Take time to discover the amasing world of South-Eastern Transylvania, while hiking along mountain trails through villages scattered high in the foothills of the Carpathians. You will be looking for signs of bears, wolves, lynx, red deer and wild boar, along forest and mountain tracks, be charmed by the huge variety of wild flowers in the upland meadows, and have memorable encounters with shepherds and local villagers.
On this journey you will explore parts of two protected areas of Romania, the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains, both renowned for the rare plants and wild animals that can be found here, and walk up to he mountain villages of Sirnea, Pestera and Magura where traditional occupations such as sheep farming, wool spinning and weaving and cheese making are still practiced. The last day of your journey will be spent visiting Bran castle, built as part of a defensive system against Turkish invasion, and then strolling through the mediaeval streets of Brasov, a fortified town founded by the Transylvanian Saxons in the 12th century when they were invited to Transylvania by the king of Hungary to guard the mountain passes.
Bucegi and Piatra Craiului, two mountain ranges situated in the Southern Carpathians, are two of the most spectacular and popular mountain areas in Romania, and one of Europe’s most important regions for seeing wildlife.
The Bucegi Mountains, a natural park known as the “Rock Citadel”, is renowned for its massive rock formations and alpine meadows. The mountains were crossed from ancient times by shepherds and their flocks, and the shepherds still preserve the traditional sheepfold and sheep gazing customs of their ancestors.
The Piatra Craiului Mountains, were declared a national park, as an acknowledgement of their magnificent beauty and outstanding variety of wildlife and plant life The mountains have one of the most spectacular ridge walks in Europe and are home to the unique Dianthus callizonus, an endemic specie of pink found nowhere else in the world. There are flanked by vast areas of natural forest that contain a healthy population of wolves and bears, while heards of chamoix can be seen on its highest peaks. There are also plenty of interesting birds in the park, including White Woodpeckers and Wallcreepers.