Piatra Craiului National Park

This small-group tour takes you straight to the heart of rural life in Romania. See some local cottage industries, take a trek through pristine mountain forests, and learn about a way of life that’s slowly disappearing. Your immersive, full-day tour begins in central Brașov, where you’ll meet your local guide and board a private vehicle for the 45-minute drive out into the countryside. Along the way, let your guide know if you have any specific interests so he or she can customize the day’s itinerary accordingly. Choose to make an optional stop at Bran Castle – popularly known as Dracula's Castle. Explore the area surrounding the villages of Pestera and Magura, nestled in the Piatra Craiului National Park in the Southern Carpathian Mountains. Learn about the history of the villages, where the traditional industries of sheep farming and cheese making are still practiced by many of the inhabitants and catch an authentic glimpse into rural Romanian life. Visit the Bat Cave and admire limestone rock formations that have developed over centuries, including the so-called "tears of the earth." Next, set off into the hills and meadows around Magura for a moderate guided hike of 2–3 hours. Let your guide know if you prefer to hike for longer or shorter and go at a pace that’s comfortable to you. Visit the oldest guesthouse in the National Park. Meet some of the farmers, and sample two-three different kinds of cheese. Enjoy a hearty lunch of simple Romanian cuisine made from local farm-fresh ingredients. Purchase beer or wine to top off your meal. From the guesthouse, wander through Pestera Village, taking in the sights and visiting the local church. Head back to the car and relax on the scenic return drive to Brașov.

Get picked up by your knowledgeable, English-speaking guide and head into the Carpathian Mountains for a day. Visit the pristine Piatra Craiului National Park on an intimate small-group tour that ensures you'll make the most of your outdoor trekking excursion. Follow one of two routes on a 5- to 6-hour hike through alpine meadows, fragrant forests, and country villages that seem untouched by time. See the cavernous Zarnesti Gorge and hike along the main ridge regarded as one of the most beautiful sites in the Carpathians. Learn about the traditional rural industries of cheese-making and shepherding. Refuel with hearty Romanian fare at a mountain hut or a local village. See a side of Romania that's hardly changed in generations.

We will depart in the morning from Braşov and drive to the mountains, just outside of Zărneşti. Here we will visit the Bear Sanctuary Liberty, one of the most interesting wildlife conservation projects: almost one hundred brown bears have been brought from old zoos and illegal animal parks, and have found a much better life here. From here we will drive to the Piatra Craiului Mountains and prepare for a 5-hour hike to one of Romania’s most beautiful scenery: lively coloured meadows, migrating sheep herds and isolated mountain villages will enchant us all day long. At noon we will enjoy a delicious picnic with traditional homemade sausages and cheese. In the evening we will return to Brasov.

The amazing experience will start in Brasov with a short car ride to the city of Zarnesti where the National Park Piatra Craiului begin . From the starting point you will ride the ebike on a uphill through the beautiful mountain villages Magura and Pestera where you'll explore the way of life of the people from romanian country side as was hundreds of years ago. Along our trail we will have a huge display with the most beautiful carpathian mountain chains