Transfer Option:

Day 1: Arrive at Rhine Island Vogelgrün near Breisach at the border between Germany and France. Overnight stay in a hotel. A transfer from Basel, Switzerland can be arranged on request, but there are easy train connections to Breisach.

Day 2: Ride through the Rhine Valley to Ungersheim. This landscape contains soft trails across open fields and is a good opportunity to get acquainted with your horse. You will have picnic on the way and reach the ascending vineyards and later one of the most prestigious hotels of the region - the Estate Bollenberg in Rouffach. The day ends with an exquisite dinner and overnight stay in the Hotel Bollenberg.

Day 3: Today we ride through vineyards and along sunny hills (Riesling and Sylvaner grapes grow here) to a wine tasting in the Vosges Mountains. Passing the highest mountain of the region we ride through mountain forests towards the city of Muenster− home of the a famous Muenster cheese. In a hotel with a thermal spa you can relax and enjoy a great view over the vineyards and down to the Rhine river.

Day 4: A day in the mountains. The hills of the Vosges Mountains are covered with a primeval-like forest, impervious and dark, but with great riding trails passing through. At 4200 ft. we reach the “white” and “black” lake. Overnight as the day before in the Hotel Aqua-Viva in Muenster.

Day 5: A ride through vineyards leads you back to the fertile Rhine Valley. Of course we will visit the world famous wine-growing villages Kaysersberg and Riquewihr. Here you have time to stroll around and buy a few souvenirs. For overnight you ride on to the quiet town of Bergheim.

Day 6: Our ride continues to the north, ascending to the medieval, immaculately-renovated "Haute Königsburg", the most well-known castle in the Alsace region. After an opulent picnic, the ride continues to Artzanheim on the shore of the Rhine.

Day 7: Today's ride will take us to the German "Provence", the Kaiserstuhl, known as sunniest place in Germany. Let’s see if the wine tastes different than over there in France… After a picnic you ride south, along the river Rhine until you reach the Rhine Island Vogelgrün again.

Day 8: Departure.
***subject to change

The summers are hot and dry here. Alsace is an extremely pleasant region to visit from June onwards. Out on the plain, temperatures frequently reach 30 or 35°C. Fortunately, the cooler and higher altitudes of the Vosges provide some relief from the heat. During this time of year, the levels of sunshine are comparable to those seen in the towns of southern France.

The general atmosphere is relaxed during your ride.

You will stay in hotels and country inns.

The Cuisine of the Alsace: Even if you are a connoisseur of French cuisine you are likely to be entering unfamiliar territory when you settle down with a glass of muscat or Crémant d’Alsace to study a menu made up of Alsace’s best-known dishes. For like its people, Alsace Cuisine has a distinct personality due to the talent of its cooks and the excellence of its products.

Alsace, located in eastern France is bordered on the east by Germany and the Rhine river and cut off from the rest of France in the west by the Vosges mountains. It is France's smallest region, 40 miles long by 16 miles wide, and probably it's most linguistically, culturally and gastronimically diverse. It is ideal for growing grains which give Alsace a well-known reputation for the excellence and variety of its breads. Hops are also grown here and Alsace is the only region in France that brews beer. The fruit orchards, besides giving wonderful fruits, also foster the production of a variety of fruit-flavored eaux-de-vie. And of course, one cannot forget the vineyards that produce world renown wines. Alsace wines are primarily white. Its wines, which have a strong Germanic influence, are called vins d'Alsace. It produces some of the world's most noted dry rieslings and is the only région in France to produce mostly varietal wines identified by the names of the grapes used (wine from Burgundy is also mainly varietal, but not normally identified as such), typically from grapes also used in Germany. The most notable example is gewurztraminer. The gastronomic symbol of the région is undoubtedly Sauerkraut. Excellent Fois Gras is also a speciality of the region.

Wines of the Alsace: Alsace enjoys exceptional soils and a generous climate unite to produce remarkable wines. Protected from oceanic influence by the Vosges mountains, Alsace enjoys practically the lowest rainfall in France (400-500mm per year) and is blessed with a semi-continental climate, sunny, hot and dry.
This climate is ideal for slow, extended ripening of the grapes, giving wines with elegant, complex aromas. The vineyards extend for one hundred kilometers from north to south along the eastern foothills of the Vosges, at 200-400m of altitude, covering an area of 14500 hectares in production.

The horses are well trained and easy to ride. They are in great shape and go anywhere. They are able to canter long distances and climb steep hills. Given the length of the daily journeys, riders must be capable to stay on the horse for long hours, at different and quick speeds, on varied terrain. Riders must feel at ease walking, trotting (even downhill) and galloping and must be in good physical shape. You will saddle and unsaddle your horse (with help if needed of course).

Tack:		French Trekking
Horses:		Anglo Arab and Selle Francais
Pace:		Fast paced ride, long trots, canters and gallops , 5 to 6 hours in the saddle per day. | Walk | Trot | Canter | Gallop |
Level:		(3.5 to 4 out of 5)    Strong Intermediate
Riders:		Min 6 riders	Max 12 riders

The horses are well trained and easy to ride. They are in great shape and go anywhere. They are able to canter long distances and climb steep hills. Given the length of the daily journeys, riders must be capable to stay on the horse for long hours, at different and quick speeds, on varied terrain. Riders must feel at ease walking, trotting (even downhill) and galloping and must be in good physical shape. You will saddle and unsaddle your horse (with help if needed of course).

Passports
Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except:
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Passport Note
France is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.

Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for the following durations:
(a) nationals of EU countries for an unlimited period;
(b) nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA for stays of up to 90 days.