A bit of everything

  Tour type: Hiking, Wildlife Watching

Area: Brasov Area and Piatra Craiului, Piatra Mare and Bucegi mountains
Difficulty level: Medium
Departure date: July, 23rd, 2010
Nr. of team members: 1 – 12  (available places as of June, 10, 2010)
Trip duration (days): 9
Required gear: backpack, trekking boots, waterproof and warm layers of clothes, front light, binoculars – you’ll have a complete list by email within 2 weeks of departure.
Accommodation: Mountain huts, pensions and guest-houses
This tour will take you through the objectives you can’t miss while you’re in the Brasov area.
From the wildlife and wonderful limestone Ridge of Piatra Craiului to Bran Castle, to Măgura and Pestera – two villages that time forgot about, to the fascinating monolites of Bucegi, you’ll see it all in this 9 day trip.

1ST DAY – Meeting in Brasov
• Level rating: easy
• Highlights: – Visit of Bran Castle, visiting the traditional villages of Măgura and Pestera, first view over Piatra Craiului mountains ridge.
• Accommodation: We will check in at “Casa Folea” chalet, one of the first agro-touristical pensions in Romania.
• Short program: – After meeting up in Brasov we go to the Bus station to Bran and wait for a bus there;
- We visit Bran Castle if time permits and then start hiking up towards Pestera village.
- this day’s breakfast, lunch and dinner are not included.
2ND DAY – Trekking around Piatra Craiului
• Level rating: easy to medium, 6 hours.
• Highlights: trekking through a sheep herding area and visiting (if possible at the time) a traditional shepard’s lodge, Piatra Mică chalet.
• Accommodation: Curmătura Chalet.
• Program schedule:
- 8:30 Breakfast (included);
- 09:30 Leaving our guesthouse and heading towards Table area;
- 12:00 We arrive at Table area, and stop for a talk with the local shepherds and even visit a traditional shepard’s hut;
- 13:00 Picnic lunch (included);
- 14:00 We arrive at Curmătura Chalet, a beautiful, old chalet guarded by two friendly St. Bernards;
- 16:00 After having a rest we will climb Piatra Mică peak a very specacular thin ridge that will give you an ideea about what’s about to come the next day on the main ridge;
- 19:00 We are back at the chalet and we serve dinner (not included)

3rd DAY – Hiking the main ridge of Piatra Craiului and it’s west face
• Level rating: medium to difficult, 6-7 hours.
• Highlights: Reaching the main ridge of Piatra Craiului, one of the most spectacular mountains in Romania, sunset over the west face of Piatra Craiului viewed.
• Accommodation: Plaiul Foii Chalet.
• Short program:
- 8:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 09:00 Leaving Curmătura Caban and going up the ridge through
from AscuŃit to La om peak
- 13:00 We stop for picnic lunch (included)
- 15:00 We arrive at La om peak, the highest point of the ridge at 2238.
- 18:00 We are at the Spirla shelter and not far from tonight’s
accommodation, the Plaiul Foii Chalet.
- 19:00 Serving dinner (not included)at Plaiu Foii Chalet

4th DAY – Wildlife observation
• Level rating: easy
• Highlights: An evening wildlife observation
• Accommodation: Plaiu foii chalet.
• Short program:
- 9:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 10:00 Today we relax a bit
in the first half but we can
find lots of trails to walk
around if you want to.
- 14:00 Lunch (not included)
- 18:00 The park rangers will come to pick us up for going to the
wildlife exploration post.
- 20:00 We will serve dinner (not included) at our Chalet

5TH DAY – Exploring Brasov
• Level rating: easy
• Highlights: Exploring Brasov old city centre
• Accommodation: Guest house in Brasov
• Short program:
- 9:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 10:00 We start the hike back to Zărnesti on the forest road.
- 12:00 We arrive at Zărnesti and take the bus to Brasov

- 13:00 Lunch (not included) in Brasov after we checked in at our guesthouse
- 14:00 Free time to explore Brasov
- 20:00 We will serve dinner (not included)

6th DAY – Back on the mountains – Piatra Mare
• Level rating: easy
• Highlights: The 7 Ladders Canion, carved in limestone.
• Accommodation: Piatra Mare chalet.
• Schedule:
- 8:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 9:00 We follow the national road towards the entrance of Piatra Mare
- 11:00 We will arrive at the 7 Ladder Canyon
- 13:00 Check in at Piatra Mare chalet and picnic lunch
(included)
- 14:00 We head off to trek up Piatra Mare peak and if weather
conditions will be good we will have a great view of the area

- 20:00 We will serve dinner (not included)

7th DAY – Visiting Sinaia
• Level rating: easy
• Highlights: Tamina Waterfall, Peles and Pelisor Castles and the Sinaia Monastery.
• Accommodation: a pension in Busteni
• Short program:
- 8:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 9:00 We traverse the Piatra Mare plateau and descent towards Tamina Waterfall
- 11:00 We are passing by the Tamina Waterfall
- 12:00 Go to the railroad station and wait for the train (this station is rather small so not many trains pass through it)
- 15:00 We visit Peles Palace and the Sinaia Monastery after having lunch (not included).
- 19:00 Transfer by public transportation to Busteni where we check in.
8th DAY – Going up on the Bucegi Plateau

• Level rating: easy – moderate
• Highlights: Going up the Bucegi mountains, the natural rock  formation that resembles the Sphinx.
• Accommodation: pension in Bucegi.
• Short program:
- 8:00 Breakfast (not included)
- 9:00 We start our way up the mountain either on an unmarked trail like “Valea Albă” (white valley), or on a touristic path that will lead us to the Bucegi Plateau.
- 13:00 We visit the peculiar rock formations around Babele chalet

- 14:00 We stop for a picnic lunch (included)
- 15:00 Starting our descent on a different path, or by cable car (not included)
- 18:00 We are back in Busteni and we serve dinner(not included)

9th DAY – “La revedere” – Good Bye!

After breakfast we will say good bye, wishing you all the best !
Prices: