Enjoy a unique self-guided village to village hiking adventure in the Carpathians and discover the gorgeous landscapes of Piatra Craiului and the Bucegi Mountains, as well as the unique mountain culture of Romania.
Private
Carpathian Mountains
8 Days
Jun - Oct
High
Intermediate
Explore Carpathian's villages and discover the stunning landscapes and mountain culture of Romania on this exciting self-guided trekking adventure!
The tour begins and ends at the Bucharest airport, where you will be picked up and dropped off. From there, you will be transferred to Magura village, where the actual adventure begins. In Magura, you will meet one of our guides, who will give you the trekking instructions. This is a self-guided tour, so once you have your maps and explanations, you will be ready to set off. Below, you can find a detailed day-to-day description.
Some of the highlights of this tour include exploring the Piatra Craiului National Park and discovering the Bucegi National Park and the Seven Ladders canyon. You will also have the chance to visit Bram castle, not to mention the lovely towns of the Carpathian mountains.
Keep in mind that to join this trek, you need to be comfortable walking in uneven and uphill terrain for several hours each day. Therefore, you will need an excellent fitness level to participate. Of course, a spirit of adventure is a must too!
If you’re interested in this Carpathian villages trek, please send your request and we will be sure to answer shortly with any additional information you need!
I also propose an extra adventure in Romania - join a group to experience an unforgettable Romanian Village Trek in the Transylvanian Carpathian Mountain on an 8-day journey.
3-hour transfer from Bucharest airport – Magura village.
You will meet our guide who provide you all the info about the tour.
Accommodation and dinner at a 3* local guesthouse for 2 nights.
Breakfast.
From the guesthouse you will trek around 2 km to Pestera, the next mountain village. You reach to a junction and from there you turn to the right and continue the trek towards “La table” point (this is a cross point where 8 trekking routes meet).
From there you follow the same sign, follow nice and large meadows, hardwood and pine forest to the bottom of the Piatra Craiului Mountain (“Rock of the King” or “King’s Stone”) for about 30 minutes.
The road turns into a forest. You reach to a junction in about 30 minutes, you turn to the left and follow the forest road that climbs into the forest. After 20 minutes with no signs, you will see 2 signs, red and yellow triangle which go to the Curmatura chalet (about 1 hour). From the guesthouse to Curmatura chalet you will walk between 3 and 4 hours on a medium route. You can have lunch at the chalet and then you continue the trek to Zarnesti town, the main gate to the National Park, following the yellow dot (2 hours of descending – easy). At some point, you will reach a small metal bridge (on your right), you cross the spring and walk up about 30 minutes to the guesthouse in Magura village.
(6-7 hours, medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 500 m/ 700 m, appr. 16 km).
Breakfast. Walk crossing the most authentic and beautiful mountain villages from the bottom of Piatra Craiului Park until you reach Sirnea, the first touristic village of Romania.
You will reach Fundata, meet the locals and then continue to the nearby guesthouse.
(4-6 hours; easy to medium, uphill/ downhill walk: 200 m/ 200 m).
At the end of the tour you walk about 1.500 m on national road to the guest house (no other way).
Accommodation and dinner at a 3* guesthouse for 3 nights.
Breakfast. Enjoy a nice hike on one of the ecotrails in Fundata village (3 – 4 hours, easy to medium, uphill/downhill walk: 300 m/300 m).
After breakfast, you will head to Moieciu de Sus village following one of the most beautiful ecotrails in the area. You will cross meadows separated by fences, with breathtaking views over the Bucegi Natural Park.
The walking route starts from Fundata to the local church. From there, you follow one of the ecotrails (T3) to the center of Moieciu de Sus village. Continue on a steep climb via the T8 ecotrail, which starts from the Community Center. The climb becomes smoother and reaches a small plateau where there is a rocky formation called “The Top of the Church” – “Varful Bisericutei”.
(4-5 hours, medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 400 m/ 400 m, appr. 14 km).
Transfer back to the guesthouse in Fundata (about 40 minutes).
Breakfast.
Transfer from the guesthouse to the starting point of the trekking tour in Bucegi Natural Park (about 30 minutes of driving).
Follow the yellow triangle sign, on a wide forest road, for about 1 – 1 ½ hours.
After that, you will cross a small river and start to climb a steep forested section for about 20 minutes until you reach a nice meadow.
After resting a while, you will then continue the route, until you reach a big meadow with a former sheep farm on the right side.
Optional: from this point in about 1 hour, round trip, you can visit the “Devil mill waterfall”following the red cross sign.
Back in the meadow, you will follow the metal poles with blue triangle sign, crossing the meadow from left to the right, in diagonal, uphill. You go mainly up from there and in about 1 hour you reach a forest road and then a sheep farm. You can stop to taste the cheese made here (from June to September) for a small extra cost.
From the sheep farm, continue following the red triangle sign. At some point, after 1 km from the sheep farm, you will see a big rock with a sign on it. You follow the sign, pass nearby a former hunting house and in about 1-1 ½ hours, you will reach the main forest road, where the meeting point will be. Transfer to Brasov (about 40 minutes).
(5-6 hours, medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 800 m/ 800 m, appr. 14 km).
In the morning, you can visit Bran Castle (Monday is opened at 12:00). Accommodation at a 3* hotel/guesthouse located nearby the city center for 2 nights.
Breakfast.
Short transfer from Brasov to the starting point of the last trekking day: Piatra Mare Mountain (10 km).
Head to the Seven Ladders Canyon (Canionul Sapte Scari) – an interesting karstic phenomenon – in the Piatra Mare range, part of the Southern Carpathian Mountains.
This stunning gorge is famous for its steep ladders that take you up the rock walls past a series of rushing waterfalls. On arrival, set off along meadow and forest paths, reaching the canyon after a 45-minute hike. Head inside, and spend the next 15 minutes or so crossing the bridges and climbing each of the near-vertical metal ladders that take up the gorge. As you go, enjoy thrilling close-up views of the tumbling waters and the towering rock walls around you. After your trek, choose between a 1.5-hour return route or a longer 2 to 3 hour trail, walking back through forests and glades to your meeting point. After your hike, your tour ends back at your Brasov hotel.
Breakfast. Transfer to the Bucharest airport.
What experience do I need to have? How fit do I need to be? Is this program suitable for children or older people?
You need to have a good experience in hiking.
Are there any other special requirements such as permits/insurance/vaccines that I need to consider before the tour?
Our advice is to have a medial insurance and a storno insurance.
What is the best time of the year for this hike?
May - October
Can I join a group?
Yes
What happens in the event of bad weather?
You hike!
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
4.7
(4)
Tour Operator
We offer unique private and small group tours from general touring to wildlife viewing, to wilderness trips around Romania. Our main goal is to promote responsible, sustainable and durable tourism in Romania. Active Travel is committed to creating more opportunities to showcase the natural beauty of Romania while preserving these natural assets for future generations. Conservation and tourism do not have to be at odds. We have a vision for ecotourism that brings people into contact with nature, not in conflict with nature.
Languages
Romanian | English
Certificates
AGMR
efrim
4
All was good and well organized, except the hotel in Brasov that was under expectation (the room was not like the pictures in the web site), we left the hotel after the first night on our own expenses. We used the App. Mapy.cz which is more friendly and aquert than GPX Viewer.
Brendan
5
Active Travel (Marian) was outstanding from start to finish. Every query, every phone call or WhatsApp was answered within minutes. Would highly recommend. A first claw service.
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