Horse Riding in the Cape Winelands

After your arrival and once you have settled into your accommodation, we will take you for a short, gentle ride in the afternoon, giving you a feel for your horse and the general surroundings. Then, back at your accommodation, enjoy poolside sundowners or relax in the hammock outside your room before experiencing local cuisine at its best at one of the top restaurants in Franschhoek / Paarl complemented by award-winning local wines.

After breakfast, we saddle up and head into local vineyards and orchards, stopping for a brief break at a point offering incredible photo opportunities with the magnificent Paarl Valley stretched out below. We then head along the foot hills of Simonsberg Mountain towards Anura Wine Estate, a route on which you can give your horse its head and enjoy a canter between the vines and along charming old farm roads. At Anura, enjoy a wine tasting before strolling over to the charming Estate restaurant for an à la carte lunch with your preferred wine. We head home at a leisurely pace after a lazy lunch, arriving back at the yard around 4pm. There’s time to relax before dinner which is a culinary showcase of traditional Cape cuisine prepared by local chefs.

Now acclimatized and comfortable with your horse, another full day’s ride starts with a spectacular mountain ride through refreshing eucalyptus and pine forest. You will have ample opportunities to take photos of the panoramic views across the Paarl and Franschhoek Valley. Stopping at Backsberg, another internationally-acclaimed vineyard and the first carbon neutral wine estate in South Africa, there’s time to sample excellent wines that are produced on this popular estate. After the wine tasting lunch is in the beautiful garden restaurant or by a cozy log fire depending on the weather. We then head back, riding through vineyards and plum orchards, enjoying more spectacular views across the Paarl and Franschhoek Valley and over the dramatic Drakenstein mountain range. Back at the yard you can relax with a drink on the patio before your transfer to your accommodation. If you are staying in our farm accommodation you are welcome to wander around the property and meet the rest of our horses or just relax in the hammock after a long day in the saddle. Dinner is at a local restaurant in either Paarl, Franschhoek or the Stellenbosch region.

Today’s morning ride takes you into more unspoiled terrain in the district, through new orchards, vineyards and along estate dams. Riders can set their own pace but whether it’s a fast canter or lazy meander, it’s another exhilarating morning on horseback followed by lunch at another winery. Without an afternoon ride today, guests can relax at their accommodation or amble through the historical towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek or Paarl, a 10- to 20-minute drive away, or play nine holes at the local golf course. Dinner is at a local restaurant giving you another taste of local fine dining and wines – an experience on a par with the best international restaurants.

For those wanting to venture further afield today, other full-day excursions can be arranged. Please note that these optional activities are charged extra. Some of the most popular one-day excursions are:

• Beach ride and lunch along the coast
• Cape of Good Hope – full day sightseeing following the peninsula coastline with a visit to a protected African penguin colony and, of course, the famous Table Mountain
• Shark Cage Diving – a day for the true adrenaline junkie

The day ends back at your accommodation and then it’s another relaxed evening sampling fine local food and wines.

Another full day ride awaits as we start out towards the Eastern side of Simonsberg, taking in the now familiar beauty that surrounds us. After a slow, long canter through a lane of majestic eucalyptus trees we reach an air strip where you can choose to have an exhilarating gallop. After settling our horses we continue our ride, following the contours of the vines high on the Eastern slopes of Simonsberg before descending to the old-world charm of our lunch stop, Plaisir de Merle. Dating back to 1693, this magnificent farm produces world-class wines which we’ll enjoy under giant oak trees, paired with a platter of local cheese and cold meats. The ride home is a relaxed meander through peach and plum orchards and, back at the yard, there is time to enjoy a drink on the patio before retiring to your accommodation. Dinner tonight is a traditional barbecue (Braai) at the stables. This is an informal evening hosted by Louis and Ellen, enjoyed with more excellent wines from local estates.

Waking up to another beautiful day in the Cape Winelands, we are ready to take you on picturesque forest ride through pine and eucalyptus trees. After an exciting fast uphill canter you are rewarded with sweeping views over the plains and wheat fields of the West Coast with Paarl Mountain, Paardeberg and Kasteelberg in the far distance. Listen to the birds as you ride along forest trails and, if you are lucky, you may spot a Duiker in the forest shadows. After returning to the stables you will be treated to lunch at a local winery and then back to the yard for a late afternoon ride before heading back to your accommodation. At dinner, you will again be spoiled with local cuisine at one of the top local restaurants in the valley.

On your last morning with us we are determined to add a few more lasting memories before you leave our beautiful valley. We take you for an exhilarating ride through the vineyards and orchards before it is time to say good bye. After check-out we will transfer you to the airport. If you have an evening flight we can take you through to the V & A Waterfront for last minute shopping and sightseeing.

Embark on an exclusive 5-day trail ride through some of South Africa’s most famous wine farms. This ride combines the best scenery of the season with warm local hospitality, decadent wine tastings, gourmet dining and some incredible trail horses. Riding from vineyard to mountain to winery, every day offers new riding and culinary delights.

Saddle up and head into the local vineyards and orchards, stopping fof at an incredible viewpoint and photo opportunity with the Paarl Valley stretched out below. Then ride along the foothills of the mountains, giving their horses their heads for a long fast canter, before reaching your lunchtime stop. Try some of the regions best wines while enjoying a decadent cheese and charcuterie board. Then saddle up for a more leisurely ride towards your accommodation for the evening where you can relax in a hammock or indulge in a sundowner drink and watch the vineyards change colour. Dinner is a showcase of traditional and gourmet cuisine prepared by top local chefs.