Our Destinations

Why travelling with Randocheval ?

QUEBEC - CANADA : EQUESTRIAN HOLIDAYS IN GASPE PENINSULA...

People from Quebec are warm and friendly, renowned for their hospitality. They are particularly proud of their distinctive language and heritage. We have set up this trail in a vast area where rivers, fields and forests talk about a rich nature, far away from noisy cities. From all the viewpoints of the ride you will discover, the St Laurent River is visible like an insuperable border. Leave the great cities far behind you and enter in a sparsely populated land of fishermen, woodsmen, and farmers. This is the home of whales, seals, moose and maple sugar. Clear, swift rivers hurry here and dawdle there as they sweep to the sea, providing one of the world's best habitats for the Atlantic salmon.

ITINERARY

EQUESTRIAN VACATION IN GASPESIE (Gaspe Peninsula)...

Sunday
Arrival in Mont-Joli. Transfer (at your own expenses) to the Inn where you will meet our team and the other riders who will share this week with you. Welcoming evening meal served about 7pm.

Monday
Today we will descend the Tartigou River Valley with its steep sides and bewitching landscape. The rider will be treated to The Evergreen Trail which derives its name from the majestic conifer trees hugging the rider on either side, creating an illusion of riding through an evergreen tunnel. On this day you will also ride through numerous meadows filled with an abundance of wild flowers in season, where cattle graze and the typical farms of the area dot the landscape. You will see sparkling lakes with many panoramic views. Enjoy a picnic lunch, while relaxing at one of the many scenic spots along the trail.
Late afternoon you will arrive at Lac Malcolm, where the rider can relax with a refreshing beverage served either in the beautiful dining and lounge area overlooking the lake or on an outdoor floating patio, or partake in one of the many activities offered there.

Tuesday
Today's ride will be mainly travelling through forested areas. The route today also climbs to the highest point of the Chic Chocs Hills (approx. 1350 feet above sea level) allowing the rider to enjoy a truly magnificent view of the surrounding countryside with its forests, lakes, villages, fields and the ocean in the distance. Here the rider will partake in a delightful picnic lunch while sitting literally on a mountainside bluff. After lunch, you will continue on through forests, where the rider can dismount for a short hike to have a look at the " Fairy Cave " which is really a steep narrow gorge created by a lovely waterfall. Later in the day take a rest beside a picturesque waterfall on the Petchedetz River to enjoy the peaceful beauty of unspoiled nature and when weather permits you can go swimming
As the shadows lengthen riders will approach the Inn at the Ranch which is an oasis of comfort and good taste. Here one is greeted with warm hospitality and treated to a sumptuous dinner.

Wednesday
After breakfast, we will begin by going through beautiful wooded areas, with sparkling lakes and catching glimpses of the sea in the distance. The rider will then have the opportunity to ride by and view close up three gigantic windmills erected by a Quebecois firm on an experimental basis. Presently they provide the electrical power for 250 homes in the area. They measure 55 meters high with the diameter of the three blades on each, reaching the height of over 80 meters. They are quite impressive to see and the riders should have their cameras at hand. Continue on from here to a nearby home to be served a hearty delicious lunch. After lunch, the rider will have a unique experience. You will be stopping at a fish nursery, where trout are raised and sold to restock ponds and rivers. Here the rider will have a chance to fish for their supper. Head back to the Ranch to spend another night, where Bonnie and Pierre will cook your freshly caught trout to perfection.

Thursday
Today we go through lushly forested areas and traverse the South White River. We also have an opportunity to ride through a beautiful Maple Forest, which in the autumn is ablaze with colors. This maple forest has the possibility to have 40,000 taps, for maple sugar production. For lunch we will stop at a local home, which has a magnificent view, where you can see the church steeples of different villages as well as charming lakes and, on clear days, the sea. After lunch we will head through the Tartigou River, on to our stop for the night at La Villa du Vieux Clocher (Villa With The Old Steeple). Here you will share a Quebecois fondue.

