Transylvania Trail

After being introduced to the horses, we will leave Şinca Nouă, ride along the valleys and over the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains towards the plains of the Olt River valley. We pass several Romanian Villages, have our first long canters through the fields and cross the Olt River just before we arrive after about 6 hours at our destination in Hălmeag, where we will stay in the houses of local people. 

29 km distance

We will ride along the Olt River from Hălmeag to Șona, where we will enter into the hills of Transylvania. We ride along a beautiful ridge with marvellous views to the Fagaras Mountains and reach our goal of the day in Cobor, an old Hungarian village in the middle of the Saxon area. Today, we ride a total of ca. 5,5 h hours and will start to experience the beauty of this ancient land. In Cobor, our hosts run a conservation project, which includes the development of an organic farm with emphasis on biodiversity conservation. In Cobor, our hosts run a conservation project, which includes the development of an organic farm with emphasis on biodiversity conservation and the traditional restoration of some of the abandoned houses. We stay overnight in one of these new-old guesthouses for the next two days.
 

26 km distance

Full-day ride (6 h) around Cobor with stunning views, fast canters, and rich birdlife: We are likely to see bee-eaters, hoopoes, great grey shrikes, stone chats, or lesser spotted eagles. In the late afternoon we are back in Cobor and can chill out in the old stables or in the cellar bar. 

Ca. 30 km distance

Full-day ride (7 hours) over the hills to Viscri, our destination for the next night. Viscri is probably the famous most Saxon village in Transylvania with a stunning fortified church, and the UK based Mihai Eminescu Trust (under the patronage of Prince Charles) has restored the village in its original setting. We stay in the old farmhouses, which are transformed into little guesthouses, and enjoy the traditional Saxon cuisine. In the evening there is time to explore the village. 

38 km distance

In the morning we explore the fortified church in Viscri, enjoy the beautiful view over the village, and have a lunch before we go. In the afternoon, we ride over the hills to a log-house on a big meadow in the forest near the village of Jibert. Stunning scenery and great canters all along the way. Today is a rather fast but shorter ride, ca. 3 – 3,5 hours. We get a great dinner and will enjoy the relaxing
atmosphere of the Transylvanian countryside. 

22 km distance

Today is our last day (ca. 6 h), but there are again plenty of canters over the hills and through the forests. Eventually we arrive in the Olt Valley, have a beautiful ride along the ridge through ancient oak pastures and descend from there through the forests towards Halmeag, where our ride ends. Here we enjoy a snack and a bus takes us back to Sinca Noua and also our horses get a transport back home. Surprise dinner in the evening. 

34 km distance

After a last breakfast, the minibus takes us back to Bucharest for our flights.