Bear Watching and Castle Hopping in Romania
Spend the night camped next to an old farm and watch the farmers bring in their hay on horse-drawn carts. In the week you will hopefully have the chance to observe some bears in their natural habitat. Breakfasts and dinners are primarily stews of some sort, cooked on a campfire, whilst lunches are picnics eaten out during your riding day. This is hearty, traditional fare, quite simple but tasty and filling.
Supporting you on your holiday will be a local, English speaking Romanian guide who is qualified to lead walkers in the mountains. They will be joined by a guide from the FCC for Days 6 & 7 of the adventure, when you are staying in the Wilderness Cabins. Also accompanying you for the full duration of the trip, is a qualified International Mountain Leader from YellowWood Adventures. This ensures you are in excellent hands in the mountains, and that you have access to local knowledge as well as being closely supported by YellowWood. You shouldn’t do no, we design all of our trips to be accessible to riders of all abilities and include plenty of days off the bike as part of this.
We can organise wine or brandy tasting, or visits to traditional craftsmen. This morning we say farewell to Brasov and transfer to Bucharest with a stop in Sinaia, known as the “Pearl of the Carpathians” due to its magnificent mountain scenery and Royal Castle. Your guide will take you on a walking tour, including Peles Castle and Sinaia Monastery, with their backdrop of verdant forests and towering peaks.
There are three tour options all focusing on different interests. The sanctuary is a little bit hard to get to without a car but it is possible. Many people choose to get a bus or train to Zarnesti or Rasnov and get a taxi from there.
From here we’ll visit one of the most remarkable churches of the region before heading back towards Hoteni for a second night. Please note that these times are averages and dependent on other factors, such as the pace of the group and weather. They also do not include breaks for picnics, photos and the like.
The Minho region, where the route is located, is home to UNESCO World Heritage cities like Guimarães. In addition, the landscape is full of unspoilt beaches, mountains, romania tours valleys and rivers. The Carpathian Mountains, in Romania, are home to some of the last remaining wilderness in Europe, where bears, wolves, and lynx still roam freely.
New Orleans's many ghost tours trace the bloody steps of infamous crimes and delve into the eerie cemeteries that earn the city the moniker City of the Dead. If you don't manage to spot any cape-wearing undead, you may be able to see a brown bear running through the area's bountiful woodland, as Romanian is home to 60% of Europe's population. If you prefer hotels or guesthouses then Booking has a huge selection of gorgeous accommodation in Brasov.
Finally, finish up the tour at the working Romanian Orthodox church of Sfântul Nicolae. Join to receive the best active travel inspiration, latest news, and special offers. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine.
At the end of the article you asked if there are other things to do in Brasov. This usually takes place in the afternoon and requires a guide. You get to see the bears in their natural habitat, in the wild.
The hotel has the advantage of having a swimming pool and restaurant on site. Rooms are spacious and are fitted with both air conditioning and heating for your comfort. The hotel is located nearby to Brasov train station, which means it’s a short 5-10 minute taxi ride away from the Old Town. It takes around 30 minutes to drive to Bran Castle from Brasov. Parking isn’t available at the castle itself, but there are a number of car parks nearby that charge around 6 Lei per hour. Like many attractions in Romania, opening hours vary depending on the time of year that you visit.
Bran came as rather a culture shock after several days touring the Romanian countryside. Due to the relative ease of access for tourists arriving in Bucharest, Bran is mobbed by bus loads of tourists swarming around its narrow corridors. I can see how it might have been a rather interesting visit under different conditions but I did find the crowds rather overwhelming as we were effectively having to stand in a long queue to get into the next room. After about 5 minutes we pulled up and got out to walk the rest of the way to the hide. It felt so exciting and also slightly scary knowing that somewhere out ‘there’ were bears, maybe listening to us and watching us walk along.
Waking up every morning to the glorious Autumn colours of the Carpathians is something I will remember for the rest of my life. The beauty of the forests, the splendour of the mountains and the simplicity of the life there is something I never imagined. Granted, I was initially inspired by my interest in the Dracula legend to go but after experiencing the wilderness there, I can honestly say that I fell in love with “the land beyond the forest”. We head down to the valley and visit Libearty, Europe's largest Brown bear sanctuary. Set in 70 hectares of oak and hazel forests, the sanctuary is home to more than 100 rescued bears, many of whom suffered over years in captivity as dancing bears or in circuses.
In a zoo, the animals are constantly pestered by noise and lights but the sanctuary does as much as it can to make the bears comfortable. That is why they run tours so that they are only disturbed for a bit of the morning and have their peace again in the afternoon. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at the hotel lobby in Cluj-Napoca. We will spend 2 nights in Cluj-Napoca one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Romania. Exploration of one of the last remaining areas in Europe where traditional management of hay meadows is still practised on a large scale and the local wildlife includes iconic species such as bear, wolf and lynx. After driving to Bucovina in the northeast corner of Romania, our first stop is Voronet monastery, built by Stefan Cel Mare in gratitude for successfully forcing the Turks back across the Danube.
