37.809532861574, 14.50604715
Horseback trail ride that allows you to cross the whole north-eastern Sicily (the famus Val Demone) through the four parks of Madonie, Nebrodi, Alcantara up to the Etna. A trail in the greenest and wildest part of Sicily.
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: Cefalù - Casalvecchio - 7 hours on horseback.
Breakfast and departure at 8:30 am. You start your horseback riding tour in Sicily, crossing an area of dense Mediterranean vegetation with magnificent views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. You ride near Castelbuono and picnic, before starting the ascent of the Pollina river valley, one of the most fascinating, wild and panoramic places, and the least known in Sicily, between the territories of Castelbuono, San Mauro Castelverde and Geraci Siculo. You ride on forgotten trails to your evening Agriturismo. Hearty dinner based on farm produce and overnight.
Day 3: Casalvecchio - Monte Soprano - 7 hours on horseback.
Breakfast and departure at 9 am. From the farm, you follow an old panoramic trail, which passes to the border of the provinces of Palermo, Enna and Messina, reaching an altitude of about 1200 m. You then pass under gigantic wind turbines, then you enter the woods of the Sambughetti-Campanito reserve, where you have a picnic. Once out of the reserve, in the territory of Nicosia, then Cerami, you arrive at the farm "agriturismo", on the slopes of the Nebrodis mountains. You can relax in the swimming pool before dinner.
Day 4: Monte Soprano - Cesaro - 7 hours on horseback.
The real adventure starts, you enter the heart of the Nebrodis Park, the wildest territory of the island, along a ridge that runs along the ridge of the mountains on a path of about a hundred kilometers between forests and high mountain pastures. A place full of charm, with extraordinary views: to the north on the Tyrrhenian Sea and its Aeolian Islands, to the south on the Sicilian interior provinces of Agrigento, Enna, Caltanissetta, Catania, Siracusa ... and Mount Etna which dominates the whole area. You enter the territory of San Fratello, the territory of the famous Sanfratellani horses, an indigenous breed of very strong and resistant horses, which can be admired in the wild. Lunch will be taken in a small clearing in the shade of the trees. You will arrive in the afternoon at the hotel where you will enjoy a dinner based on local products.
Day 5: Cesaro - Montecolla - 8 hours on horseback.
A 40 kilometers day ride, which crosses mountain forests and bypasses lakes. You arrive at Lake Maulazzo, dominated by Mount Soro, the highest peak of the Nebrodis Mountains (1847 m), with peaks covered with magnificent beech forests. You pass through the Biviere de Cesarò lake, a bird migratory stopover. You continue on the ridge, alternating lush forests and scenic glades, where you can see to the north: the Aeolian Islands, and to the south the imposing peak of Etna. You arrive at the beginning of the evening, tired but full of grandiose landscapes engraved in your head, at your hotel: an old house at an altitude of around 1400 meters, where a hearty dinner awaits you based on typical dishes of the region.
Day 6: Monte Colla - Malvagna - 8 hours on horseback.
Breakfast and departure around 8 am. After leaving the farm and its cherry crops, you enter the forest again and descend into the valley where the Alcantara river is born. You ride up to the village of Floresta (the highest in Sicily, at 1273 m above sea level), then follow the mountain ridge to the megalithic site of Argimusco (recently classified as a UNESCO site), where the picnic awaits you. In the afternoon, you descend through the centuries-old woods of Malabotta to the small typical village of Malvagna, just in front of Mount Etna. Dinner and overnight in a farmhouse.
Day 7: Malvagna - Etna North - 7 hours on horseback.
Breakfast and departure around 8 am. After leaving the village, you descend into the valley of the Alcantara river, which you cross near the small gorges of Malvagna, to then go up on the northern slope of Etna. You enjoy a picnic break, then you continue to climb through the woods and lava flows, to a refuge at an altitude of 1844 m. Depending on the season, the weather and volcano activity, you continue your ascent to the craters of the great eruption of 2002. Dinner and overnight in a refuge, in the middle of a majestic forest of larix pines.
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast, free transfer to Catana airport.
* Indicative itinerary: may be changed if necessary. Riding times are indicative.
MEETING:
Free transfer from Palermo airport at the end of afternoon, or directly at the first accommodation.
DEPARTURE:
Free transfer to Catania airport after breakfast.
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 rates or to offer you a trip including transport on request: free service.
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 quatres services).
LUGGAGE TRANSFERS:
By a assistance vehicle.
2024 PRICE / PER PERSON:
In 2-3 person bedrooms: 1900 €Single bedromm supplement *: 260 €
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 Palermo ariport (arrival) and to Catania airport (departure) at 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 1900€ | FULL | Information request |
| - | 1900€ | FULL | Information request |
| - | 1900€ | LAST SPACES | Information request |
| - | 1900€ | FULL | 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