Riding week through the picturesque Romanian Carpathians. Find peace and relaxation, let your soul dangle. During the Hasmas National Park Ride you will explore the idyllic, hardly populated surroundings of the riding farm on 6 riding days in a star shape. It is situated in the middle of the mountains and surrounded by forests. You will also undertake a 3-day packhorse ride with overnight stays in tents in the middle of the beautiful Hasmas National Park. You will get to see the most famous attractions of the national park like the dolinas of Poiana Alba, vertical caves, steep chasms and ledges and with a little luck also the half wild horses that live there in the mountains. In the evenings, a warm, saltwater-filled bath tub with mountain views is available for relaxation. You will enjoy the typical local cuisine at a high, ecologically based level. Your four-legged riding partners are sure-footed, balanced Lippizaner Mix horses and mountain ponies. This program is also suitable for less experienced riders for whom a longer ride is too intensive.
New is our Winter adventure over New Year's Eve and in January - a week of fun in the snow! And in the evening, warm up in the sauna or hot tub...

Itinerary

Hasmas National Park Ride (8 days)
The 6-day trail ride over the peaks of the Eastern Carpathians. Over hill and dale stone to remote areas, to the farmers in Gyimesi valley, to high peaks along the main ridge of the Carpathians. This trail gives you a first-hand insight into the life of the mountain people of the Tschangos in a countryside where time seems to have stood still. You will climb summit after summit of the Harghita Mountains on the back of the courageous horses and ponies and will repeatedly encounter small and larger challenges along the way, which you will have to conquer together with your four-hoofed friends. This trail is ridden with pack horses, as the overnight camps are sometimes inaccessible by car in the wilderness.

Day 1: After your individual journey to Gheorgheni, we will take you on an adventurous cross-country ride to the trail riding farm, which is hidden in the middle of pure nature in the mountains of the Eastern Carpathians. With a bit of luck, you might spot a elk, capercaillie or even a bear on the way. Once you arrive at farm, the hot tub invites you to relax in the hot salt water. After getting to know the horses and settling into your room, the cook will treat you to an original Szekler dinner in the rustic log cabin.

Day 2: After breakfast, you will go on a test ride. Today you will get to know your horse and the equipment. The route takes you to the main ridge of the Carpathians. Enchanting views await you. Back to lead you ride the horses steeply downhill to valley before returning to your home at farm on a small romantic path through creek, forest and meadows. In the evening, you sit down together again over dinner and discuss the most important points of the adventure in more detail. After dinner, as always: sauna and hot tub to stand ready. The next few days will be long and challenging for your muscles, so you can really pamper yourself once again. Riding time approx. 4 hours, 30 minutes on foot

Day 3: Early the next morning you meet for breakfast in the rustic log cabin. You then collect the horses from the extensive meadows. The packhorse is packed with the essentials needed for the next 5 days.
Then it's off you go! You first climb the main ridge of the Carpathian Mountains. steep you ascend to the foot of the "Red Stone" (approx. 1500 m), where you take your first short break. You then follow stony paths through the Hasmas National Park to the so-called "White meadow", which is named after the countless white limestones and rocks. With a bit of luck, you will come across the semi-wild Csango herd of horses, which occasionally invite you to gallop across the wide meadow . Then you leave to rear and to lead the horses past the "Schwarzlauch" down to village Haromkut, or "Three Wells". The path is stony and steep, and the descent takes around 45 minutes. In Haromkut to lead people still live a very traditional life. The so-called "Csangos", who are settled here at the foot of the "Schwarzlauchs" (1771 m), to lead lead a tranquil life. Most of the families here are still self-sufficient. Many things are still done by hand here, such as tilling the fields and the annual hay harvest. The horse is an integral part of the working life of the population, as it is used to transport wood, hay, and last but not least as a means of transportation. Today you will spend the night with a family on a small farm. While a traditional dinner is being prepared, you can visit a geological feature of the village; the "warm spring", which never s below a temperature of 4 degrees even in the cold Harghita winter. Afterwards, we recommend a visit to the village pub. While the cows are milked next door, we sit down at the table with the locals, enjoy our beer and the atmosphere in this beautiful place. Completely without WLAN, completely happy and also a little tired.
Riding time: at saddle approx. 4 hours, on foot approx. 1 hour 

