Hi Tinne, by now we are already a month further but still looking back on a fantastic trip. In mid-July we did a 4 day trip with Diaspora. A blissful animal! Our youngest of 7 could occasionally join us on her back, fortunately because on day 2 we got tremendously lost. After an hour of climbing and scrambling we found ourselves back on a gravel road where we had been before, our mistake! We deviated from the GPS route for a while. Don't do it I would say!!! Our oldest (17) then in her own way enjoyed caring and guiding Diaspora. We enjoyed the beautiful nature, silence and peace. All the lodgings were tiptop, including our tipi! Every evening and morning we enjoyed the delicious meal. Really a must! Thanks for this very special experience!
At the beginning of August, we went with our family (2 girls of 10 and 12) for two days with donkey Stella. After a very clear and good explanation from Tinne, we set off the next day. A beautiful trip right through the Tuscan hills, off the beaten track and without meeting anyone. The 12 km on day 1 was quite tough in the heat and on the climbs, but the reward in the beautiful Agritourismo with pool and delicious food was great. Day 2 again fresh on the road (10 km) and that already went much easier.
The experience of hiking and taking care of the donkey, the beautiful nature and the wonderful agritourisms made this trip unique and highly recommended!
Thank you Tinne for this experience and a big hug to Stella from our girls!
We (2 adults and 2 kids of 10 and 13) look back on very nice and special days with ‘our’ donkey Stella.
The whole experience: care of Stella, the beautiful surroundings, the beautiful overnight places with warm welcome, refreshing pool and delicious food, we would not have wanted to miss. We walked 2 days (9 and 13 km). It was hot and at times tough, but all the more satisfied we were on arrival!
We enjoyed the 5 day libbiano hike with our 3 kids ages 9, 7, and 4!
Clear instructions at the equestrian center, routes easy to follow using GPS, beautiful nature, and very nice agriturismo's! We got to know our donkey Camelia very well and had fun taking care of her. Nice and clean tents with good beds, good swimming pools and delicious food!
Per day tours done between 4 and 8 km, but nevertheless was quite tough at times due to the heat of 30+ degrees.
Highly recommended for an active vacation with a family with young children!
Wir waren Ende Juli 2021 für 5 Tage als Familie mit Kind und Hund mit unserem Esel Diaspora unterwegs. Wir hatten die Libbiano Tour gebucht. Wir sind täglich zwischen 4-8,5 km gelaufen. Es hat uns super viel Spaß gemacht. Wir haben die Strecken ein bisschen unterschätzt, da durch die Steigungen die km Anzahl bzw die Stundenanzahl deutlich höher waren als geschätzt. Die Strecken waren teilweise anspruchsvoll aber wir hatten an den meisten Tagen Glück mit dem Wetter und es war nicht zu heiss.
Alle Höfe were total freundlich und zuvorkommend. Auch unser Hund war überall willkommen. Die Tage vergingen wie im Fluge und wir haben jeden Tag etwas anderes gesehen und erlebt. Wir können die Tour zu 100% empfehlen und würden sie jederzeit wieder buchen.
For the second time we went on a donkey trek (and how lucky we were, we got "our" Stella again). First introduction was four years ago, with kids 8 and 10, now with two full-fledged teenagers.
The breathtaking nature, the always very nice and warm reception of the B&Bs, and the good care of Tinne made this vacation unforgettable. To everyone I know, I recommend Altratoscana! Thank you Tinne and Stella!
We did the 5 day hike Libbiano with our donkey Penolepe. Penolepe was not yet used to hiking without other donkeys, so it was quite exciting. Would she dare to do it without a friend? This experience was certainly useful for Tinne as well. In the end, we thought it was a successful walk with Penelope and gained a strong bond with her.
The walks were sometimes spicy because it was about 30 degrees, besides, Penolepe had a punishing pace at times, but if we found the uphill going a little too fast we let her go for a while, and she would be waiting for us again a little further on. She always stayed loyal to us.
