Day 1 Arrival at Bucharest airport Arrive at Bucharest airport, meet with your guide and transfer via minibus to the village near Bran Castle in Transylvania. Depending on your arrival hour, possible visits to Peles Castle and/or Bran Castle.
Day 2 Hiking in the villages near Bran Castle The area is of immense beauty, being able to compete without problems with the alpine landscapes from Austria or Switzerland. It is a corridor between 2 mountain groups, Bucegi and Piatra Craiului where a series of traditional villages are scattered. Although tourism has developed a lot lately, during the hike we will be able to see traditional houses, haystacks, flocks of sheep or cows. Hiking distance: 10 km, altitude gain: 500 m. Difficulty: 6/10
Day 3 Hiking along the Transfagarasan road We leave the Bran area in the morning and head west, towards Sibiu. Before reaching Sibiu, take a detour to Transfagarasan, the famous mountain road crossing the Carpathian Mountains from north to south. Stop at the cable car station near Balea Waterfall, from where we will start the hike to Balea Lake. During the hike, we will enjoy astonishing views of the waterfall, the Transfagarasan road, Balea lake and the and the sharp peaks of the surrounding mountains. Arrived at the lake, we will take the cable car to return back to the car. Hiking distance: 6 km, altitude gain: 800 m. Difficulty: 7/10
Day 4 Hiking through the shepherd's huts Leave our guesthouse and head to a shepherd village near Sibiu. Start the hike on one of the trails used by the shepherds to reach the mountain pastures where they are grazing the sheep. Pass through the shepherd huts, small wooden shelters where they spent the summer month, looking after their sheep or working on the hay. If possible, we will stop for a traditional lunch at the sheepfold, made of cheese and polenta.
Hiking distance: 10 km, altitude gain: 900 m. Difficulty: 8/10
Day 5 Visit a former gold mine from Roman times and hike around the former gold mining town. Leave Sibiu and head to the Apuseni mountains. After 2 hours drive, we will arrive in Rosia Montana, a former gold mining town where the precious metal was exploited since antiquity. First, we will visit the Roman galleries, dating back from more than 2000 years ago. Then, we will explore the historical center of Rosia Montana and we will hike around the town. We will enjoy superb views of the mountains nearby; we will see the artificial lakes created by the miners to help them in washing the gold and will learn more about the history of gold mining in Transylvania.
Hiking distance: 7km, altitude gain: 400 m. Difficulty: 6/10
Day 6 Hiking to the isolated hamlets of the Apuseni mountains Today, the trail is leading us to the heart of the Apuseni mountains, to discover the isolated hamlets hidden among thick forests and green pastures. We have a few options, depending also on the season. We can visit a hamlet which is inhabited only in the summertime, or we can visit an alpenhorn singer, living in a hamlet accessible only from a gravel road. The lady can also prepare dinner for us, or can just cook for us the famous local cheese pies.
Hiking distance: 8 km, altitude gain: 500 m. Difficulty: 6/10
Day 7 Return to Sibiu On our last day, it is time to leave the Apuseni Mountains and return to Sibiu. On the way to Sibiu, we will stop at Brad, to visit the Gold Museum. In the museum, which opened more than 100 years ago, we can see the largest exhibition of native gold in the world, along with an exhibition of minerals and mining tools.
Then, we will head to Hunedoara, to visit Corvin Castle, one of the largest Gothic castles in Europe, the former residence of King Mathias Corvinus of Hungary.
Romania.7 days €720.00