Day 4: You leave the village and roam the meadows where sheep and cows graze during the day. After a refreshing gallop across the meadow , you enter the Ilya Gorge. You ride through its fairytale-like forest and steep cliffs for around two hours. Finally you reach the Ilja Pass at 1170m above sea level, where several shepherds spend the summer with their flocks in the dairies making cheese. Here you can often see the semi-wild herds of horses that roam freely across the alpine pastures during the summer. In winter, they are used for logging, among other things. Afterwards to ride you will descend to Gyimesi valley, where you will sleep in a comfortable guesthouse with a small wellness center. Riding time: approx. 6 hours 

Day 5: The most scenic riding day awaits you today! After a climb up the main ridge of the Carpathians, you reach the plateau of Terkö and Öcsem (1707m), from where you have an impressive view of the Harghita Mountains. In good weather conditions, you can even see the "Fagarasch" mountains in the distance, where the highest peaks in Romania can be found. A challenge follows: you have to climb down the steep rocks of the Shepherd's Stone. But you can rely on sturdy shoes with a good profile and you will reach a small, cozy guesthouse at the foot of the Carpathians, where a sauna and a jacuzzi invite you to relax. Riding time: around 6 hours at saddle plus a guided tour of around 60 minutes 

Day 6: After a hearty breakfast to ride You climb steeply up to the plain of "Fekete Rez" (1568 m). Here, too, you will come across a number of summer pastures with animals. Then you descend through dense spruce forests to the idyllic village of Marosfö, where you spend the night with a farming family who have converted their farm into a nice little guesthouse. The hostess will take care of your physical well-being and prepare dinner on the outdoor terrace by the open fire. The small guesthouse is equipped with comfortable double rooms with a bathroom so that you can take a hot shower. In the evening you can take a walk through village and have a beer in the pub to drink . Riding time in saddle about 4 hours and on foot about 30 minutes

Day 7: On the last day of riding, the first leg of the tour is through village, up to the plateau of "Fekete Rez". From here you continue through forests to "Lok Nyereg", where you stop for lunch and the horses can graze next to a dairy. Freshly fortified to ride you follow winding paths through a spruce forest. The route is ideal for a long gallop. There is a reintroduction center for brown bears nearby, so the bear density here is unusually high and you will come across several tracks along the way and, with a bit of luck, even spot a bear. Just before you reach your home at farm , the horses have to give their all once again. The path from valley up to Hipparion Farm is steep and sometimes impassable with muddy paths. After unsaddling the horses, it's time to relax. If you like, you can take a dip in the hot tub, enjoy the farm's fresh cake or simply relax in a deckchair and let your gaze wander over the surrounding mountains, which we have traveled over the past few days together with our four-hoofed partners. In the evening, you will meet again for dinner in the log cabin. Riding time: saddle approx. 5 hours, on foot approx. 30 minutesSubject to change.

Day 8: Departure after breakfast. The off-road vehicle will take you safely back to valley in Gheorgheni, from where you will start your individual journey home.

Transylvania Rides (6 days)

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the Berghof. This is secluded in the woods in front of an idyllic mountain panorama. The accommodation is rather basic. There is no electricity here. The wood-heated outdoor showers provide a special shower experience at forest. The horses live freely on the grounds around farm. Dinner together and discussion of the Riding tour. Overnight stay in stove-heated shared rooms or in a Mongolian yurt.

Day 2: Once you have divided up the horses and found your partner for the week, you groom and to tack up the horses and set off. Today you climb the main ridge of the Carpathians. Once you reach the top at "Lo Havas", you stop for lunch and enjoy a picnic on a high alpine pasture, where sheep and cows roam in summer. The route continues to the summit "Csofronka" and from there to lead you ride the horses downhill and mount up again at a bear station at valley . The last part of the route takes you along a romantic forest path, which is repeatedly crossed by a small mountain stream. Return to Riding centre, bathe in the hot tub or sit around the campfire and spend the night. Riding time approx. 4.5 hours.

