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A fascinating horseback riding trail ride in Sicily that takes you through some of the island's lesser-known areas, from the wild Madonie Park to the famous town of Corleone, passing through a rich variety of landscapes, from dense forests to striking mountain views and endless fields of wheat and hay.
SICILY HORSEBACK TRAIL RIDE
INDICATIVE ITINERARY *
Day 1: Arrival in Sicily. Free transfer from Palermo airport or arrive directly at your accommodation: a charming restored 19th century house surrounded by the wild nature of the Madonie Park, with spectacular views over the north coast of the island and the Aeolian Islands. Dinner based on local products and overnight.
Day 2: Casa "Il Bosco" - Piano Battaglia (hours of riding: 7)
After breakfast you will be assigned your horse for the trail and we will set off from Casa "Il Bosco" at about 8.30 in the morning. The day will begin with a beautiful climb up through wild Mediterranean vegetation and woods, with fantastic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. We will continue through woods of holm oak, cork and downy oak to the territory of Isnello. After a picnic lunch, we will begin our ascent on the northern slopes of Pizzo Carbonara, Sicily's second highest mountain at 1979 metres, riding through lush forests of oak, holm oak and beech trees to reach Piano Battaglia, a mountain station located at the heart of the Madonie Park, where you will enjoy a dinner prepared using typical local produce and spend the night at Hotel Rifugio Marini.
Day 3: Piano Battaglia - Agriturismo Mandragiumenta (hours of riding: 7)
After breakfast we will set off at about 8.30 in the morning. We will follow a route through the mountains in the heart of the Madonie Park and reach high altitudes from where you will begin to see Sicily's interior. We will descend towards the historic town of Polizzi Generosa and stop for a picnic lunch, before continuing along ancient paths through rolling agricultural land to reach Agriturismo Mandragiumenta, where you will enjoy a dinner made with local produce and spend the night.
Day 4: Agriturismo Mandragiumenta - Villa Dafne (hours of riding: 7)
We will have breakfast and set off from the farm at about 8.30 in the morning. Today's trail takes us into the heart of Sicily's interior, its "breadbasket" since time immemorial, which is criss-crossed by "trazzere", ancient royal pathways, established by the Bourbons in the 18th and 19th centuries to ensure free movement of livestock and people across the island. We will reach the caves of Gurfa, home of the tomb of Minos, the king of Crete who came to Sicily in search of Daedalus and was killed by the trickery of the daughters of the Sicanian King Kokalo. The caves were used as a temple during the classical era, as grain stores during Roman times, as luxury lodgings during the Arab period, and as stables until 1997. Today they form part of the cultural heritage of the town of Alia. We will stop close to this impressive site for a picnic lunch, before continuing through the territory of Alia to reach Villa Dafne, equipped with a swimming pool. Rich dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Villa Dafne - Case Javuti (hours of riding: 8)
We will have breakfast and set off from Villa Dafne at about 8.00 in the morning, riding through fields, along trazzere and country lanes to reach the San Leonardo river, an important and fast-flowing waterway, which can be difficult to cross after heavy rainfall. We will follow the river valley to reach the Rosamarina dam, where we will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will begin to climb the impressive mountains known as Calamigna, to reach Agriturismo Case Javuti. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Case Javuti - Gorgo del Drago (hours of riding: 7)
Breakfast and departure at around 8.30 in the morning. We will begin the day with a steep climb up Pizzo Trigna (1297 metres), from where we can admire a breathtaking panorama across a vast area of internal north-western Sicily. We will then descend the mountain's southern slopes and cross the agricultural area of Baucina and Ciminna, before arriving at Mezzojuso. We will stop for a picnic lunch and in the afternoon we will ride on towards the village of Godrano, before reaching Agriturismo Gorgo del Drago, set on the edge of the Ficuzza woods and opposite the imposing Rocca Busambra (1613 metres), a huge rocky outcrop and the highest peak in western Sicily. We will enjoy a delicious dinner made using local produce and spend the night here.
