RIDING HOLIDAY
8 days | 7 nights

DEPARTURE DATES
April to October

ALL INCLUSIVE

NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS

Overview

This eXperience lead us through meadows and forests of the Carpathian Mountains and their foothills.

At the foot of the Carpathians is the village of Sinca Noua, “New Shinca", a small and picturesque village of some 2,000 inhabitants. Time stands still here, shepherds take their flocks in the mountains as they did for centuries, in the evenings cows and water buffaloes are brought back from the pastures to the village and there is little noise except the buzzing of insects and the twittering of sparrows and swallows. Hoopoes, bee-eaters, black storks or lesser spotted eagles are commonly sighted and the area has an incredible richness of flowers in all colours.

This is a centre based programme which means you ride out on different planned trails everyday but you will pass most of your nights at the farm. In one of the evenings, we have the opportunity to watch brown bears from a bear-hide in the forest. This eXperience includes a 2 day trip with an overnight stay in tents. One day you will learn about the rich history of Transylvania on a trip with a minibus through the medieval villages and towns. During the 2 day trip you will ride through some beautiful Carpathian forests before reaching a mountain settlement where you set camp and spend the evening at the campfire.​

The ride is mainly on grass-covered paths and trails and forest roads. Sometimes, you come across tracks or markings of bears, occasionally even of wolves.

You will ride through the foot of the mountains in the first two days, pass the village of Viscri with its famous fortified church, UNESCO World Heritage Site, pass through Transylvanian forests and visit Dracula’s castle in this trail focused riding holiday.

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival.
You will be picked up from Bucharest airport and transferred through the spectacular mountains to the guesthouse in Sinca Noua. You will receive a welcome drink, a great dinner and will spend the evening with the staff to prepare the week.

Day 2 and 3
Trips over the hills and into the mountains.
After breakfast you will be shown around the farm and introduced to the horses. Soon you take off for a first ride along the meadows and through the forests at the foot of the mountains. The hills offer a fantastic view over the area and the meadows invite for some first trot or canter. You will be stunned by the variety of wild flowers and we might already come across tracks of bears or wild boar. There are lots of possibilities for canters over the meadows. Lunch breaks are made on beautiful meadows with spectacular views and return in the afternoon back to the stable. After dinner, you have the choice to watch video presentations about the research and conservation projects, which the Prombergers have carried in recent years. You might also opt to spend the evening at the willow pavilion on the open fire place or have a drink at our bar.
One evening, you will have the possibility to visit a hide in the forest not far from the farm, where the chance to see wild brown bears is very high.

Day 4
Rest for the horses and the history of Transylvania.
Today the horses have a rest and you will experience the true history of Transylvania. You will leave Sinca Noua and have a car trip for about two hours through sleepy villages to the north, until reaching the medieval town of Sighisoara, one of the cultural centres of the Transylvanian Saxons.
Thereafter, you continue to 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. You will be served a traditional Saxon meal with food from own the own gardens and home-made wine and plum brandy: Thereafter, you visit the fortified church, stroll through the village and return back to Sinca Noua until the evening. The farm guide is passionate about the history of Transylvania and once you have spent the day there, you will be as well.

Day 5 and 6
50 km round trip through the Transylvanian forests.
A 50 km round trip lead you through the endless forests of Transylvania, home of the large carnivores. You will pass through forests and cross beautiful mountain meadows, will have the possibility for some long canters and arrive in the afternoon in an area, where people’s life has changed little since the Middle Ages. Their little mountain farms are still being worked with oxen or horses, people lack even facilities such as running water or electricity. Camp is being set for you at one of these farms with a fantastic view around. You will enjoy a rustic dinner cooked at the campfire and have a long evening around the fire to tell stories. If you don’t fancy camping out in tents, the farm owners are happy to pick you up after dinner (20 min walk is necessary) and drive you to the guesthouse for the night and back again the next morning.
The next morning you pack our stuff and ride along forest trails and roads through the wild forests of Transylvania. You can enjoy the spectacular view over the Carpathian Mountains and tracks of wolves or bears are commonly found along the trails. In the afternoon, you arrive back at the guesthouse.

Day 7
A ride through time and a visit to Dracula’s castle.
On your last ride for the week, you ride for about 3 hours in a loop around Sinca Noua through wild forests, beautiful meadows, enjoy canters and great scenery. You are back for a late lunch, to continue in the afternoon to the nearby Bran castle, commonly known as Dracula’s castle. However, you will learn that the history is much more exciting than the legend…

Day 8
Time to say good-bye.
After breakfast you pack your luggage and you are being brought back to Bucharest.

Additional information

In case of bad weather forecast we reserve the right to change the 2 day trip into 2 single day trips with overnight at the guesthouse. If rain would not allow a full day of riding, the Riding Club can offers alternatives to riding.

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

Under normal conditions, we can offer a trip to a hide in the forest, where there are good chance to observe wild brown bears, foxes, or possibly even wolves from a hide. This is, however, a service from the Forest Administration and they charge €30 p.p.

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Carpathia Forests & Bears

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