Itinerary description for guest house accommodation Trail Ride 2013
• 3 nights at the Equestrian Centre
• 3 nights in guest houses
• 1 night to Hotel Castle Dracula 3* – Borgo Pass
• 2 nights in 3* hotels in Brasov and Cluj Napoca
Day 1 (D) Arrival at Cluj Napoca airport.
Meet the local driver and transfer from the airport to the lodge in Lunca Bradului, Mt. Calimani.
Dinner and accommodation at the Lodge at the Equestrian Centre.
Day 2 (B,L,D) 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 area) before finally descending to the village of Rastolita, on the Mures Valley.
Dinner and accommodation back to the lodge.
Day 3 (B,L,D) 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.
Day 4 (B,L,D) Ride along the river which feeds the lake and then continue up the Terha Pass* [here we witness the ruins of the 1st WW trenches of the Austro-Hungarian army who kept up the soviet army] 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!
Day 5 (B,L,D) Depart from the Hotel in the morning, after breakfast, and ride across the village areas, inhabited by peasants especially during summertime; also, these areas are used as well for grazing.
Going down afterwards to the Dorna Valley and crossing and old workers' colony, now converted into a small village.
Accommodation to a pension managed by a ranger, at the edge of the Dornisoara village.
Day 6 (B,L,D) Depart towards the main crater of the volcanic massif, where we ride across the largest volcanic calderas in Europe – 10 km long.
We will go along the Vorova little river, up to 1860m, and then we descend to the Valley of Neagra little river, where the Pension from Gura Haitii village will open its doors for us.
Day 7 (B,L,D) After breakfast depart back to our Lodge, passing through the National Park of Calimani Mts, first crossing a deserted sulfur mine, which is undergoing a very complex process of reintegration in nature .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.
Day 8 (B,L)
Depart towards the charming Saxon town of Sighisoara, a UNESCO world heritage site, with its imposing medieval citadel, overlooking the entire Tarnava Valley. Visit Sighisoara, lunch in here, and then transfer to the Sambata de Jos Stud, a farm of Lipizzaner which was founded back in 1992; nowadays, the farm stretches over a total area of 40 ha (of which 30 ha of pasture and 10 ha of arable land and grassland).
Accommodation in the city of Brasov, to the Hotel Casa Wagner 3*.
Free time in the evening (dinner not included).
Day 9 (B, L ) Breakfast at the hotel
2 hours free time for shopping in Brasov.
Visit of the Bran Castle, a national monument and landmark in Romania, and commonly known as Dracula's Castle.
Depart towards Cluj Napoca and stop on the way for lunch to the traditional inn 'Hanul din Ardeal'.
Arrival to Cluj Napoca and walking tour of the city.
Overnight to Hotel Transilvania 3*.
Free diner.
Day 10 (B) Breakfast and transfer to the airport.
Itinerary also operates in reverse
Riding dates 2013:
10 MAY - 19 MAY
24 MAY- 02 JUN
05 JUL -14 JUL
02 AUG -11 AUG
30 AUG - 08 SEP
13 SEP - 22 SEP
27 SEP – 06 OCT
Prices 2013:
2-4 pax = 976 Eur/pers
5-6 pax = 893 Eur/pers
7-8 pax = 864 Eur/pers.
Sgl. Supl. = 133 Eur
Itinerary description for camping Trail Ride 2013
• 2 nights at the Equestrian Centre
• 1 night to a pension near Colibita Lake
• 4 nights camping
• 2 nights in 3* hotels in Brasov and Cluj Napoca
Day 1 (D) Arrival at Cluj Napoca airport.
Meet the local driver and transfer to the Equestrian Centre in the Ilva Valley for 1 night's accommodation.
Dinner.
Day 2 (B,L,D) Ride down to the nearest village, Lunca Bradului and riding through it head up into the mountains of Calimani, part of the Eastern Carpathian mountains. The ride continues into the Fintinel basin, then crosses a few meadows and finally arrives at the camping site. Overnight - camping in Capatina Meadow, at 900m altitude.
Day 3 (B,L,D) After breakfast mount up and head towards Rastolita Basin, crossing a mixed area of forest and meadows with fabulous views looking over to the Calimani and Gurghiu mountains. After a relaxing ride enjoying the view, you'll descend a fairly difficult track to the Rastolita Valley. Then take the road to North on the Valley until you pass by the dam in construction through the forest and come out on a different road. Continue North and stop in the Meadow of Gura Scurtului.
Overnight - camping at Gura Scurtului, near a forestry road.
Day 4 (B,L,D) After breakfast set off on another beautiful day's riding, on Scurtu Valley, reaching the meadow of Poiana Lunga, which at 1300m is the highest point of the day. Continue downhill to Lake Colibita. On the way pass by a little pond called The Fairies' Pond. Overnight: in a local guesthouse near the Lake Colibita – swimming in the lake!
Day 5 (B,L,D) After breakfast ride down and through the village of Colibita then take the Izvorul Lung Valley to reach Terha Pass at 1470m altitude [here we witness the ruins of WW I trenches of the Austrian-Hungarian army which faught against the soviet army]. From here descend along the Dorna Valley until you reach Vorova Valley. Take this valley up East and reach the next campsite. Overnight - camping by the riverside along Prislop Valley.
Attention: you have to dismount for ½ of Km to reach the Terha Pass!
Day 6 (B,L,D) After breakfast depart from the campsite toward Tamau Peak (1862 m) reach the beautiful rock formation called The Red Stones. Then short ride through the meadow where the pic-nic is. After the picnic take a path down the edge of the Calimani National Park border.
Overnight - camping by the riverside, at the border of the Calimani National Park
Attention: you have to dismount 2 times and walk by the horse on a torrent. First to reach the Tamau Peak through juniper bushes and then to descend after picnic to the border of the National Park
Day 7 (B,L,D) Ride towards Calimani Mountain, the biggest volcanic cone in Europe. Then cross a former sulphur mining site, a small mountain village, which was abandoned 15 years ago but which is undergoing an ecological process of reintegration to nature. Continue riding up to the volcanic plateau and then descend to Ilva Valley. Continue along a forest road to the lodge for a further nights' accommodation.
Day 8 (B,L,D) After breakfast depart by vehicle towards the charming Saxon town of Sighisoara, a UNESCO world heritage site, with its imposing medieval citadel, overlooking the entire Tarnava Valley. Visit Sighisoara, lunch in here, and then transfer to the Sambata de Jos Stud, a farm of Lipizzaner which was founded back in 1992; nowadays, the farm stretches over a total area of 40 ha (of which 30 ha of pasture and 10 ha of arable land and grassland).
Accommodation in the city of Brasov, to the Hotel Casa Wagner 3*.
Free time in the evening (dinner not included).
Day 9 (B,L,D) Breakfast at the hotel
2 hours free time for shopping in Brasov.
Visit of the Bran Castle, a national monument and landmark in Romania, and commonly known as Dracula's Castle.
Depart towards Cluj Napoca and stop on the way for lunch to the traditional inn 'Hanul din Ardeal'.
Arrival to Cluj Napoca and walking tour of the city.
Overnight to Hotel Transilvania 3*.
Free diner.
Day 10 (B) Breakfast and transfer to the airport
Riding dates 2013:
07 Jun-16 Jun
21 Jun -30 Jun
16 Aug - 25 Aug
19 Jul – 28 Jul
Prices 2013:
2-4 pax = 929 Eur/pers
5-6 pax = 866 Eur/pers
7-8 pax = 837 Eur/pers
Sgl suppl. = 73 Eur/pers
Rupea Medieval Citadel, view from the road (enlarge)