Day 7: Gorgo del Drago - Chiosi Country Club (hours of riding: 7)
We will have breakfast and leave Gorgo del Drago at around 8.30 in the morning. The day will begin with a beautiful ride through the Ficuzza woods, established by the Bourbon King Ferdinand in 1799 as his personal hunting reserve, and which, extending across almost 7400 hectares, is one of Sicily's largest and best preserved natural woodlands, and the largest natural reserve in western Sicily. We will then ride through the village of Ficuzza, where you can admire the nineteenth century Royal Palace of King Ferdinand, before stopping for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will ride on through fields to reach Corleone, part of which we will ride through, to reach our final destination, Chiosi Country Club, a quality hotel where we will have dinner and stay overnight, and where our adventure draws to a close.
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast, free transfer to Palermo airport.
* Indicative itinerary: may be changed if necessary. Riding times are indicative.
MEETING:
Free transfer from Palermo airport (flights must arrive between 11am and 5 pm), or directly at the first accommodation.
DEPARTURE:
Free transfer to Palermo airport after breakfast. (Flights must be after 11 am)
FLIGHTS:
Note: arrival at Pelermo airport, departure from Catania airport !
Flights are not included in our prices because it is generally more interesting to book your flights yourself, an inclusive flight package is generally more expensive with agency commissions. However, we are at your disposal to help you find the best flights & rates.
LOW-COST FLIGHTS TO CATANE:
Easyjet from Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Paris-Roissy, Bâle-Mulhouse, Genève.
Ryanair from Marseille.
Transavia from Lyon, Nantes, Paris-Orly.
Vueling from Lyon, Paris-Orly.
Volotea from Toulouse.
RIDING LEVEL: 
Be comfortable at all three gaits outdoors. It is imperative for this ride to have a good experience of progressive Inn to Inn riding, to be trained to ride long days: between 7 and 8 hours in the saddle per day on average on this ride !
RHYTHM:
Between 7 and 8 hours in the saddle per day.
HORSES:
Sicilian or crossbred, well trained, accustomed to the region, live in breeding. The guides clean, dress and saddle the horses.
TACK:
Comfortable English Saddles coated on request of sheepskin, and / or on request western, with hunting collar and croupiere.
GUIDE:
The qualified guide speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and Sicilian.
NUMBER OF RIDERS:
8 riders maximum.
PUBLIC:
From 16 years old. Maximum weight: 90 kg.
ACCOMMODATION: 
In bedrooms: in farmhouses (agriturismos), quality hotels, and simpler mountain refuges.
MEALS:
An assistant prepares nice buffets at picnic places or in restaurants:
Picnic lunch, typical Sicilian dinner in the evening (minimum four litters).
Refined sicilian cuisine based on local products. Evening meals include: starter, pasta, meat, dessert, wine, water and digestif (liqueur, grappa, limoncello or any other choice), coffee or tea. Continental or American-style breakfasts on request. Picnics: fresh bread, salad, cheeses, olives, charcuterie, Sicilian specialties, wines or other drinks on request, coffee or tea. (Meals brought by the stewardship car). Tables, chairs, cutlery are provided. le midi, diner typique sicilien complet le soir (minimum 4 plates).
LUGGAGE TRANSFERS:
By a assistance vehicle.
2025 PRICE / PER PERSON:
In 2-3 person bedrooms: 1990 €
Single bedromm supplement *: 270 €
Booking fees: 15 €
* If you book in shared bedrooms and there is no one to share, the single bedroom supplement will be charged, refunded if a person wishing to share, subsequently registers.
THE PRICE INCLUDES:
Horse and tack rental, guide, assistant preparing meals and transfering luggage, full board accommodation, free transfers from / to Palermo ariport at the fixed times, the financial guarantee of your payments by our travel operator deposit.
THE PRICE DOESN'T INCLUDE:
Individual insurance, tips, personal expenses, drinks out of meals, lunch if you arrive in the morning, any visits and optional activities, travel to / from Sicily, anything not indicated in "the price includes".
