Carpathian Walking & Bears
From £949 for 8 days
Trip Overview
History and geography conspired to make Transylvania in central Romania one
of Europe’s most beautifully wild and fascinating regions. For centuries
the locals have existed in harmony with a variety of wildlife, including
Europe’s highest concentration of wolves, lynx and bears – almost half
the European population of Brown bears is recorded in the Carpathian
Mountains. Meanwhile, dense forests have remained largely untouched. Our days
are spent on walks through spectacular canyons, virgin forests and Saxon
villages. We go in search of Brown bears and explore the mediaeval town of
Brasov as well as Bran castle, best known as the residence of Count Dracula.
Essential Info
Starts: Bucharest
Ends: Brasov
Ages: Min 16
Ends: Brasov
Ages: Min 16
Theme: Discovery, Walking, Wildlife
Trip Code: EWVR
Activity Level:
Trip Code: EWVR
Activity Level:
What's Included
Meals
All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners are included during our stay
Transport
7 nights at the Villa Hermani Guesthouse 5 centre-based day walks
Accommodation
Trip Highlights
• Hike through one of Europe's last wildernesses
• Visit Dracula’s Castle, the impressive fortress that inspired Bram Stoker's famous vampire story
• Visit Libearty, Europe's largest Brown bear sanctuary
• Explore the region's second biggest mountain, Bucegi
• Try authentic local cuisine
Dates & Availability
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Itinerary & Notes
The start hotel is approximately 165km from the airport and will take around
three hours to reach by road. Therefore, we highly recommend you wait for
the group at the airport and join the group transfer.
On arrival of the group flight at Bucharest Airport we are transferred by
minibus to our private guesthouse at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains.
Food and refreshments will be served during the transfer. Our guesthouse is
situated in the quaint village of Magura at 1020m and within the boundaries
of the Piatra Craiului National Park.
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
After breakfast we spend the day walking around the area surrounding the
unique Kalibash villages of Magura and Pestera, where the houses are built
along the mountain ridges with deep ravines and valleys in between. We visit
these traditional houses and learn about the history of the settlements,
which were built against the mediaeval invasions of Mongols, Tartars and
Turks. Near Pestera we visit a bat cave, home to five separate species of
bats (though not found year-round). Make sure to bring a good torch with you!
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
Today we travel the traditional way as horse-drawn carts take us into Barza
Valley, a long valley stretching along the Barsa River. As we make our way
slowly through the valley we can enjoy the spectacular view to Piatra
Craiului Mountain and the dispersed settlement of Poiana Marului. We leave
the horse-drawn carts and hike through the hay meadows uphill to a hermitage
in the rocks where we have lunch and enjoy the tea made by monks from herbs
picked in the meadows.
This evening, those who want can take the opportunity to go Brown bear
watching. A forester will take us to a safe hide deep in the forest. The
hides are managed by the forestry commission and access is dependent on their
permission which is why it is organised and paid for locally. Not being able
to get access to the hides is extremely rare.
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
Setting off from Magura, we hike up to the alpine pastures. From here we can
see the 25km ridge of Piatra Craiului as we enjoy the calm of the area. The
silence is broken only by the bells of cows and sheep that are brought to
these high pastures in summer to graze. We return to Magura in the afternoon.
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
Today we uncover Transylvanian culture at its best!
After breakfast we drive to Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle.
This impressive fortress was built on the border to Wallachia where Vlad
Tepes (also known as Vlad the Impaler), the Duke of Wallachia, once ruled.
Vlad, also known as Dracula, was a brutal tyrant and provided inspiration for
Bram Stoker’s famous vampire story. Vlad himself never went to Bran Castle,
but Bram Stoker saw an image of it and felt it was the perfect setting for
his gothic tale.
After Transylvania had become part of Romania in 1920, the castle was donated
to the Romanian royal family. It became the summer residence of Queen Maria,
a granddaughter to Queen Victoria.
From Bran Castle, it is less than an hour’s drive to the region's culture
and economic heart, Brasov. This mediaeval town has been a melting pot of
nations ever since its foundation in the 12th century. We have a guided tour
of the town before having some time to explore at leisure. In the late
afternoon, we join staff from the Brasov University as they take us to a lake
area just outside of town to discover some of the local birdlife.
In the evening we visit a traditional Romanian restaurant in Brasov for
dinner (at own expense).
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
Today we explore the second biggest mountain in the region, Bucegi. After
driving to Busteni we take a cable car up to Babele (which means ‘the old
woman’) at 2,216m. Nearby, an odd rock formation has been named ‘The
Sphinx’ due to its resemblance to the Egyptian monument. From here we start
our high alpine trail heading for Omu, the highest peak of the Bucegi Massif
at 2,505m, and enjoy breathtaking vistas as well as a large variety of
alpine flowers en route.
We have lunch at Cabana Omu before returning to Babele along a different
trail.
Please note that at times the cable car may be closed due to high winds and
the road may be closed. In this case, we will hike along an alternative high
alpine trail in the region.
