Piatra Craiului National Park and Apuseni Nature Park - 7 days 

Transylvania trekking tour:

Piatra Craiului National Park and Apuseni Nature Park

7 days together into the most beautiful and surprising mountains of Romania: Piatra Craiului National Park and Apuseni Nature Park. We visit gorges, canyons, caves, speleological reservations, one of the largest salt mine in Europe.

DESCRIPTION & FEATURES OF THE TREKKING TOUR

Day 1. Arrival at Bucharest airport and transfer to Risnov, where we visit Risnov Castle or Rosenau as it was called by its founders, the Teutonic knights. From the ramparts we will have spectacular panoramic mountain views to the Bucegi, Postavarul and Piatra Craiului mountains. We spend 2 nights in Rasnov (distance Bucharest airport – Rasnov 200 km).

Day 2. Breakfast. Transfer to Brasov. Hike on the Piatra Mare Massif, through "7 Ladders" canyon. (Duration: 5-6 hours, medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 800 m/800 m). Accommodation.

Day 3. Breakfast. Transfer to Zarnesti town (15 km) – the main gate to the Piatra Craiului National Park. Walk to the rustic Curmatura hut where we may have a drink, visit to an authentic sheep farm and then walk through the spectacular Prapastiile Zarnestilor gorges to Zarnesti (Duration: 5 - 6 hours, medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 700 m/700 m). Zarnesti once was made famous through the “Large Carnivore Project” dealing with the bears, wolves and lynx in Romania. In the evening we may have our bears watching program (about 2 - 3 hours). From June to August the probability to see bears are 70-90%. In May, September and October the probability to see bears are 60 - 70%. There is only one observation point near Brasov: in Piatra Craiului National Park - 13 km from Zarnesti town so please send us the reservation in time (1 – 2 months before). Overnight in a welcoming guesthouse in Zarnesti.

Day 4. Breakfast. Drive to Weisskirch - a pretty, typical German/Saxon fortified village with beautiful old farm houses. Short walk to the impressive church castle. In the afternoon we head for a sightseeing tour in Sighisoara - the birth place of count Dracula. The town is UNESCO heritage listed and it is also known as the pearl of Transylvania (distance Zarnesti – Sighisoara 155 km). Accommodation.

Day 5. Breakfast. Transfer to Turda (122 km). We visit the Turda Salt Mine (about 2 hours) - one of the most important salt mines in Transylvania, one of the largest in Europe. Turda's salt deposit was put into systematic operation of the deposit, by underground mining work, during the Roman conquest. The Salt Mine is mentioned in official documents from the middle of the 13th century, when the mine was offered to the Transylvanian Catholic Church leaders. In the Middle Ages, Turda was one of the biggest places of salt extraction in entire region. Another "must-see" is Cheile Turzii (Turda Gorge), just a half an hour drive from the Salt Mine. A beautiful natural reserve with a unique landscape, it is 1.5 km long and has almost vertical, up to 300 m high walls. Turda Gorge is one of the most popular attractions in the Apuseni Mountains. The gorges are of special interest because of their morphologic variety: caves, fossils, towers, and arcades formed by the river's repeated attempts to penetrate the limestone mountain. The natural reserve was founded in 1938 and almost 1000 special plants live there. Also, the entrances of more than 60 caves can be seen on the walls. Turda Gorge is an excellent place for free climbing, having more than 100 routes, for all difficulty levels. Accommodation.

Day 6. Breakfast. Transfer to a very nice village from Apuseni Nature Park (55 km). We visit today 2 reservations (Duration: 3 - 4 hours, easy to medium effort, uphill/downhill walk: 200 m/200 m):

“Huda lui Papara” - is a speleological reservation that shelters karst formations inside the longest cave in Trascau Mountains (a part of Apuseni Mountains); the protected area is about 4,5 ha and consists of the limestone wall where the big portal of the caves opens, as well as the galleries that reach 2022 m in length; the cave is visited only in the entrance section.

“Vanatarele Ponorului” - is a complex reservation that represents a big pit in a picturesque landscape, the place where the waters of three valleys gather up and then disappear in Dalbina cave. The pit is 80 m deep and has the oval shape of a funnel and 150 m long, 100 m wide.

Day 7. Breakfast. Transfer to Brasov (320 km). On our way we visit Sibiu - one of the most important cultural centers of Romania, was designated a European Capital of Culture for the year 2007, in tandem with Luxembourg. Formerly the center of the Transylvanian Saxons, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's 8th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes. Accommodation in Brasov.

Day 8. Breakfast. Transfer to Bucharest airport.