INSURANCE (if you don’t already have one):
We offer to European citizens (only) Chapka insurances:
Cap Security: full insurance with cancellation. Cap Cancellation: cancellation only.
See prices & information
FLIGHTS :
Flights are not included because it is more interesting to book directly your ticket: a transport package included is generally more expensive with agency commissions. However, we are at your disposal to help you find the best prices or to offer you a flight included package on request (free service).
| Dates | From | Infos | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 1990€ | SOLD OUT | Information request |
| - | 1990€ | LAST SPACES | Information request |
Efficient pick up at airport . Lovely welcome at our first night accommodation which was the base for Wild Sicily. The food was delicious. The owners were first class ride guides. They established our riding requirements and matched us with our horses.
I cannot speak too highly of the quality and nature of all of the horses. They were forward going and their stamina was incredible. They were sure footed and an absolute pleasure to ride. The terrain was incredibly challenging in parts, but the horses coped easily. This trek provided me with riding opportunities I had never encountered before, however, I trusted my horse, Elena, implicitly with my and her safety. As a group we were all located within the ride to suit the nature of each horse, which meant they were very content.
They were well looked after and their health was as important as our own.
The staff were very attentive to our requirements. They had great attention to detail to ensure we all had a memorable holiday. I would say that it is very important to do as the guide instructs, never overtake the front guide a, or any horse in front. Each evening, when we arrived at our accommodation, we were taken by one of our guides who stayed with us until we were allocated our rooms.
Again, they ensured that we were happy with our accommodation and had what we needed. Every day we were given a briefing on our next days trail.
By the very nature of the trail ride, some accommodation was quite remote and much more simple than other hotels we stayed in. Overall , the accommodation was good, clean and the food was excellent. Huge portions at meal times.
I hadn't expected this holiday to be as physically challenging as it was and the long distance covered. I did have a few aches, however, I felt the experience had increased my rider confidence. Our lunch time meal was provide by Giovanni, who did a great job. He also transported our luggage for us. The scenery was interesting, varied and, in parts, spectacular. The ride around the crater on Etna, was a once in a lifetime experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday, the other guests were great company and our guides, the staff were first class.
Cap Rando services: Didier, was very efficient and ensured that we had all the necessary documentation. He kept us fully informed to the rapidly changing regulations during the covid crisis and spoke with us and the owner to ensure we had arrived safely.
The team were very welcoming and addressed all questions with patience
Everything was arranged with great attention to detail.
When I asked for a fast horse I did not realise that Viola had at least three "go faster" stripes ! Her energy and fitness levels were amazing and she always had something left in her tank even after a very long day.
Tack: This was all fine and in good order.
Great care and consideration was shown towards each rider. Requests to stop for a break were always accommodated.
Accommodation: one of the places was not as good as the others, though I quite understand why it was used as there was literally nowhere else that we could have stayed en route. The room was not clean and the bathroom smelled really badly. Three of the stops were absolutely excellent and the food was so good everywhere we stayed !
This was an excellent holiday for someone who is really fit and enjoys contrasting countryside and the sense of seeing a hidden part of the island. Some of the views were amazing. I loved the WhatsApp group that was set up so we could share photos.
I did not deal directly with Cap Rando myslef but Elaine felt that we were kept in the loop at this difficult time. I do feel that there could have been more information as to just how fit you needed to be for this holiday and of the need for more warm and waterproof clothing.
This riding holiday takes you through amazing contrasting terrain on extremely fit horses with knowledgeable and considerate guides who attend carefully to your needs.
The staff was : More than excellent !
Horses generally and your horse specifically was: Excellent - Nice and safe, in good condition
Tack generally and your tack specifically was: Excellent
The accommodation(s) was / were: Excellent
Your stay was : Excellent. Very good, it was a perfect riding holiday
Cap services were General feeling : Excellent. I booked the trail from Sweden and I thougt it would be difficult - but it was not !
Cap Rando booking confirmation & informations
Provided documents were : Excellent