As the Ottoman proverb says „You won’t reach hell without a guide”. The Hell’s Rally is an amazing tour – not suitable for those weak at heart. We will take you through the Hell’s Gate to Dalejowskie Hell and Niekłańskie Hell to find the most spectacular rock reserves hidden in the Swietkorzyskie ancient forests. We will discover the moonlike landscape of Gagaty, follow the footprints of dinosaurs to find the footprints of a tetrapod. We will visit castles where famous polish films were shot. We will eat delicious polish traditional meals at the Swietkorzyskie Culinary Tour. We will admire ancient stone runs to dive deep into the silence and mistic mood of the XII century Lysa Gora (Bold Mountain) Monastery where relics of the Holy Cross are kept in the very center of the Swietokrzyskie Mountains.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Meeting day

We will pick you up from the Chopin Airport in Warsaw at the schedued time of your arrival. We take you by car from Warsaw to Mostki to the Ignacowka Creative Center (approxitamtely 2 hrs). On our way you can make shopping in a market, our pilot will tell you which polish traditional foods are worth trying. We arrive to the agrotourism center where we will have a dinner with a local menu. After the meal we will invite you for a walk to the Mostki lagoon.

Day 2: The Hell’s Gate – Dalejowkie Hell Reserve

After breakfast we sadle our horses and pack our saddlebags. We will ride at first through pictoresque forests, then the terrain is more wild and demanding. We reach the Hells Gate – a group of triassic sandstone rocks with an erosion made cervasse covered with a rock and thus looking like a gate. From there the road leads us to the Dalejowskie Hell reserve with rocks covered by fern forming suspended gardens, incredible valleys, gullies, rock walls and stone stairs. We will admire century old trees in the Dalejów reserve being a part of ancient Swiętokrzyskie ancient forest. We will spend the night in agritourism.

Day 3: The ruins of a brickyard – The Gagaty Reserve – Niekłańskie Hell Reserve

We hit the road after breakfast. We visit a wooden church of Saint Roch built in 1820. We will stop by the riuns of a historic building – Sołtyków brickyard built in 1916 where we can still see the facoty floor, the chimneys and the remains of stoves. We will ride through a narrow road on the old railway embankment which was used to bring clay to the brickyard. The trees above our heads form a tunnel and on the right and left hand we will see swamps and lakes. Then we will reach Gagaty where, among the moonlike landscape, there was a mine of gagat – very rare mineral known by the name of „black amber”. There the footprints of dinosaurs were discovered. Wild forests lead us to the Niekłańskie Hell where we can see incredible rock formations – rock mushrooms, rock sphinx, rock caves and a maze.

Day 4: The Pig Mountain Reserve – the Land of Tetrapod Reserve – the Bartek Oak

We enter amazing ancient forest whith centuries old trees reminding us of the „Witcher” . The Pig Mountain Reserve is one of the most valuable reserves of the ancient forests in Poland. Around noon we reach the Zachełmia Quarry where – among pink rocks landscape – the footprints of Tetrapod dinosaur were discovered. That day we will have the honor to meet Bartek Oak – the king of Swietokrzyska ancient forest, the oldest and the biggest tree in Poland which is around 1000 years old whith a circumference of 10 meters.

Day 5: Kapkazy – Wykus sacred spot – Cyganska Kapa

We will visit a pictoresque Wiacka Kapkazy village in the heart of Swietokrzyskie Mountains. We will teach you how to make motanka – slavic dolls to atract love and success. You will make them with your own hands for yourselves or with an intetion for someone else to take it home as a talisman. After a lunch break we will move on to Wykus sacred space where, in the valley of Lubianka River, hidden in a hundred years old forest, there are graves of Polish insurgents and solidiers form the National Army. Here in Wykus they used to have their camp and they fought battles with Nazi Germans.

Day 6: Car excursion to the Chapel of Saint Barbara – Michniów Mausoleum – The Holy Cross Monastery

The Barbarka Hill with a chapel of Saint Barbara offers an amazing view over the Klonowskie mountain range and Łysica and the typical landscape of rolling colorful hills of the Swiętokrzyskie region. We will visit the best tavern on the Swiętokrzyskie Culinary Tract. After a meal of the famous świętokrzyska soup we will travel by the forest road to the Swięty Krzyż (the Holy Cross) to see a stone run, the Łysa Góra Monastery and the relic of the Holy Cross.

Day 7: The farewell

After breakfast we will take you to Warsaw Chopin Airport. On our way there you will have an opportunigy to buy local honey and for shopping in a market. In Warsaw we will say goodbye hoping to see you again.

* The guide may change the route accoring to the weather and the skills of the participants.

The guide

Magdalena Sułek – experience horse riding instructor and the PTTK Mountain Horse Tourism guide. The founder of Ignacowka Center. Through many years she worked in noted equestrian centers in Poland. Passionate equestrian, admirer of old craft and a talented artist who will teach you not only the secrets of riding and guide you through the Swietokrzyskie Mountains but also will show you how to work on a potter’s wheel.

Equipment:

We ride in sport saddles or endurance saddles with light saddlebags to keep water, raincoat, a camera and lunch. For your passport and money we recommend a belt bag. Your luggage travels with you by a logistic car. We use traditional european bridles with bits. It is mandatory to ride in helmets – you can take yor own or borrow free of charge in the Ignacowka Ceneter. The last day of the Rally is a car excursion to the most interesting places of the Swietokrzyskie region.

What shoud I take with me?

The way the Star Rally is organised in very comfortable way. Your luggage stays in the agrotourism where we spend every night. Everyday we travel light with light sadle bags whith the most important things: cameras, food and raincoats. For your documents and phone we reccomend to take a belt bag

What should I take with me?

• Passport
• Cash (euro, dollars, pounds – you will exchange free of chargé in Poland)
• A camera
• Riding pants or comfortable tourist pants (2 pairs in case of getting wet)
• Riding chaps
• Layered clothing: T-shirt, cotton shirt, fleece jacet , raincoat or rain cloak
• Trekking shoes, waterproof ( Chelsea boots and boots are out of the question)
• Riding helmet (you can borrow free of charge)
• Riding gloves
• pocket knife
• Belt bag (for your money, documents and phone)
• A cap and a warm hat
• UV cream
• Flip flops to use in the shower