We GUARANTEE you won't find the same horse riding holiday at a lower price through any other source... and if you do, we promise to refund the difference!
from £1,195 or €1,385
Rates are quoted per person sharing.
Choose your currency
Note: Rates are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations, please refer to our ‘Terms & Conditions’ for full details.
Included – All riding, your guide, full board accommodation (excluding drinks), return airport transfers minimum 2, if only one there is a 195Euros supplement).
Excluded – International flights to Romania, drinks & sightseeing during the ride & tips.
Transylvania Trail: Getting There
International flight to Bucharest.
Transfer
We can pick you up at Bucharest, which is approx. £80 per person each way, based on 2 sharing or there are frequent trains from Bucharest to Brasov the nearest town and a transfer from there to the start of the ride.
The Transylvania Trail is a fixed date departure. However, if you wish a tailor-made holiday, please contact us as we may be able to facilitate.
9-15 April, 23-29 April
7-13 May, 21-27 May
4-10 June, 18-24 June,
2–8 July, 16-22 July
30 July-5 August, 13-19 August
27 August–2 September, 10-16 September, 24-30 September
8-14 October, 22-28 October
Remember our Horse Riding Holidays GUARANTEE. You won’t find these Horse Riding Holidays (or any of our Horse Riding Holidays) at a lower price through any other source… and if you do we will refund the difference.
If you are looking for fantastic countryside riding, over miles of open grasslands without a fence post in sight, this Transylvania Trail could be your perfect horse-riding holiday. This unique ride is in Transylvania at the centre of Romania, not far from the town of Brasov, where daily life has changed very little in the last 100 years. Horses still plough the fields and remain an important mode of transport for villagers to get about their business.
Your Transylvania Trail hosts are a real Count, Count Tibor Kalnoky and his wife Anna and they are part of one of the most ancient families of Transylvania. Their history reaches back to obscure medieval times. In 1252 AD the Kalnoky family was documented in this eastern part of Transylvania. The current 25th generation Kalnoky family came back after 50 years of exile in the West and are now reshaping their lost heritage, which adds in another cultural intrigue onto this Romanian adventure.
Let us not forget that Transylvania is also closely associated as the homeland of Count Dracula but is also part of the dramatic history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and boasts well-preserved Medieval villages and excellent Romanian wine, which you can see and enjoy as you ride through this beautiful, untouched part of Europe.
Transylvania Trail Horses – Locally bred horses, including the Huzul, a historic and robust breed unique to the Carpathian Mountains, Semigreu a Lipizzaner-Ardennes cross and some locally bred Lipizzaners and Arabs. They range from 14.2hh to 16.2hh. They are sensible and forward going horses.
Transylvania Trail Level of Riding & Pace – Intermediate plus riders only. You will be riding for 4 – 6 hours a day, therefore you do need a good level of fitness and you should be able to canter under control in open countryside.
Tack – English with GP saddles and snaffle bridles.
Transylvania Trail Weight Restriction – 90 kg / 14 st / 200 lbs.
Transylvania Trail Group Size – Maximum 8.
It is varied and you will experience a mix including life as the locals live in the villages, a typical Transylvanian farmhouse belonging to Prince Charles as well as a private villa called ‘Kormos’.
The rural guesthouses – are equivalent to ‘B&Bs’, staying with a family. They are simple, clean and well maintained, with inside plumbing, bathrooms and loos, hot water and central heating.
Zalánpatak & Miklósvár – usually the 1st night of the trip is spent at Zalánpatak in a farmhouse belonging to the Prince of Wales, and the last two nights at Miklósvár in houses which your host, Tibor, has re-built with great care and attention to detail. Each room is different with lovely antique furniture and wood-burning stoves, typical of the region. Rooms are twin bedded and if you would like a single room then this is possible although cannot be guaranteed.
Food in rural Romania is generally organic and full of flavour and you will have the chance to sample some traditional dishes like wild boar stew & spicy meatballs.
Horse Riding Holidays like our Transylvania Trail holiday are part of the Zara’s Planet collection of Horse Riding Holidays Romania.
Please Ask About
Day 1 (Sunday)
You will arrive at Miklósvár / Miclosoara after being transferred from the airport/station.