Day 3: Before the first sunrise to tack up You'll be on horseback today. You will see the mountains as an ordinary tourist never gets to see them. You spend the first part of the 5-hour ride in silence, listening only to the sound of the horses and the sounds of nature all around you. After galloping through the dew-covered spruce forest, you reach a high plateau. From here you have a fabulous view of the sleeping world and the main ridge of the Carpathians. After 2.5 hours of riding you reach the summit of the "Great Sipos" at 1568 meters. Take a break there and enjoy a tasty picnic while the horses graze. The way back leads downhill along a forest path to valley in Covacipeter. One last brisk gallop for today and you reach your home at Ranch around lunchtime. After a long siesta and coffee and cake, wellness is back on the agenda in the evening, followed by a delicious dinner.

Day 4: On this day, you will climb to the summit of the "Grosslauch" at 1800 meters. A long day of riding awaits you, so you only have a quick breakfast in the morning before setting off. You first take the horses to lead downhill to valley, where you stop at a small creek and let the animals to drink rest. Then you head uphill along stony mountain paths to the rock of the "Red Stone". You enter the Hasmas National Park.
You rest on the high alpine pasture during the lunch break. Back in the saddle of our Carpathian ponies, you soon reach the high pastures of the "White meadow", which takes its name from the countless white limestones. It lies in the middle of the protected Hasmas National Park against an idyllic mountain back . In the warm summer months, numerous shepherds and cowherds move their animals across the endless expanses of this uniquely pristine landscape. If fate favors you, you may also come across the semi-wild Csango herd of horses that roam the mountain pastures up here. The soft pastures invite us to take a refreshing gallop before we climb to the top of the mountain at around 1800 meters on the back of our horses. We head back home via the high pastures of "Tunseria". The horses have to be led downhill once again to valley . Our horses give their all over the last few meters, because they already know that home farm is not far away. After unsaddling and caring for the animals, you can rest and relax your muscles in the hot tub or sauna. In the evening, dinner together again in the log cabin. Riding time approx. 8 hours

Day 5: After a hearty breakfast, you have time to relax on the mountain pasture. The tranquillity of nature, broken only by the occasional snorting of a horse or the bellowing of a stag, will make you forget your everyday life at home fast . In the afternoon, you meet up for our ride into the setting sun. To do so, you will visit another high mountain pasture with a small peak from where you have a great view of the Gheorgheni basin. Towards the slow setting sun to ride you take a small single trail through the forest summer pasture up to the plateau. Up here you can enjoy a glass of wine to drink and take some great souvenir photos on the black stones of the summit. With the last rays of sun you reach farm, where a campfire is already waiting for you. The evening ends with conversations around the crackling fire.
Riding time approx. 3 hours

Day 6: After breakfast, the off-road vehicle will take you safely back to valley in Gheorgheni and it is time to say goodbye.

Winter Adventure Transylvania Ride (8 days)
On this winter vacation, you will experience the turn of the year on horseback amidst the unique nature of the Eastern Carpathians: Rides through enchanted winter forests, brisk gallops through the snow and spectacular mountain panoramas. Ride your fluffy horse through the untouched snow and experience a winter like in a fairy tale. Secluded in the mountains, you will stay in cozy, stove-heated rooms in a former farmhouse, spend the crisp, cold winter evenings chatting and listening to guitar music in the rustic log cabin, relax in the salt-water-filled hot tub, enjoy the hearty kettle goulash prepared over the campfire and get to know the winter landscape of Transylvania during entertaining hours at saddle . Watch the flakes dance in front of the windows covered in ice flowers, marvel at the meter-long icicles on the gutters and smell the scent of gingerbread and mulled wine, which brings back nostalgic childhood memories. A romantic ride in a traditional horse-drawn sleigh rounds off this riding week. This vacation is also aimed at accompanying non-riders.

