THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS, VILLAGES AND CASTLES	price from 555 €
Romania - Guided walking - 8 days

Come to discover these natural parks, their rich fauna and flora, their great horizons and their spectacular landscapes! You will also discover the local way of life: pastoral and full of traditions. These mountains with exceptional natural conditions offer a strategic advantage; they were chosen to erect fortresses to protect the Transylvania borders. In the 14th century, the Saxons built the Bran fortress. This magnificent castle had a protecting role against Ottoman invasions and the migratory peoples. However, it is, above all, associated with the prince Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia, the character at the origin of the fictional character of Dracula...

Program

Day 1 Reception in Bucharest Reception at the airport and transfer (~3.5h) to our new charming mountain hut for the next 2 nights.

Day 2 Piatra Craiului National Park Today we will explore the northern side of the Piatra Craiului National Park. This part is probably the wildest one and we will see the vertical walls coming down from the ridge, caves, forests and screes as far as the eye can see. This spectacular landscape will certainly let a big impression on you. (5-6h, 17km, +/700m)

Day 3 The Zarnesti gorges After a short transfer we will continue our hike on the other side of Piatra Craiului ridge. Will we hike till an old typical mountain hut from where we will start the descent through the fascinating Zarnesti gorges with 200m high vertical walls. Our accommodation for the next 2 nights will be in an eco-touristic guesthouse in the traditional Magura village. (4-5h, 14km, +700m/-600m)

Day 4 Bran Castle Today, our walk will bring us from the Piatra Craiului Mountains to the feet of the Bucegi’s mountains, in Bran. We will follow a small ridge that links Piatra Craiului to Bucegi’s mountains and that will offer us spectacular landscapes on both of these mountains but also on the mountains around and the plateau in the middle that offers the perfect conditions for traditional livestock farming. And if you think that this is not enough in Bran we can also visit the famous castle. Known as Dracula’s castle he was build in reality to supervise the customs on the commercial road between Transylvania and Wallachia. (~4.5h, 13km, +400m/-600m)

Day 5 Carpathian landscapes We will make our way through pastures, sheepfolds, woods and scattered villages, one of them is renowned for its smoked cheese. We will be surprised to see how the traditional agriculture and farming happen not caring about the passing of time and in a perfect harmony with the wildlife around. Night in a guest farm for the next 2 nights. (5-6h, 18km, +/400m)

Day 6 Bucegi Mountains We will climb today till almost 2000m of height in the Bucegi Mountains, opportunity to discover the wild nature of the Carpathians and also breathtaking views of Piatra Craiului ridge we visited the previous day. (~ 5-6 hours of walk, 18km, +/-800m).

Day 7 Brasov After breakfast, departure for Brasov, one of the 7 cities founded in Transylvania by the Saxons during the 13th century. On our way we can stop to visit Rasnov fortress built by the Teutons in the 13th century in order to protect Transylvania from the Turkish attacks. End of the day in Brasov and free visit of the city.

Day 8 End of the journey After breakfast, departure for Bucharest. We can drop you at the airport or in the city center if you want to have extra days to explore Bucharest. The Romanian capital, known as "the Eastern Paris" at the beginning of the 20th century, worth a day of your holiday, you can check our accommodation options in Bucharest. End of the trip.