Ride to Cristo Rey – Join Mexico’s Legendary Pilgrimage on Horseback

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Saddle up for a truly soul-stirring adventure unlike any other – where culture, tradition, and horsemanship meet beneath the wide Mexican skies. Every January since 1956, thousands of devout horsemen have taken to the desert trails, riding with purpose to the soaring 23-metre statue of Cristo Rey. And this year, you can ride alongside them.

This is no ordinary trail ride. Whether you're spiritual, curious, or simply passionate about experiencing culture from the saddle, this is full-immersion Mexico at its finest – where the clink of spurs, scent of leather, and rhythm of hooves tell a story that’s been passed down through generations.

You’ll be one of an elite group of foreign riders to join this historic pilgrimage – riding with La Hermandad El Torreón, a proud brotherhood of horsemen who will welcome you into their ranks as one of their own. You’ll begin with a night under the tiled roofs of a beautiful colonial Jesuit hacienda nestled in the rugged Sierra de Lobos mountains – and then the real journey begins.

From the village of El Torreón, the procession is led by the charismatic General Don Rubén Rostro. Dressed in traditional charro finery, you and dozens of fellow riders set out across Mexico’s semi-desert plains. As the hours pass, the pilgrimage swells. Riders appear from all corners of the country, all heading to the same powerful destination: Cristo Rey.

By the third day, the energy is electric. Over 4,000 riders and their horses converge beneath the towering monument on the hill of Cubilete. Hats come off, heads bow, and the silence is broken only by prayers murmured from the saddle. This is the day they remember La Cristiada, and honour a miraculous story – that of young Nicolás García, who rode to Cristo Rey for healing in 1954 and lived a long, full life in the saddle.

After the pilgrimage concludes, we continue our adventure as a small group, riding through and staying in some of the villages and beautiful countryside in the north of the state of Guanajuato. This will give you a taste of real Mexico.

This isn’t just a ride – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime journey that blends the spirit of pilgrimage with the soul of horsemanship. A true Mexican escapade you’ll never forget