The village of Miklósvár was part of the Kálnoky family estate and the old hunting manor is on the edge of the village – now The Museum of Transylvanian Life. The area was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and became Romanian during the 1st World War. A number of the traditional houses in the village have been carefully restored in order to preserve their original Transylvanian charm and character and accommodation is in these guesthouses. The cottages are situated within spacious gardens, with storks nesting on nearby rooftops.
Meet your guide or Countess Anna Kálnoky to discuss about the horses you will be riding during the tour.
Day 2 (Monday)
Transfer to the riding centre at Valea Crisului (Sepsikőröspatak, “Round Brook”), 40 min. by car. The ride starts ascending slowly onto a ridge, where we are heading north on high pastures with magnificent views stretching to the high Carpathian Range. We leave the villages of Kálnok and Zalán to our right below us down in the valley, meet shepherds and their flocks on the pastures and at the end of the day we descend through the forest to reach Malnas Bai (Málnásfürdő, “Raspberry Baths”), where the riders stay for the night as guests of a local hunter’s family (bathrooms might have to be shared). Once a thriving spa with plenty of mineral water springs, this village has typical wooden turn-of-the-century Transylvanian spa architecture, although now in a rather rickety shape.
Riding distance & time: 21km, 4-5 hours.
Day 3 (Tuesday)
We ascend back up into the deep forests of the Hatod region, where 6 villages share the same woods (hatod = “one sixth”). We travel along a quiet forest track, where bear traces are often to be found. After having ridden around the extinct volcano called “Murgó”, we descend on gentle grassy slopes to the Batanii villages (“Big Bacon and Little Bacon”) to reach our accommodations in village houses at lovely “Little Bacon” where we shall have common dinner at a local family. The villagers here are known to be especially hospitable and friendly, and before dinner they will take pride at showing you their still functioning watermill and traditional looms.
Riding distance & time: 22km, 5 hours.
Day 4 (Wednesday)
We head northwest through forests and hay meadows, to climb up to Szép Arca (“Pretty Face”) hill on the southern slopes of the Hargita Range. Wide views open out on distant Barót and Olt Valley. We descend south and cross a valley to reach the hills south of Barót where we will have our picnic at a small lake. It is the result of a collapsed mine and is situated at the old mining settlement ‘Köpecbánya’ which is now mainly populated by gypsies. From here we follow the lower line of the forest along the beautiful valley of the Olt River, reaching Miklosvar’s manor grounds and stables in the afternoon. You will be accommodated at Count Kálnoky’s guesthouses. Visit the castle, its museum and park in the afternoon and hang out at the Stone Pub for pre-dinner drinks in the evening. Riding distance & time: 25km, 6 hours.
Day 5 (Thursday)
We leave Miklósvár and head east along forests and pastures, passing through Szárazajta / Aita Seaca (‘Dry’ Ajta village), to climb up to the ridge above Zalánpatak valley. Wide views open out on the distant Carpathian Mountain range. We descend southeast to the village of Zalánpatak / Valea Zalanului, which was part of the Kálnoky family estate as a glass manufacture and now harbours H.R.H. The Prince of Wales’s private retreat. Several traditional houses in the village have been carefully restored, where you will be accommodated for the next 2 nights. Before dinner, you will have a walk in the evening on the Prince’s estate to watch wildlife venturing out onto the meadows at sundown. Riding distance & time: 21km, 4-5 hours.
Day 6 (Friday)
From Zalánpatak, we return to Kőröspatak crossing the hills and brooks. This trip was very common for many a generation of the Kálnoky family who had to ride often between the two villages. It is a medium ride through spectacular surroundings with wonderful views from the high pastures. After crossing the ancient village of Kálnok, the final canter will reach the ruins of the old tower above Kőröspatak. Before reaching the stables, you will dip the horse’s legs in the little stream crossing the village. You will be transferred back to Zalánpatak guesthouse for the evening.
Riding distance & time: 19km, 4 hours.
Day 7 (Saturday)
Depart after breakfast, or adding on a few days of relaxation and tours based at Count Kálnoky’s Guesthouses in Miklósvár
All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.
If you are having trouble finding exactly the right horse riding holiday for you from our horse riding holidays collection, please contact us directly using the form below and tell us in your own words what you would like to do and we will use our extensive knowledge to make sure we find that perfect horse riding holiday.
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