RIDING HOLIDAY
8 days | 7 nights

DEPARTURE DATES
June to September

ALL INCLUSIVE

NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS

Overview

Discover the culinary delights in the Carpathian Mountains and explore the pristine nature on horse-back.

Get yourself spoiled with delicious, organic food and Romanian fine wines, liqueurs, and homemade juices and enjoy easy days riding through an ancient land.​

Enjoy easy, but forward going horses and travel on horse-back through the ancient meadows and forests. Learn about biodiversity and wildlife of the area and see the authentic rural life that locals still live here.

On some of the afternoons, you will embark on excursions to some of the secret highlights of the region: Once you will visit the 500 ha organic farm of Foundation Conservation Carpathia in Cobor, which forms part of one of the most interesting conservation projects of Eastern Europe. You will get insight into organic farming, which is based upon biodiversity conservation, and the managers of the farm will invite you to a very special gourmet dinner made from their own farm products. One another day, you will go for a light afternoon walk in the breath-taking gorge of Piatra Craiului National Park. Enjoy sun-downers from nearby Magurice hill and on one evening, you will have the possibility to visit a hide in the forest not far from the Riding Centre, where there is a very high chance to see wild brown bears in the forest.

One day, you will eXperience the true history of Transylvania. you will be driven for an hour to the north, until you reach the village of Viscri with its famous fortified church, UNESCO World Heritage Site, from the times of the invasion of Turks. It is just a gravel road, which gets you the last 10 km to Viscri, a settlement of the German minority, founded 900 years ago. In 1990, most of the villagers have left to Germany, but a small number of people stayed to continue their traditional life. Prince Charles, who visited the village many times, is a great admirer of the village.

There after, the trip continues to the medieval town of Sighisoara, one of the cultural centres of the Transylvanian Saxons. The citadel of Sighisoara is today the only inhabited citadel in Europe, you will stroll around the village, have a light lunch in a coffee bar, and experience the medieval architecture of this East European culture. Your guide is passionate about the history of Transylvania and once you have spent the day there, you will be as well. On the way back you stop at an old fortified church in a medieval village for an exciting gourmet dinner.

This one week eXperience offers 3-4 hours in the saddle during 5 days and a cultural day with a visit to the famous fortified church of Viscri and the only inhabited citadel of Europe, Sighisoara.

This tailor made holiday is framed by some of the best culinary eXperiences the region has to offer with a high emphasis on home-grown, organic food and drinks, refined to tasty highlights.

Programme Outline

Day 1
Arrive in Bucharest until 16:30 the latest, transfer to the farm, welcome drink and fine dining in the evening. After dinner you will get a short introduction into the week.

Day 2
After a delicious breakfast with lots of fruits and vegetables from the farm's own garden, with home-made bread, butter, yogurt, honey, hams and bacon, and some eggs from own chickens, you will go for a 3-4 hour ride along the Stramba ridge through old oak forest with a good chance to see tracks of wildlife or wildlife itself. Have a great outside lunch on Magurice hill (weather permitting). Afternoon extensive guided tour through the farm, the vegetable and herb garden and to see all the animals on the farm. You will go back up to Magurice hill for a sun-downer and will have an evening fine dining again upon return.

Day 3
Enjoy once more the delicious breakfast buffet. After that, you go for another ride 3-4 hours through the hills and the forests of the surroundings. In the afternoon, you will be driven for a good half an hour to Piatra Craiului National Park, where you will do an easy hike along the spectacular Zarnesti gorge. Back in the late afternoon, you will embark on an excursion into the Stramba Valley, where you will stay 2 hours on a hide in the forest with very good chances to observe wild brown bears. Gourmet dinner back at the farm.

Day 4
One day you will taken to experience the true history of Transylvania. You will be driven for an hour to the north, until reaching the village of Viscri with its famous fortified church, UNESCO World Heritage Site, from the times of the invasion of Turks. It is just a gravel road, which gets you the last 10 kilometres to Viscri, a settlement of the German minority, founded 900 years ago. In 1990, most of the villagers have left to Germany, but a small number of people stayed to continue their traditional life. Thereafter, you continue to the medieval town of Sighisoara, one of the cultural centres of the Transylvanian Saxons. The citadel of Sighisoara is today the only inhabited citadel in Europe, you will stroll around the village, have a light lunch in a coffee bar, and experience the medieval architecture of this East European culture. On the way back you stop at an old fortified church in a medieval village for an exciting gourmet dinner. Back at the farm at night.

Day 5
Morning breakfast, thereafter 3-4 hour ride over the hills and through the forests of the surrounding area. Lunch at a nice spot with great view (weather permitting). Afternoon to your own disposition, you can read a book at the farm's willow pavilion or stroll around the village. You will be driven up to Magurice hill for a sundowner (weather permitting) and enjoy a great gourmet dinner thereafter back at the lodge.

Day 6
Another great breakfast, followed by a 3-4 hour ride. After return, you will have a quick lunch at the guesthouse, before you leave to Cobor. Here, Foundation Conservation Carpathia runs an organic 500 ha farm with horses, cattle, and free-ranging pigs. You will get a guided tour through this beautiful model farm and you will have a gourmet dinner there for the evening. Back at the farm at night.

Day 7
By now you know the routine with breakfast buffet and a 3-4 hour ride thereafter. Weather permitting, another picnic will be set up to you at a beautiful location, before you return to the lodge in the late afternoon. For those who are interested, a trip to a cave close-by can be organised, where you will have to walk with rubber boots and torches through the cave until you get out on the other side. Final gourmet dinner in the evening.

Day 8
A last delicious breakfast before the bus take you back to Bucharest.
Please select a flight not earlier than 14:00.

Additional information

In case of bad weather forecast we reserve the right to change the order of the programme, as we always want to select the best days for you to be out.

Beverages for dinner are included in the price, drinks at the bar have to be paid separately.

By the end of the trip, you will get a bottle of your favourite liqueur, a glass of your favourite jam/honey, and a package of your favourite cold-cut.

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Carpathia Gourmet Ride

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