Friday
On this final day of riding the trail leads us across rolling meadows, through woodland and we will be crossing through the Tartigou River, all the while heading towards the " Beaulieu " organic farm located at Baie Des Sables (Sandy Bay), where Lise will prepare a hearty, delicious meal from products of the farm, in the irresistible country charm of a century-old home. After lunch, we are off to visit the charming little town of Les Boules, with a panoramic view of the seaside and the three large rock formations in the water after which Les Boules is named. It is a lovely town with its old houses and quaint gardens. Ride for 4 miles along the beach and, if one is lucky, discover seals sunning themselves on the rocks and eider ducks and cormorants, rising and falling with the ocean waves. Here is also where you will do the famous Bonsai canter, named after a tree which looks just like the miniature Bonsai trees, which you will see at the end of the canter. The canter is in a very flat field right beside the beach. It is about 2 km long with perfect footing for the horses, no matter what the weather is like. As the route continues, riders will move away from the coastline, going back to our Farm, where Pierre will make a special farewell dinner.

Saturday
Departure after a hearty breakfast.

EXTEND YOUR TRIP

Extend your stay by a discovery of Canada
We will arrange with pleasure any trip before or after the trail ride, with a rental car, hotel reservation, etc. Examples of tours : Niagara Falls, USA-Canada combination, New Brunswick… Consult us for any project!

HORSES AND REQUIRED RIDING LEVEL

YOUR GUIDES

The Ranch is owned and operated by Pierre and Bonnie, a friendly couple, whose love for their country and horses is quickly apparent. Pierre and Bonnie most often guide together, ensuring that everyone on the ride receives personalized attention. They have designed the trip, to let the rider experience great horseback riding adventures, while visiting many different Inns and local homes, allowing you to encounter firsthand a very distinctive country and culture, along with excellent local and french cuisine.

ACCOMMODATION

During the trail ride, on Sunday and Friday, our farm is the starting point : a bewitching and relaxing place with its five rooms, three bathrooms and a fireplace in the living room.

On the menu : lambs, fish, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, all very well cooked by Pierre, the inn-keeper and "storyteller". When the temperature allows it, an exterior fireplace is available for the guests who want to take pleasure in seating around a fire.

On Monday, you will spend the evening in an unique place, the Malcolm lake. This open-air center offers you an open-air swimming pool, a volley-ball court, canoe and pedal-boat. You can also fish for trout, if you are in the mood.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, for two consecutive nights, you are received at the "Gîte du Ranch". The 75 year-old house has been enlarged to create an inn type self-catering cottage, with a detached entrance. Entirely furnished and decorated with regional antiques, the interior recalls, with its ancient style panelling, the manors of old. The hearthstone and the hundred-year-old piano impart to this residence comfort and culture.
Gerald, poet and writer, will converse with you about his forest and its different varieties of forest species decorating his walls. And Ginette will tell you about her gardens and vegetable gardens she cultivates for the preparation of her courses.

On Thursday you will spend the evening in another very special inn, the "Gîte La Villa du Vieux Clocher". Actually this inn is an old house built in 1910 and situated next to the church of the parish. Originally, the priest used it as a presbytery. The inn has been entirely decorated with antiques. Here the owners, Marjolaine and Jean-Guy are proud as a result of their guests feeling as members of the family. In the evening, you will savour a typically Quebecois fondue.

Before or after the ride, if you want, we can organize for you an itinerary for discovering Quebec (Montreal, Quebec, Tadoussac…).

DATES AND RATES

Flights to Montreal + flight to Mont Joli or car rental

Please contact us to check the best available rate from your country.

BOOKING - INFORMATION

Contact Anne, the specialist for this destination !

PRATICAL INFORMATIONS

Canada (Quebec)

During the summer months the daytime temperatures are generally 25°C during the day, cooling down to 13°C at night.

In June and October, mornings are colder.

Our season commences the end of May with the tender soft greens of spring which turn into a glorious abundance of wildflowers and extends throughout the warm vibrant days of summer, and comes to spectacular finale mid October, when the hardwood forests are ablaze with colour, competing easily with other areas in the world, known for their beautiful fall foliage. The average fall foliage season is mid of September through mid-October.

Formalities
Please check with your local ambassy.

Vaccination - health
No specific vaccinations. Don't forget your repatriation insurance.

We recommand to be update of usual vaccination, and especially tetanus..