What my daughter Norah enjoyed so much was taking care of the donkey. Both on arrival and departure. At each agriturismo we were kindly welcomed with water and fanta to quench our thirst, but the first thing to do was to un-saddle the donkey and stall her in a special area set aside for her with hay and water. Then, when she is no longer sweaty, she is combed, brushed, hooves scratched clean, oil applied to the legs against the flies and an occasional visit. Especially a cuddle before bedtime.
Delicious Italian food was waiting for us in the evening.
The people at the agriturismo were extremely friendly and helpful. What we really liked was sleeping in a large cotton tent with lovely beds. In the night it was nice and cool and we slept fine throughout.
During the hike you will pass beautiful spots. You walk along riverbeds, on narrow paths through forests, on hilltops with a lovely breeze with beautiful vantage points over the Tuscan landscape.
Thanks especially to Tinne for her helpfulness in figuring out bus routes back to Pisa. We were on public transportation and do not speak Italian.
We will not soon forget this hike with donkey.
Highly recommended.
Mitte August startete unsere Familie zu dritt unsere 5-Tages-Donkeytrekking-Tour. Unsere begleitende Eselin war Carolina. Während der erste Tag nur eine erste Einführungsrunde gemeinsam mit Tinne beinhaltete, ging es am zweiten Tag richtig los. Jeder Tag war ein eigenes Erlebnis und wir haben uns recht schnell mit Carolina angefreundet. Insbesondere ab dem dritten Tag ging es einige schmale und stellenweise steilere Pfade bergauf und bergab. Das tolle an Carolina war, dass wir sie auf diesen Wegen problemlos ohne Seil zwischen uns laufen lassen konnten. Carolina hielt gewissermaßen unsere "Herde" zusammen. Sie hielt an, wenn ich voranging und zwischendurch stoppte und wartete, wenn Maxi und Uli etwas zurückblieben.
Alle Unterkünfte were super, die meisten sogar mit Pool ausgestattet und wir wurden am Abend immer mit 3 oder 4 Gängen wundervoll bekocht. Auch das Frühstück war immer sehr gut und reichhaltig.
Da Tinne uns mit Karte und Garmin Navi ausgestattet hat, war es auch in etwas unübersichtlichen Gegenden immer problemlos möglich, den richtigen Weg zu finden. Vielen Dank, liebe Tinne, für die tolle Organisation und die wundervolle Tour mit Carolina. Das war ganz klar unser Urlaubshighlight und wir kommen gerne wieder!
In July 2020 travel was not to be taken for granted and despite our enthusiasm and early booking in January we hesitated for a long time before leaving. The fact that we would be spending whole days in nature and that in Italy the Corona measures are strictly followed, combined with Tinne's reassuring message about the measures on the donkey trek, convinced us to leave anyway. And we don't regret it... On site, everything was well organized, the training with our little donkey Fiamma was immediately a nice acquaintance and Tinne explained everything clearly. After an overnight stay in the lovely Landuccia we left the next day: beautiful nature, day trips that varied between pleasantly challenging and extremely relaxing, very nice agriturismos for the nights, delicious dinners and breakfasts! We walked between 4 and 8km per day and met virtually no one (except for one encounter with the temporary owners of Salveggia). Tuscany took on a new dimension for us, the walks in the varied nature combined with taking care of our sweet little donkey Fiamma and the obligatory dip in the pool in the afternoon made it a fun, active vacation even for an almost five-year-old in summer Italian temperatures. Thanks for the excellent organization, Tinne!
In August, we went on a week's hike with Stella. We thought it was fantastic, adventurous and it was spicy at times (it was about 10 degrees warmer than 'normal')! Beautiful nature along the way, you are really away from everything and one with nature, your family and the donkey. Our daughter is just 4. She did walk a few km a day herself too, but very nice that she could sit on Stella her back most of the time. We did the 7-day with rest day and really enjoyed it. We took longer on the day hikes than we expected beforehand, but still happy with this choice! The accommodations are super, which is nice that they are also so different. The food is delicious and the people at the accommodations so friendly and helpful. Also all credit to Tinne, she was very helpful when our daughter was sick!