Weeklong Trail from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Horseback Riding Adventures l Cañada de la Virgen Pyramid & Cultural Tours l Balloon Flights l Adventure Tours l Adventure Packages l Price List l Videos l Contact Us l FAQs

Weeklong Horseback Riding Excursion

Our weeklong horseback trail riding adventure is a hundred times as exciting as what we get to experience on our daily rides. It is 5 nights of camping and 6 days of riding in the Guanajuato sierra, that may be dry like in an old Western movie or green and blooming depending on the time of the year that you want to held it.

We have repeating customers that enjoy a brand new adventure every time our horses lead us out of Guanajuato city. All our customers agree on one thing, though: this is a life-changing experience, and there surely will be tears in your eyes when you approach the beautiful skyline of San Miguel de Allende at the end of the week.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Riding Ability - it is not necessary to have riding experience in order to participate in this adventure, more important is to have a good enough level of fitness to be able to withstand the physical demand that this excursion entails. Although this adventure is suitable for beginners, rest assured that it is also both exciting and challenging for experienced riders as well.

Types of Horses - our horses are a mix of Quarter-horse and Mexican Mustang. This is the preferred breed for working cowboys in Mexico as this particular breed contains both the noble and level-headed attributes of the American Quarter-horse along with its powerfully built body and keen "cow-sense", yet also contains the tough-as-nails mountain horse qualities of the Mexican Mustang.

Pace of Ride - the pace of the riding varies as much as the variety of the terrain. Although the majority of the time we maintain a constant and steady pace in order to cover as much territory as possible, we also have plenty of scenic rest stops along the way. There are also plenty of opportunities to gallop and you can even flat out race at full speed at times!

Tack - the Mexican charro saddle and tack have the same basic structure and design as Western tack with some differences in the detailing.

Weight Limit for Riding - 200 lbs

Camping logistics - CCA provides tents, sleeping bags, inflatable mattresses, folding chairs and tables, lanterns and flashlights, portable showers and toilets, as well as a full kitchen crew. Your tents can be set up in advance of your arrival, however most people prefer to set up their own tent in the location of their choice. All meals, bottled water, and other non-alcoholic beverages are included during the riding portion of the travel package.

Your Horseback Guides - your trusty guides are 3rd and 4th generation cowboys, cattle ranchers and expert horsemen who will lead us carefully and safely throughout our six days of riding.

ITINERARY

Day 1

Your mexican riding adventure begins in Guanajuato's bull fighting arena. Here you will receive an overview of the day's ride and instructions. After getting acquainted with your horse we comence our ride which first takes us throughout much of Guanajuato, down into its underground tunnels and through it's gorgeous downtown district. After crossing town we make a brief rest stop next to the Presa de la Olla reservoir. From this point we head up a historical Camino Real once used to access some of the oldest mines in the state.

We continue to climb further up the mountain named Cerro del Santo Niño which means mountain of the holy child until we climb over it and eventually wind our way down a ravine on the other side. This ravine named "Las Playitas" will be our campsite for the night. By the time we arrive to camp our kitchen crew already has cold beer, tequila and appetizers ready and waiting for us. The rest of the evening can be spent relaxing around the campfire, enjoying a delicious mexican barbecue dinner, enjoying the company of both old and new friends, and gazing at the amazing starry night.

Day 2

The next morning the kitchen crew has coffee ready by 08h00 and breakfast is served by 09h00. After breakfast we pack our things, tack up our horses and begin our ride by 10h30. We wind our way further down the ravine and into the rolling hillsides and valley below. Eventually we reach a very small town called La Sauceda, known for its delicious home style cooking at its several road-stop diners. After enjoying both a delicious meal and a few ice cold beers we continue across the valley on our way to our next campsite at the skirt of the mountain named El Misterio del Chorro, which translates as The mystery of the mountain's spring. This name refers to a mountain spring that in found high up in the mountain. However it will not be until the following day that we will be able to discover what mystery this mountain holds.

Day 3

Our third day of riding will take us high up into the mountains where we explore dense oak, encino, and pine gallery forests. We stop and rest in these forests and at scenic lookouts along the way. Then after ascending close to the summit we come to discovery what secret lay hidden in this mountain for the last two hundred years. We cross over the Misterio del Chorro and continue to ride until we reach the small rural community named Joya de Cortés. This name refers to a extremely valuable jewel that the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés gifted to pay homage to to the Virgin of Guadalupe for saving his life by healing him after being bitten by one of the worlds deadliest scorpions, the Centruroides Limpidus, or Striped Bark Scorpion. After a rest stop in La Joya de Cortés we continue further and set up camp for the night in a nearby valley.

