Galway School Tours for all Ages
At the Slieve Aughty Centre
Slieve Aughty Centre in Galway offers fun, safe and educational school tours. We can accommodate groups of up to 50* students at a time. To ensure that each child gets more individual attention and hands-on opportunities for learning, your Galway school tour may combine two programmes at no extra cost. Lunch is available and supervising adults are free.
Slieve Aughty Centre is AIRE (Association of Irish Riding Establishments) and Failte Ireland approved. Family owned and operated by Esther & Merel Zyderlaan, we have been serving the local community and abroad for more than 30 years.
*depending on programme selection.
Download the school tour brochure and the booking form
Enchanted Forest Fairy Tour: €15/student
Pony Rides: €20/student
Farm Friends*: €12/student
Bushcraft: €12/student
Natural Wonders: €10/student
Eco-Logic: €10/student
Teambuilding on Foot: €10/student
Teambuilding on Horseback: €20/student
Leave No Trace: €10/student
Orienteering: (for 4th class and above): €15/student
Outdoor Survival: €12/student
Combine pony rides with any other programme* for only €20/student!!!
* Farm Friends cannot be combined with another programme.
Pony Rides: Our friendly, safe ponies and experienced staff guide students in learning the basics of pony care, including grooming, tack and leading. The children go for a trek or ride the ponies in our enclosed sand arena, with leaders. Riding hats are provided and students should wear boots with heels, or wellingtons. For ages 4 and up only.
Enchanted Forest Fairy Tour: A great day out for all ages, our staff lead the children on a fairy adventure! Includes fairy face paint and dress up, a guided walk to the fairy forest, stories of the fairy folk and wishing tree tags and fairy dust for all students, fairy game, and paint your own fairy door to bring home. Each child receives a Nature Journal to record what they spot along the way.
Farm Friends: Discover life on the farm with arts and crafts, live animals to pet and groom, pony rides, games and a farm tour. It’s a full day outdoors! This programme cannot be combined with another option.
NEW! Medieval Roundhouse Living Experience: We invite you to step across the Slieve Aughty hills and back in time with a visit to our authentic Medieval Roundhouse. Combining living history, biodiversity awareness, wilderness skills and natural heritage, our unique Roundhouse living experience is the only one of its kind in Ireland. Download a brochure here In assocation with Celt.
NEW! Bushcraft:
You are lost in the forest around Slieve Aughty. How are you going to survive? Depending on the size of the group and time allowed, activities include starting a fire, basic tools, foraging and cooking wild plants, advanced shelters, purifying water, and tracking wildlife. The challenge of surviving outside of our comfort zone not only gives us the skills to live in the elements, it increases our ability to adapt to new challenges, builds confidence and self-sufficiency, encourages teamwork, and prepares us to face unforeseen problems in the world.
Natural Wonders: Explore the meadows and forest trails of Slieve Aughty on a fun nature hunt. Younger children get a nature journal to complete and keep. Boots recommended as we don’t let the mud stop us – it’s part of nature!
Eco-Logic: Discover what it means to “tread lightly on the earth”. Through interactive activities, students investigate the inter-connectedness of nature and the role of humans in the environment. Determine your own carbon footprint and bring awareness to action!
Teambuilding on Foot/Horseback: Looking to bring a group of students together and build community? Our teambuilding program focuses on cooperation, communication and trust. Activities vary depending on the age and experience of the group and can include games, low ropes elements, and/or games on horseback!
Pony Trekking: For groups of 25 or less and ages 8 and up, learn the basics of pony care and go riding through the forest for 35 minutes with a guide.
NEW! Outdoor Survival: You are lost in the forest around Slieve Aughty. How are you going to survive? Depending on the size of the group and time allowed, activities include starting a fire, basic tools, foraging and cooking wild plants, advanced shelters, purifying water, and tracking wildlife. The challenge of surviving outside of our comfort zone not only gives us the skills to live in the elements, it increases our ability to adapt to new challenges, builds confidence and self-sufficiency, encourages teamwork, and prepares us to face unforeseen problems in the world.
Leave No Trace: This worldwide outdoor ethics programme is based on 7 principles to inspire careful and considerate use of the natural world and countryside. Our staff are qualified Leave No Trace Trainers. Include a few principles in your school tour or earn a Leave No Trace certificate for each student by making it the focus.
Orienteering (4th class and above): Never get lost again! We teach the basic skills of map reading and compass use and students put those skills to the test with a team treasure hunt. For an additional challenge, find the hidden treasure on horseback!