Activities

Monday

The Pied Piper’s cave and canyon. Excursion through a canyon leading to the cave from where, according to legend as quoted in Robert Browning’s classic poem, the Pied Piper re-emerged with the abducted children of Hamelin, thus founding the Saxon population of Transylvania. Excursion by car with piknik.

Tuesday

In the King’s steps. Following one of King Charles’s favourite walking itineraries through the hills and forests around Zalanpatak. You will follow his route by GPS and encounter many rare flowers which you can easily identify with the help of a botanic app. Piknik lunch.

Wednesday

Botanic walk and workshop.  Botanic walk to pick medicinal flowers and plants. Lunch at the house. Afternoon workshop creating your own personalised perfume, cosmetics or tea using the wild flowers and herbs from Zalánpatak. Lunch at the house.

Evening bear watching.

Thursday

Walk to Prince George’s meadow. Walk through medieval cultural landscape still displaying traditional farming. Strip farming allows to grow a large variety of different crops in confined spaces on the village’s south-facing slopes. Magnificent sceneries, including Prince Georges own fieldmof wild flowers. Orientation by GPS itinerary. Piknik lunch. 

Friday

Crafts and cooking, catch your own dinner. We will teach you to collect and carve your own hazel walking stick and other crafts, and how to bake the traditional pipe cake over scorching ambers for your desert. You can go down to the stream or the fish ponds to catch your own dinner with a rod. Lunch at the guesthouse

Saturday

Day-long cartride. Our horses led by Karcsi the coach will take you on a ride in a very basic village cart (or sleigh in winter) through the scenic landscape. You can try your hand at driving yourself if you wish. Barbecue lunch in the hills.

Sunday

Discovering the village. The tiny hamlet of Zalánpatak has much to see. You can attend mass in either the roman catholic church or the orthodox chapel if scheduled, and visit them both to understand their differences in faith. See the village’s alarm bell, the fire shed and visit the village museum. Try the volcanic gas exhaust to feel the heat in your feet. Lunch at the guesthouse.

Rainy Days

If the weather is too wet, you can try your skills at simple traditional crafts or prepare a special local cake under the shelter of the barns and covered terraces.

• Carving walking sticks from hazel branches
• Baking the traditional Szekler pipe (or chimney) cake 'Kürtős Kalács'

You can keep and take home the results of your skills, and the cake will be served for desert at dinner!

Winter Activities

In case of snow (altitude approx. 800m), instead of our regular activities we can also offer:

• Cross country skiing with our guide (please bring your own equipment!)
• Snow-shoeing. Follow the tracks of wild animals including bears and wolves without sinking into the snow. We have 3 pairs of snow-shoes on site including 1 for the guide.
• Horse-drawn sleigh ride. In winter we swap the cart for a sleigh, and provide blankets and mulled wine for the journey. An experience reminiscent of Dr. Zhivago...
• Sledges. The hills on the property are an ideal playground for sledging. We have 2 sledges for 4 persons at the estate.