Mountains & Rivers of Romania

Typical itinerary

1. Day 1: Fly to Bucharest, transfer to Curtea de Arges

   Landing in Bucharest, you will be met by your local guide who will transfer you up into the Carpathian Mountains.

2. Day 2: Curtea de Arges to Balea Lake

   Today will be an acclimatisation trek, to warm up your legs! You will trek in the mountains surrounding the spectacular Balea Lake, which was the site of Europe’s first Ice Hotel (although there will be no ice when you are there!).

3. Day 3: Balea Lake to Podragu Hut

   Today your traverse of the ridges and summits of the mighty Fagaras begins in earnest. You begin by ascending steadily to acquire the main ridge past the ‘Dragon’s Window’ and Goat Lake. Once on the ridge, you’ll see for the first time just how spectacular the Fagaras Mountains are, with a continuous sharp ridge extending some 75km in total, soaring dramatically above the plains below. A stimulating trail leads along the Albota-Arpasel ridge, in dramatic fashion. Sometimes you’re on the ridge itself, other times you’re traversing just below the ridge in classic ‘up, down’ fashion. This wonderful, prolonged period is ridge walking at its very best. Arriving at a small col not much below Mircii (2467m), you then begin to descend as the trail zig zags its way down to Cabana Podragu (2135m), where you spend the night.

4. Day 4: Podragu Hut to Sambata Hut

   Staying high in the mountains often pays dividends. Firstly, it doesn’t mean a long ascent to get back up onto the ridge, and secondly the dawn light high up in this wild mountain landscape can be truly enchanting. After breakfast you leave Podragu behind and climb to Saua Podraglui (2305m). Back on the main ridge once more you continue to Tarata. Walking on and off the ridge for a further hour leads to Saua Orzanelei and from here you will ascend to the summit of Varful Moldoveanu. The route to the summit is quite steep and involves a small amount of easy scrambling, but once on the summit of the highest mountain in Romania, a clear weather day will reward your efforts with a truly sublime 360º panorama of the entire jagged Fagaras Mountains, as well as over to the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului ranges, the plains below and across to the Transylvanian Saxon city of Sibiu. After the obligatory photos it’s time to descend back down to Vistea Mare. The trail then descends more sharply towards the ‘Bears Den’, before easing off (with the odd sharp ascent thrown in) as you walk steadily down into the Sambata Valley. Reaching the Cabana Sambata (1390m), the bulk of the hard work is over, so perhaps a small celebration is in order tonight in the Sambata Hut.

5. Day 5: Sambata Hut to Zarnesti

   It’s now time to head down and out of the Fagaras Mountains. It’s a steady descent of around 4 hours to Sambata. Here you have the option of visiting what is one of the wealthiest monasteries in Romania, the sumptuous 17th Century Brancoveanu Monastery, which was destroyed by the Hapsburgs and then fully restored during the 20th Century. In the village of Sambata a vehicle will be waiting to drive you to Bran Castle – the iconic ‘Count Dracula’ castle!

6. Day 6: Zarnesti to Nehoiu

   Today you set out for a day’s kayaking on a nearby river.

7. Day 7: Nehoiu

   Continue your kayak excursion along the river before a final celebratory dinner.

8. Day 8: Transfer to Bucharest & fly back to the UK

   Today, depending on your flight time, you might have the chance for a quick city tour of Bucharest before your flight back to the UK.