Day 1: Arrival in Gheorgheni and transfer to the trail riding farm in the Eastern Carpathians. Once you arrive at farm, the hot tub invites you to relax in the hot salt water after a long journey. After getting to know the horses and settling into your room, the cook will treat you to an original Szekler dinner in the rustic log cabin.

Day 2: After a hearty, typical regional breakfast, you will collect the horses from the winter pasture together. You then go on a first familiarization ride to "Magas Bükk" (1380 m), from where you have a wonderful view of the snow-covered mountains and valleys all around. You return to farm at a brisk gallop through the deep snow. Once there, you can warm up with mulled wine and coffee in the rustic log cabin or in the hot tub. The evening ends romantically in the log cabin by the open fire with music and good conversation. Riding time approx. 3 hours

Day 3: Today you climb the "Little Sipos" at 1458 meters. Before starting the ascent, you will stop off at a mountain farm where you will have the opportunity to try the typical local cheese. Back at saddle , the trail leads you through romantic snow-covered spruce forests on small, winding paths uphill to the summit, where you stop for lunch. On the way back to farm , you will come across the source of the "Olt River", the second largest river in Romania. After you have watered the horses, you return to your mountain farm across a snow-covered meadow. Cooking and a get-together around the campfire under the starry night sky round off this wonderful riding day. Riding time approx. 4 hours

Day 4: After a hearty breakfast and saddling up the horses, the high mountains await you: Imposing rock formations, rugged cliffs and picturesque, snow-covered mountain panoramas await you on the way to "Csofronka". Once you reach the top, take a lunch break on a small plateau with a wonderful view of the entire Hargita Mountains, Lake Murderer and the distant glaciers of the Kelemen Alps (2100 m). The way back invites you to take a short gallop or two. Back at the mountain farm you can enjoy the sunset over the mountains in the pleasantly warm salt water with a glass of wine or beer. Riding time approx. 5 hours.

Day 5: This riding day takes you to valley, past idyllic farms and through numerous small mountain streams. Once you reach the bottom, a warming campfire with coffee, tea and mulled wine awaits you in a small forest clearing. The return trip is a lively gallop back to the mountain hut. Riding time approx. 3.5 hours

Day 6: After enjoying a hearty breakfast with local specialties, you will take a sleigh ride through the snow to the neighbouring farmers. In the afternoon to tack up you take the horses for the last time and go for a ride through the magical snow-covered landscape. Back at farm , it's time to put on your headlamps! It is an unforgettable experience to walk through the dark winter forest to ride, which is only lit up here and there by the glittering snow and the glow of the moon. The evening invites you to chat by the fire, bathe and relax. Riding time approx. 4 hours

Day 7: One last time today to tack up you take the horses. You to ride over snow-covered meadows and fields to a vantage point from where you can get a bird's eye view of the towns and villages below. On the way back, the trail climbs steeply uphill through the thicket until you reach a small path that leads you back to your home farm . Riding time approx. 3.5 hours

Day 8: After breakfast, the off-road vehicle will take you safely back to valley in Gheorgheni, from where you will start your individual journey home.

Subject to change without notice.

Accomodation
Hasma's national park ride:
3 nights in cozy, stove-heated double and multi-bed rooms on the trail riding farm in the mountains
4 overnight stays in guesthouses and simple farms

Transylvanian rides:
Overnight stays in cozy, stove-heated double and multi-bed rooms on the trail riding farm in the mountains or in Mongolian yurts.
The shower house at forest, just a few steps from the guest house and the yurts, has two bathrooms with shower and WC, a changing room and a relaxation room.
A sauna and hot tub to stand are also available to guests after a long day at saddle .

Saddle & Tack: German military saddles with saddlebags.

Experience: Transylvanian rides: The rider must be confident in all basic gaits and have a good, athletic basic condition. The horses must be led downhill on some passages.

Horses: Lipizzaner, Lipizzaner mix and mountain ponies, stick between 1.35 and 1.70m, the horses live outside all year, are very well balanced, sure-footed and reliable.