Day 4

The following day we head over rolling hills and semi-desertic chapparral with Coyote Canyon as our destination. We travel through a cattle ranch known as La Lobera or The Wolves Lair and stop for a break and a swim in its reservoir. Then we continue on our way until we reach the rural village of San Isidro de la Cañada. In San Isidro we stop to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal in a little casita on the edge of the Cañada de La Virgen which translates as Canyon of The Virgin (of Guadalupe). It is said that the canyon and its river (La Virgen) were named this way because of a geode that campesino found which when split open revealed the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in its crystalline interior

After our delicious meal we head down into Cañada de la Virgen, until we reach its river and make a rest stop on its river bank. Those who wish can take this second opportunity to jump in for a swim and cool off. We then cross the canyon and work our way up and across the high desert plains. From this vantage point we are able to see in the distance a 1600 year old pyramid and archeological site which was built as an ancient solar and lunar clock and calendar, and something more.

After traversing the plains we once again work our way back to the edge of the mid section and most dramatic part of the canyon, this is the section of the canyon named Coyote Canyon. Now on its northern rim we stop on it's dramatic cliff faces to admire the spectacular views and to begin to prepare psychologically for the abseiling challenge that awaits you on these same cliffs the following day.

Afterwards we wind our way down to a section of Coyote Canyon named Los Alisos because of the Alder trees that grow along the river in this deepest part of the canyon. It is in this densely wooded part of the canyon where we make camp for the night, and it is here that if you listen closely you may hear the howls of the wild coyotes that are found in this area.

Day 5

The next morning we break camp earlier to ride to the homestead of a very old fashioned neighboring ranching and farming community named Boca de la Cañada. It is here that you will have the opportunity learn about life on a traditional Mexican cattle ranch and farm. One of the first chores of the day that the cowboy must execute promptly and efficiently is that of milking the cows. You will have the opportunity to watch, learn about, and to help the cowboys with this important task. From there we will take that milk into the home of Doña Beatriz to watch and learn how fresh ranch-style cheese is made daily from this same milk. We will also learn how traditional corn tortillas are made, and be served a delicious, home-cooked ranch-style breakfast with these and other fresh and organic ingredients.

After breakfast we head back to the sheer cliffs that we briefly visited the day before, only now rather than descending into the canyon on horseback, you will be doing so by abseiling down the face of its impressive 50 meter cliffs.

After this exciting challenge and highlight we now spend the rest of this day fully exploring the impressive canyon both on horseback and on foot. During this day there will be opportunities to swim in the mountain spring and rain-fed river, and to hike along it's banks in search of the naturally occurring geodes which contain beautiful quartz crystals inside.

Day 6

After having breakfast and breaking camp we now head for our final destination, San Miguel de Allende. We make this last journey by way of a neighboring canyon where we will find a truly magnificent tree, outstanding for its dimensions, beauty and longevity. This Montezuma cypress (sabino or ahuehuete) is located in the community of La Huerta, on the bank of the Rio Laja near the Presa Allende dam. The perimeter of the base of its trunk measures more than 10 meters and its foliage provides ample shade for those who approach the spring that flows from its roots. Oral tradition and some documents indicate that it dates from the first wars of the Conquest, in the 16th century. The stories say that, after a bloody battle in the Puerto de Calderón in 1531, the indigenous people sued for peace and resolved to build a chapel dedicated to Christ of the Conquest.

The stories say that, after a bloody battle in the Puerto de Calderón in 1531, the indigenous people sued for peace and resolved to build a chapel dedicated to Christ of the Conquest. And there at the edge of the spring, they planted a tiny Montezuma cypress brought from Acámbaro, as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. This story could well be true, since we know of specimens of this native species (Taxodium mucronatum) that are more than 500 years old, such as the famous Arbol de Tule in Oaxaca, or in Mexico City, the Arbol de la Noche Triste(the Tree of the Sad Night) and some historical Montezuma cypresses in the Chapultepec Forest. Like them, the great Montezuma cypress of La Huerta is an imposing and silent witness of the history of its territory.

After resting under the shade of this great tree we comence the last stretch of our amazing journey along a historic train route along which Mexican revolutionary Fransisco (Pancho) Villa had a secret hideaway. This route takes us along the banks of the Presa Allende reservoir and to a spectacular scenic lookout from where we will be able to survey the whole panorama of the vast territory we covered throughout our ride.

Finally we head into the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. We explore one of it neighborhoods, its Benito Juárez Park, and it's gorgeous historical/downtown district where we conclude our ride in the main plaza with its iconic gothic cathedral as the backdrop.