of care, dishes are prepared including fish, game, vegetables and fruit. The noble wine of the cultivated area of the Empordá is too tempting not to try. As a result of the interaction of Mediterranean and mountain climate in this region, you will find ideal conditions for horseback riding the whole year round. In the spring the climate is mild, the summers are not too hot, the autumn pleasantly warm and the winters have clear, not too cold, air.

Catalonia is where the mountains meet the sea. It is a region with lots of different landscapes, mild climate, and is rich in culture and history. It is an unknown part of Spain—worthy to be discovered!