Perfect for the adventurer at heart, Wine Valley Adventures offers guests the opportunity to enjoy Cape Town’s wine region through various guided horse riding trails. Our trail riding experiences range from short rides through the Franschhoek wine valley to exclusive experiences like our full-day horse trail ride which includes wine tastings. Experience this amazing region of Cape Town in a truly unique and adventure-filled manner.
1h Breakfast Horse Trail
Enjoy our 1h Breakfast Horse Trail at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. A unique way to explore the area at a gentle pace allowing you to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys working up an appetite for a delicious breakfast, fragrant coffee, and tea or pastry of your choice at the Lust Bistro & Bakery.
1h Horse Trail
Enjoy our 1h Horse Trail at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. A unique way to explore the area at a gentle pace allowing you to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
1h30m Horse Trail
Enjoy our 1h30m Horse Trail at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. A unique way to explore the area at a gentle pace allowing you to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. This trail is slightly longer and meanders under the oak trees through the vineyards of the working farm and along the river.
2h Horse Trail
Enjoy our 2h Horse Trail at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. A unique way to explore the area at a gentle pace allowing you to take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. After exploring the farm and vineyards, this trail heads out into the lower reaches of the mountain for a closer look at the beautiful fynbos and bird life.
Half-Day Horse Riding and Wine Tasting Experience
A little more time and energy is well spent on this half-day ride. Enjoy a half-day Horse Trail and Wine Tasting on horseback and Michelle’s choice of Winery, in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. A unique way to explore the area, this adventurous trail takes you through the working farm and vineyards, climbing up into the mountainous area ending up at our spectacular viewpoint. From there we make our way back down for wine tasting at one of our acclaimed Wine Estates. One or two tastings can be arranged on this ride, but we do prefer to spend more time in the saddle however. We will contact you for your chosen preference before the ride. Our expert guides adjust the group’s pace according to your riding experience and skill, always considering horse and rider safety.
Whether you are an experienced rider wanting a fast and exhilarating canter down open farm tracks and mountain passes, or just a novice wanting a relaxing meander on a steady horse to get a different perspective of the magnificent scenery, you will have a great experience. We take care in pairing the most suitable horse to the rider’s skill level to ensure you have a comfortable ride guaranteed to leave you invigorated.
Want to mark a special occasion? Whether it’s a marriage proposal, corporate team building or just a group of friends wanting a different kind of day out, we’ll put together a memorable day ride set against the magnificent Great Drakenstein Mountains and full of local flavour. Day rides make a great birthday gift too!
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to a minor (anyone under the age of 18 years). It is prohibited for minors to buy, attempt to buy or consume alcohol.
Full-Day Horse Riding Experience with 2 Wine Tastings
This trail is perfect for the adventurous spirit! The full day wine tour is truly the ultimate way to experience the magnificent Cape Winelands Wine Route. We will take you through some of the most scenic country sides and high into the mountains traversing through various Wine Estates and nature reserves. Depending on your riding ability, we will ride at all paces during this ride covering some of the most popular wine Estates including; Vrede en Lust, Babylonstoren, Plaisir De Merle, and Anura.
We will have winetastings at two of the above estates and lunch (for own account). The estates chosen will be a surprise for you and will obviously depend on your riding abilities, but I can assure you it will exceed all expectations. What better way to explore the winelands and secrete culinary taste sensations, but on horseback. This is like no other as you get to ride privately deep into these beautiful farms not normally open the public. This ride offers ample opportunities for trots and canters and even the odd gallop however the overall pace is determined by the riders’ level of confidence and safety always comes first.
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to a minor (anyone under the age of 18 years). It is not prohibited for minors to buy, attempt to buy or consume alcohol.
Evening & Moonlight Horse Trails
Have you always dreamt of riding off into an African sunset? That is precisely what we do on this evening & moonlight trail. Planned around the full moon, it is a truly unique way to explore the area at a gentle pace allowing you to take in the breathtaking views and magnificent sunsets at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, and neighbouring farms nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. The speed of this ride will depend on your riding abilities, but the beauty of the African skies will not disappoint. We will stop at the lookout point for some lovely Sundowners and snacks to enjoy another Gorgeous day in Africa and the ultimate African Sunsets. The duration of this ride is usually 2.5hr to 3hrs.
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to a minor (anyone under the age of 18 years). It is not prohibited for minors to buy, attempt to buy or consume alcohol.
2h Dinner Horse Trail
Want to end the day in the best way possible? That is precisely what you’ll do on this 2h Horse Trail. Enjoy sundowners on your trail, which ends with Dinner at the historic Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Simonsberg in South Africa’s most celebrated Franschhoek wine valley. Dinner is for own account.
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to a minor (anyone under the age of 18 years). It is not prohibited for minors to buy, attempt to buy or consume alcohol.
Beach Trails
Riding on the beach is a dream come true with our three-hour beach rides on the West Coast. The beach is reached via an exciting ride through the Nature Reserve and riders experience the thrill of galloping along the coastline of an unspoiled beach, where you can spot dolphins and whales frolicking in the waves.
This ride is by prior arrangement only and times depend on the tides as we only ride at low tide. This is because we love our long gallops which we don’t do in the heavy sand to avoid injuring our loyal horses delicate tendons.
Only for experienced Riders
The Hunt
During the annual hunt season, Wine Valley Adventures hires out horses to experienced riders who wish to enjoy the exciting drag hunts, which are organized by the Cape Hunt & Polo Club. These run from April to September and are done in full traditional English Style with South African friendships and hospitality. The hunt venues are all around the Western Cape and one gets the opportunity to hunt on private properties that would not normally be open to the public.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DRAG HUNT AND NO ANIMALS ARE ‘HUNTED’ OR INJURED.
