We had some days off and decided to go on an excursion - where? To the Sierra de Cazorla - how? On a horseback riding route. We started from the well-known Arroyovil olive estate, which boasts one of the most characteristic and impressive views of Spanish olive groves (unknown to me until then).
For horse enthusiasts, the extraordinary stables of thoroughbred products surprise us, now empty facilities as the business didn't yield the expected results. From this place, we set off with our horses to cross the Sierra Mágina, a massive limestone formation we traversed for a full day.
The sparse vegetation, scree slopes and green backgrounds of olive groves amazed us almost as much as the vertigo we experienced riding along a horseshoe path where, if the horses stumbled, only God knows where we'd end up. In this area there's little game - some hares but only in the skirt olive groves, with an occasional vulture soaring above us on this hot April day.
The following days unfolded deep in the Sierra de Cazorla. We arrived with the horses at the village of Cazorla, hanging majestically from the mountainside. We secured a guide who cared for our horses for three nights and led us into the mountains. Our resting place was near the so-called Puente de la Herrería, an ancient crossing where Queen Isabella the Catholic - also on horseback - passed through these mountains with her troops en route to conquer the Kingdom of Granada.
We ascended to Poyo de Mesa, whose summit and cliff offer one of the most impressive panoramic views of these mountains. During our ascent - extremely tough for the horses - we spotted several male fallow deer, some quite impressive. When we occasionally spotted them on flat terrain, we spurred our horses into a gallop after them. Chasing them was just an illusion though, as the country bucks quickly disappeared into the mountains when followed.
Another day we rode the horses to the source of the Tornillo stream, whose rocks form a stunningly beautiful canyon. We can't forget the endemic species of Cazorla during our ride, particularly the surprising Violet, nor the immense forest masses of black pine, associated with junipers and savins. Nor can we omit the source of the Guadalquivir River, more visited than the previous locations but no less beautiful for it.
After five days of trekking, the horses were returned by truck to their places of origin (Montes de Toledo, Ávila and Ciudad Real). Adventure tourism continues to amaze me more each time.
