High Alps Cross-country

Today we take off to our first ride of the week. After a rich, regional breakfast we will go and find the horses on the meadow. The ride will start with a short introduction after brushing and saddling the horses. The path will lead us through thick spruce forests downhill to the valley. We will pass small alpine streams, blossoming meadows and will reach a small summit (1350m) after two hours riding. With a beautiful mountain panorama we will enjoy our lunch from the saddlebags. The way back leads through the species-rich alps, occasionally meeting grazing cattle. We arrive home – seeing the smoke from the chimney of the Hot Pot. After the horses are taken care of, the rest of the schedule will be relaxing: Bathing, reading, picking mushrooms or herbs, sitting at the bonfire – you will find your perfect way of closing the day. In the evening we will meet up for dinner at the rustic log house. 

Rinding duration: ca 4 hours

After breakfast and gearing up the horses we will start our second ride. Riding downhill and passing rustic farms we will reach the source of the river Olt, the second largest river in Romania. The horses and riders can refresh with the cold water to be ready for the steep path up to 1450m height. Discover the forest with all your senses: searching animal tracks on our path, listening to the undisturbed nature sounds, smelling the resinous trees, feeling the sun (or rain) on your skin and tasting wild seasonal berries. Lunchtime will be at a deer stand where we can see the summits of the near familiar mountain range from a different perspective. 

The evening invites us bathing, sitting at the bonfire and again a delicious dinner. 

Rinding duration: ca 4 hours

The start of the third ride will lead us to the already familiar valley of Kovacs Peter. Uphill we will follow narrow, entwined adventures forest paths. When the woods are thinner in some spots, we will let the horses have fun and gallop on the soft forest ground. We enjoy our saddlebag picnic at the summit of ‘Sipos’ (1564m) on a picnic bench. We can rest in the sun while the horses have their own lunch break on the alpine meadow. 

Riding duration: 5 hours

The adventure begins! The extra hind saddlebags have enough space for our sleeping bags and luggage for our night at the ‘Lonely stone lodge’. We saddle the horses and start walking downhill to the valley. Even after the refreshing cold water of the creek, climbing the main ridge of the caparthian mountains will be physically demanding, even for our trained horses. The spectacular view will reward us for the hard work and will give the horses time to take a deep breath. 

After another 1,5 hours riding we will reach the well known ‘white meadow’, which is named after all the white limestone on the ground. It is located deep in the beautiful landscapes of the Hasmas nationalpark in front of quaint mountain panoramas. Many shepherds and cowherds are grazing their animals on the alpine meadows in the warm summer months. Maybe we have a chance of meeting a wild herd of Csango horses that are living free in the nationalpark. 

The paths will get rougher further uphill and we will be nearly above the tree line. The summit cross of the ‘Großlauch’ or ‘Nagy Hagymas’ is near, but we will be patient until tomorrow. Stepping out of the forest, we reach a special spot near the steep cliff. This is the perfect scenic photo background and the horses are happy to have a snack break, if they are not posing for pictures themselves. 

Downhill we will hike until we reach a spring to fill our bottles and let the horses drink. The hut we will spend the night won’t have flowing water, but the most spectacular sundowns that will paint the cliffs of the ‘lonely rock’ in fiery colors. The rooms are set with bunkbeds and sometimes lead to a nostalgic class trip atmosphere. 

Early in the morning we will visit an alpine dairy (June-September) where we can watch the shepherds milking and can learn about the making of the local handmade cheeses. The visit will give a hint about the sometimes hard and lonely life that the alpine shepherds live. 

Finally we will climb the summit to 1792m height and the view will give us a feeling of being above a tiny world to our feet. We can see the villages of the Csik Basin and in clear weather we can spot the Fagarasch mountain ridge on the horizon. If we are lucky we can see some chamois goats at the rocks downhill. Here we and the horses will a well deserved breakfast, that somehow tastes extra special with this spectacular panorama. Sharp eyes can spot the houses of our ranch down at the neighboring mountains, that now look toy sized. 

We will lead the horses on small paths, normally only used by goats and sheep, back to the ‘white meadow’. Open spaces at the plateaus will invite us to long gallops. We cross the high alps of ‘Tunseria’ and after leading the most steep passages downhill, reach the valley. The horses know the routes better than anyone and sense, that home is near. One more time they gather their strength and hurry towards their herd. 

Humans can take a hot shower before dinner and our animal friends will be happy to take a ‘bath’ in the sands before joining their family on the homey meadow. 

Today we take it easy to round off our exciting week. After we have all slept in, we saddle our horses and ride on the plateau of Pongraz, we have lunch in a restaurant. On the way home, some great gallops over sandy paths are waiting for us. The evening ends romantically around the campfire and you have time to share your experiences and review the week.

After a hearty breakfast, we will drive you to Gheorgheni, from where you will start your individual journey back home.