Supporting you on your holiday will be a local, English speaking Romanian guide who is qualified to lead walkers in the mountains. They will be joined by a guide from the FCC for Days 6 & 7 of the adventure, when you are staying in the Wilderness Cabins. Also accompanying you for the full duration of the trip, is a qualified International Mountain Leader from YellowWood Adventures. This ensures you are in excellent hands in the mountains, and that you have access to local knowledge as well as being closely supported by YellowWood. You shouldn’t do no, we design all of our trips to be accessible to riders of all abilities and include plenty of days off the bike as part of this.
We can organise wine or brandy tasting, or visits to traditional craftsmen. This morning we say farewell to Brasov and transfer to Bucharest with a stop in Sinaia, known as the “Pearl of the Carpathians” due to its magnificent mountain scenery and Royal Castle. Your guide will take you on a walking tour, including Peles Castle and Sinaia Monastery, with their backdrop of verdant forests and towering peaks.
There are three tour options all focusing on different interests. The sanctuary is a little bit hard to get to without a car but it is possible. Many people choose to get a bus or train to Zarnesti or Rasnov and get a taxi from there.
From here we’ll visit one of the most remarkable churches of the region before heading back towards Hoteni for a second night. Please note that these times are averages and dependent on other factors, such as the pace of the group and weather. They also do not include breaks for picnics, photos and the like.
The Minho region, where the route is located, is home to UNESCO World Heritage cities like Guimarães. In addition, the landscape is full of unspoilt beaches, mountains, romania tours valleys and rivers. The Carpathian Mountains, in Romania, are home to some of the last remaining wilderness in Europe, where bears, wolves, and lynx still roam freely.
New Orleans's many ghost tours trace the bloody steps of infamous crimes and delve into the eerie cemeteries that earn the city the moniker City of the Dead. If you don't manage to spot any cape-wearing undead, you may be able to see a brown bear running through the area's bountiful woodland, as Romanian is home to 60% of Europe's population. If you prefer hotels or guesthouses then Booking has a huge selection of gorgeous accommodation in Brasov.
Finally, finish up the tour at the working Romanian Orthodox church of Sfântul Nicolae. Join to receive the best active travel inspiration, latest news, and special offers. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine.
At the end of the article you asked if there are other things to do in Brasov. This usually takes place in the afternoon and requires a guide. You get to see the bears in their natural habitat, in the wild.
The hotel has the advantage of having a swimming pool and restaurant on site. Rooms are spacious and are fitted with both air conditioning and heating for your comfort. The hotel is located nearby to Brasov train station, which means it’s a short 5-10 minute taxi ride away from the Old Town. It takes around 30 minutes to drive to Bran Castle from Brasov. Parking isn’t available at the castle itself, but there are a number of car parks nearby that charge around 6 Lei per hour. Like many attractions in Romania, opening hours vary depending on the time of year that you visit.
Bran came as rather a culture shock after several days touring the Romanian countryside. Due to the relative ease of access for tourists arriving in Bucharest, Bran is mobbed by bus loads of tourists swarming around its narrow corridors. I can see how it might have been a rather interesting visit under different conditions but I did find the crowds rather overwhelming as we were effectively having to stand in a long queue to get into the next room. After about 5 minutes we pulled up and got out to walk the rest of the way to the hide. It felt so exciting and also slightly scary knowing that somewhere out ‘there’ were bears, maybe listening to us and watching us walk along.
Waking up every morning to the glorious Autumn colours of the Carpathians is something I will remember for the rest of my life. The beauty of the forests, the splendour of the mountains and the simplicity of the life there is something I never imagined. Granted, I was initially inspired by my interest in the Dracula legend to go but after experiencing the wilderness there, I can honestly say that I fell in love with “the land beyond the forest”. We head down to the valley and visit Libearty, Europe's largest Brown bear sanctuary. Set in 70 hectares of oak and hazel forests, the sanctuary is home to more than 100 rescued bears, many of whom suffered over years in captivity as dancing bears or in circuses.
In a zoo, the animals are constantly pestered by noise and lights but the sanctuary does as much as it can to make the bears comfortable. That is why they run tours so that they are only disturbed for a bit of the morning and have their peace again in the afternoon. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at the hotel lobby in Cluj-Napoca. We will spend 2 nights in Cluj-Napoca one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Romania. Exploration of one of the last remaining areas in Europe where traditional management of hay meadows is still practised on a large scale and the local wildlife includes iconic species such as bear, wolf and lynx. After driving to Bucovina in the northeast corner of Romania, our first stop is Voronet monastery, built by Stefan Cel Mare in gratitude for successfully forcing the Turks back across the Danube.
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