5.0
Adventure Hiking in Romania
- Romania
- 3 nights
Scramble along the gorges and plateaus of the Apuseni Mountains on wild trails, via ferrata, hanging bridges and ladders
What's Included?
Small Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 8 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From …
excluding flights
What's it like?
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Highlights
Hike the forested Padis Plateau and delve into the spectacular ‘Fortress of Ponor’ - a unique karstic cave network
Scramble and climb the rocky walls of the remote Galbena Gorge in the heart of Romania's Western Carpathians
Tackle a via ferrata up the flank of the Padurea Craiului massif - a thrilling 200m network of fixed iron rungs
Itinerary
Day 1
Apuseni Nature Park
Hiking2hrsDriving4hrsGuesthouseOwn roomLunch and dinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
Meet your host at Cluj-Napoca Airport and drive to the Padis karst plateau in the heart of Apuseni Nature Park, stopping for lunch on the way. If the weather allows, you can stretch your legs with a two hour warm-up hike either to a viewpoint in time for sunset, or to a mysterious, densely forested karst plateau, with many caves and sinkholes. Arrive at the mountain guesthouse, your base for the next few days, in time for dinner and a briefing on the adventure ahead.
Day 2
The Fortress of Ponor
Hiking5-6hrs · 7mi · 1312ft up · 1969ft downGuesthouseOwn roomAll meals includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
Lace up your boots and hike to some of the Carpathian's hidden gems. The aim is to follow the water as you hike beside creeks and streams and then see them disappear into the region’s unique underground cave system. Continue hiking to Cetatile Ponorului - the Fortress of Ponor - a cave network surrounded by a forested and mountainous landscape with hidden springs, waterfalls and tunnels. Return to the cosy cabin for a night of traditional Romanian mountain food.
Day 3
Galbena Gorge
Hiking7-8hrs · 10mi · 2493ft up · 2493ft downGuesthouseOwn roomAll meals includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
Tackle the challenging route to the wild and remote Galbena Gorge, including some scrambling and sections where you will use cables and chains to navigate the gorge walls (total elevation gain 1100 metres.) On the way you'll pass the Focul Viu ice cave, an underground glacier. If weather permits, hike to Galbena Rock, a viewpoint with spectacular panoramas of the Western Carpathians before returning to your cabin for a final night.
Day 4
Via Ferrata and then home
Hiking1.5hrs · 2mi · 262ft up · 262ft downClimbing2hrsBreakfast and lunch includedShow Day 4 detailHide detail
Time for the final adventure of the trip - a 200 metre via ferrata network up the flank of the Padurea Craiului massif - a spectacular end to your hiking adventure. After a final picnic with your team, head back to Cluj-Napoca in time for the evening flight home.
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- Cluj-Napoca International Airport (CLJ)
- Pick up
- Cluj-Napoca Airport, Romania
13:45 - Drop off
- Cluj-Napoca Airport, Romania
17:00
What is and isn't Included?
What's included
Expert, English-speaking guide and specialist certified mountain guide for the via ferrata
3 nights in a mountain guesthouse, in your own private room
3 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners
To and from the airport and everything in-between
All your equipment for the via ferrata sections
All permits and entry fees
What's not included
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Where You'll Stay
Private room upgrades are not available on this trip due to the nature of the accommodation.
Apuseni National Park
Optional Extras
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation
- Additional night at the Cetatile Ponorului Mountain Cabin (Single)
- …/per night
- Additional night at the Cetatile Ponorului Mountain Cabin (Twin/Double)
- …/per night
Transfers
- Private airport transfer from Cluj to Apuseni Mountains accommodation (one way)
- …
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Ratings & Reviews
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What to Pack
Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
What is Via Ferrata?
Via-ferrata routes are a popular way to access the mountains without any mountaineering experience. Essentially it's a series of iron rungs, ladders and cables fixed into a steep cliff. On this trip, you'll ascend 200m using a harness that's permanently clipped into a continuous safety cable. This, combined with expert guiding, ensures that you are in the safest hands possible, allowing you to enjoy an otherwise inaccessible environment. You don't need any previous experience, just a head for heights. You should also not suffer from vertigo.
Can I leave my excess luggage somewhere?
Yes, you can safely leave your luggage at the mountain hut and just take a daypack out for each of the hikes.
What is the up to date travel advice?
For current advice about travelling in Romania, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
Can I book on my own?
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Who is running the trip?
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
What is the official travel advice?
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers review the practical information available on the UK Government’s FCDO website, where you can find up-to-date advice by searching for your destination(s).
If you are based in the United States, you can also check the latest travel advisories from the U.S. Department of State.
For customers joining from other international locations, we recommend checking the official travel advice issued by your country of residence, as guidance may vary.
What vaccinations do I need?
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
How are the trips priced?
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates daily, so prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
Why are your adventures only for adults?
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
Who else will be on my trip?
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips typically consist of a mix of solo travelers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves, and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
What's the carbon footprint for this trip?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre program, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 66kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
- A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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