6 nights / 5 days of horse riding; 4 nights camping or staying in the ranch’s summer hut in Kovácspéter and 2 nights wild camping in nature; full board. 3-6 hours riding/day. There are some steep slopes where you need to lead your horse.
The guide's knowledge of the region and weather allows him to adapt the daily routes depending on local conditions. The following is an illustration of the likely itinerary but local conditions may dictate that the order of the itinerary needs to be changed, always with your best interests in mind.
Day 1 Sunday: Upon request, your driver will wait for you at the airport and take you to the base of your tour located at 1375 m high Kovácspéter ridge. Here you can have the first contact with your horse, set up your tent and discuss the program and the rules of the following days with your bilingual tour guide as you enjoy a warm welcoming dinner home cooked by the family. Overnight is in tent or in the hut in Kovácspéter.
Day 2 Monday: After a wholesome breakfast and getting acquainted with the horses, an easy riding tour to the source of the Olt river follows which is good for testing our guests equestrian knowledge. Here you can learn about the local legends linked to this river and water the horses. From here we continue our trail on the valley of the Sóvető creek on a long steep path through pine forest on the biggest part of the trail. On the Szanduj glade we have a snack from local foods in the company of grazing horses. From here we can see the beautiful surrounding mountains and the trails of the following days. After a short rest we ride back on another route leading through dense pine forests to the horse ranch in Kovácspéter. In the evening warm meal, campfire and grill awaits you. Overnight is in tent.
Distance: 10 km, 3-4 hours of horse riding, elevation gain 529 m
Day 3 Tuesday: After a hearty breakfast, we saddle and pack up the horses, then start our tour along the main ridge of the Hășmaș Mountains. Today's destination is Fehérmező (can be translated as White Glade) which is the biggest karst plateau of the Hășmas Mountains and it is located at 1460 m altitude. The main highlights of the trail are the Meggyes peak (1504 m), Ló-havas (1677 m), Csofránka peak (1508 m) and the Tunzéria pasture. Here you can enjoy free galloping on forest roads, meadows and extended mountain pastures where summer shelters, sheep flocks, cows and horse herds can be spotted. If we arrive in time, we can even catch the evening sheep milking at one of the sheepfolds. Once we reached Fehérmező, we set up our campsite in nature, prepare together a warm dinner in a cauldron set above campfire, enjoy sunset views and discuss the thrills of the day. Dinner and wild camping in Fehérmező.
Distance:14 km, 3-4 hours of horse riding, elevation gain 465 m
Day 4 Wednesday: Today we ride towards the top of the Hășmaș Mountains, to the 1792 m high karstic Hășmaș Mare or Nagyhagymás Peak from where scenic views unfold to the villages of the Ciuc Depression below, to the Tarcău, Ciuc, Harghita and Călimani Mountains and to the rocky crag of the Ceahlau Massif. From here we ride further south to one of the most frequented hiking huts in the Eastern Carpathians, to the Lonely Stone Hut (Cabana Piatra Singuratică în Romanian, Egyeskő Menedékház in Hungarian) situated at 1504 m altitude at the foot of a rock cathedral. This hut was built in 1932 and it is a major touristic node as it is located at the intersection of the hiking trails leading to the peaks of the Hășmaș Mare and the Ecem Mountains. As part making part of the Bicaz Gorges- Hășmaș Mountains National Park, these are accessible only by foot or by horseback riding. From the hut we ride back on a different route to our camp in Fehérmező. Dinner and overnight in a tent near a hiking hut in Fehérmező.
Distance:12 km, 4-5 hours of horse riding, elevation gain 650 m
Day 5 Thursday: After a picnic style breakfast, we pack our tents and say farewell to the karst landscape of the Hășmaș Mountains as we head back towards the ranch in Kovácspéter. During the trail we pass by the 1589 m high Veres-kő massif, and then descend on a steep forest path along the Vas stream to the valley of the Meggyes stream. From here follows a small hike, then on a smaller mountain ridge we return to our base in Kovácspéter. The wife of your host will be already waiting for you with a warm meal for dinner at the ranch. Overnight is in a tent or hut in Kovácspéter.
Distance: 10 km, 3-4 hours of horse riding, elevation gain 730 m
Day 6 Friday: Today, after a wholesome breakfast, we ride in the surroundings of the 1416 m Magas Bükk Massif, which makes part of the Giurgeu Mountains and bounds the small town of Gheorgheni to the east. The terrain will be varried with small creeks, pine and beech forests and mountain pastures. Overnight is in a tent or hut in Kovácspéter.
Distance:13 km, 3-4 hours of horse riding, elevation gain 356 m
Day 7 Saturday: Breakfast and departure.