| Day 1 |
| Transfer from the airport to the lodge in Lunca Bradului, Mt. Calimani. Dinner and accommodation at the Lodge at the Equestrian Centre.
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| Day 2 |
| Depart after breakfast to the nearby village of Lunca Bradului. Continue to the Fintinele Valley, riding through a mixed landscape of meadows and forest, scattered with trenches from WW II (there were battles between the Germans and the Russian Red army in this are) before finally descending to the village of Rastolita, on the Mures Valley. Dinner and accommodation in a guesthouse in Rastolita.*
*Accommodation in our Lodge – the clients will be transferred by car to our Lodge for tonight’s accommodation due to the poor state of tourism in the village of Rastolita. (20 minutes by car) You will be transferred back to Rastolita after breakfast the following day to meet your horse and continue the ride.
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| Day 3 |
| Depart in the morning to Lake Colibita, riding on an old path used by shepherds to take their flocks to the higher mountain pastures. On the way experience an incredible landscape and change of geographic shapes and arrive to the lake in the evening. Dinner and accommodation in a guesthouse by the lake.
(The Red Rooster Pension 3*)
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| Day 4 |
| Ride along the river which feeds the lake and then continue up the Terha Pass* and along the ridge to reach Borgo Pass at the end of the day. Borgo Pass is famous from Bram Stoker’s book “Dracula”, being the starting point of Jonathan Harker’s exciting experience in Transylvania.
Tonight will be spent at the Hotel Dracula 3*, which offers magnificent views over the nearby mountains.
*Attention: you have to dismount for ½ a Km to reach the Pass on a steep torrent!
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| Day 5 |
| Depart from the Hotel in the morning after breakfast on Dorna Valley until you reach Vorova Valley. Take this road up to Tamau Peak (1862 m) and continue on the ridge passing by a beautiful rock formation called “ The Red Stones”. Pic-nic in the meadow nearby and descend to the edge of the National Park of Calimani.
Accommodation in a guest-house at the border of the National Park, at the end of the village Neagra Sarului.
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| Day 6 |
| After breakfast depart back to our Lodge, passing through the National Park of Calimani Mts, first crossing a deserted sulphur mine, which is undergoing a very complex process of reintegration in nature by a German company. You will see the miners’ houses and a unique scenery of surface mining, surrounded by beautiful mountains… Continue on forestry roads through the mountain until you reach Ilva Valley and our Lodge.
Accommodation in our Lodge at the Equestrian Centre
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| Day 7 |
| After breakfast depart from the equestrian centre on a 2:30 hours drive to visit the charming town of Sighisoara, with its imposing medieval citadel, overlooking the entire Tarnava Valley.
Overnight at a 3* hotel in the citadel.
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| Day 8 |
| Breakfast and transfer to the airport. |
| Accommodation |
| The lodge, where 2 nights and the penultimate are spent, is located right outside the mountain village of Lunca Bradului, in the Ilva valley. The lodge was originally built as a holiday home, but over time, it has been adapted to suit the guests' needs with en-suite bathrooms and central heating. Once on the trail accommodation is in guest houses apart from one night at the 3* Dracula Hotel and the final night's accommodation which is in a 3 star hotel in twin rooms with en-suite facilities.Food in this rural area is mostly organic and locally grown with numerous regional specialities. Breakfast can include eggs, cheese, cold meat, bread, butter, jam, milk, tea, and coffee. Lunch is generally a picnic during the ride, with sandwiches, biscuits, and fruit. |
| Horses |
| Non-riders are welcome and can travel in the support vehicle.
There are 17 horses, most of them Romanian Sport Horses, a local breed descending from the anglo-arabians and a few local crossbreeds which have been adopted along the way, each of them with their fascinating story..
Western, English GPs and endurance saddles are used on all horses.
A general weight limit of 100kg (15st7lbs) applies to this ride.).
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| Practical information |
| Intermediate upwards. These rides are suitable for confident novices as well as more experienced riders. Riders generally should be able to control a quiet horse in open spaces at walk, trot and canter. We try to match groups to a similar overall level of riding ability. The rides take place over a variety of terrain, including mountains, and do involve some fairly steep climbs and descents. Whilst the horses are sure-footed and sensible, these rides generally are not suitable for very nervous riders. It is, of course, possible to dismount and lead one’s horse down the steeper descents. If you are in any doubt, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the suitability of these rides to you.This ride is suitable for children aged approximately 12 years and upwards, provide that they are experienced riders and have sufficient personal maturity. Romania is a very child-friendly country, and makes an interesting visit for young people as well as adults. All children below 18 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is an experienced rider, and who takes personal responsibility for the conduct of children in his or her charge at all times. In general, the centre try to organise separate rides for one or more family groups riding together. The best airline to fly with is Whizair who have flights between BCN & LON and Cluj-Napoca. Transfers between Cluj-Napoca are included.
Alternatively you can fly in to Bucharest and we can arrange train travel or auto transport including sight-seeing from there. Please note you will need to allow for an overnight train journey.
You may wish to leave a gratuity of up to £25 / 40 euro / $50 per client to be divided amongst the staff . If you wish to leave gifts, we recommend small, light items such as printed tea towels illustrating the area where you live or other such inexpensive gifts of local interest. You will not need to tip the staff making the transfers in Bucuresti if you buy them something to eat or drink when you visit a restaurant or bar. Otherwise, you may at your discretion leave a gift or a small sum of around 10 RON (around 3 Euro). It is normal practice to offer a tip not exceeding 10% for good service in restaurants, also in bars where you are served at your seat. There is no need to tip railway staff, except for the sleeping car conductor if he helps carry your baggage, in which case 2 RON would be appropriate. |
| Prices and dates. |
| 2-4 people £1085. 5-6 people £905. 7-8 people £820. SIngle supplement £105.
26 June - 3 July, 24-31 july, 4-11 September, 2 - 9 October. |