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
We head down to the valley and visit Libearty, Europe's largest Brown bear
sanctuary. Set in 70 hectares of oak and hazel forests, the sanctuary is home
to more than 100 rescued bears, many of whom suffered over years in captivity
as dancing bears or in circuses.
From the Brown bear sanctuary, we go on a gentle hike across meadows to the
village of Vulcan. This region, around Brasov, is closely related to the
history of the Transylvanian Saxons, settlers who emigrated 800 years ago
from the Rhine‐Moselle valleys. Their strong fortified churches have
attracted international attention and some of them are listed as UNESCO world
heritage sites. Vulcan derives its name from the Slavonic word 'valc',
meaning wolf. In Vulcan we will be welcomed with coffee and tea in the yard
of the fortified church. The churches in Transylvania were strongly fortified
during the Middle Ages when the region was raided a number of times by
Mongols and Tartars.
*Villa Hermani Guesthouse*
Transfer to Bucharest airport. The trip ends upon arrival at Bucharest
Airport for land only clients.
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Reviews
Waking up every morning to the glorious Autumn colours of the Carpathians is
something I will remember for the rest of my life. The beauty of the forests,
the splendour of the mountains and the simplicity of the life there is
something I never imagined. Granted, I was initially inspired by my interest
in the Dracula legend to go but after experiencing the wilderness there, I
can honestly say that I fell in love with “the land beyond the forest”.
A well paced hiking tour with free time to relax in the remote alpine
accommodation, in the mountains of Transylvania. This is certainly the place
time forgot with small farming communities farming sheep and cattle, and
small orchards aplenty. Dogs are tied up or in the fields protecting the
livestock from the bears and other predators.
The accommodation is basic but comfortable. We went when the weather was
getting cooler and at times it was a little cold in the room. We had to
remind the owners to put the heating on, which they did!
There were 3 course set meals in the evening that were hearty and consisted
of local produce but possibly limited if you are vegetarian/vegan. Don't
expect there to be snacks like crisps and chocolate to be available, expect
local fruits instead!
The guide kept us updated on the itinerary during the week and gave a very
informative tour of Brasov and Bran.
All in all - a place to get away from it all and enjoy a slower pace of life!
It was a very noncommercial region to visit and very refreshing in that
sense!
I enjoyed the walks although quite a proportion of the walking was on dirt
tracks ( Romania doesn't appear to have much in the way of public rights of
way over farm land)
Having been on several Exodus trips before I was unsure of what to expect as
I not done any trips as remote as this. Not removed from civilisation but
bit on the verge of wilderness.
The walks produced breathtaking scenery of the mountains and forests, all
conducted at a leisurely pace mainly over unmade paths, meadows or very easy
woodland walks, which posed no problems for any of the group.
Although not able to see every animal that inhabits the forest there presence
was evident. The added option to under the guidance of a local ranger, see
the brown bears in the wild is something that should not be missed. This was
defiantly a highlight of the trip.
We were extremely lucky with the weather (Aug), however, this did result in
some of the hiking being rather more strenuous than anticipated as it was
really warm most days - take lots of water!
The trip was brilliant, highlights every day, but the bears (in the wild and
at the sanctuary) definitely made the trip!!!
Our guide, Thomas, couldn't have been more interesting (and funny) and
extremely knowledgeable about the fauna, flora and history - simply the best!
Villa Hermani was a hit too; friendly & helpful, good food and very
reasonably priced drinks.
Highly recommended trip.
This was an interesting and varied holiday with excellent trips, varied
walks and an excellent guide.
Some of the days were long and involved a fair amount of time in a transit or
small bus which was not always comfortable especially when it was hot.
However , it wasn’t overly arduous and added to the overall interest of the
week.
A great way to spend the week, walking in the countryside, seeing many sites
with fantastic architecture and cute bears doing their thing in the wild.
I booked this trip primarily to see the bears and enjoy some leisurely walks
through the meadows and forests. It exceeded my expectations, mainly due to
our guide Thomas, the lovely hosts Herman and Katerina at Villa Hermani and
the variety of local experiences from the ride in a horse cart, tea at a
hilltop monastery, dinner at a restaurant specialising in game meats,
harvesting mushrooms after the rain, and schnapps and cake at a fortified
church with an intriguing priest! Transylvania is a beautiful part of the
world, still in a time when we were closer to nature where animals are
respected and in proximity, shepherds tend the flocks, and the landscape
provides a bounty of wildflowers, fruit, hay and mushrooms.
This was a very well thought out holiday with an excellent mixture of walks
and visits designed to give us an insight into the local way of life that
fell exactly into the leisurely/moderate grading.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. I was not expecting the Carpathian
mountains to be so beautiful or there to be such an abundance of wild
flowers. The accommodation was very good quality and the hosts Katarina and
Herman, very welcoming and helpful. It was particularly good that several of
the walks started directly from the Villa Hermanii and we enjoyed being
accompanied by the resident dogs.
The visit to Castle Bran and Brasov were also very good and well organised as
was the evening spent at the bear hide where we were fortunate to see several
bears.
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