DURATION
2 nights
LOCATION
Romania
ANNUAL LEAVE
1 day off work
SEASON
Apr—Oct
GROUP SIZE
Up to 14 people
MEETING POINT
Henri Coandă International Airport
ACCOMMODATION
Comfort
Hotel
DIFFICULTY
Easy
It might be out in the wild, but this trip is suitable for anyone in reasonably good condition.
Hike to an isolated hide in the Carpathian Mountains – home to 60% of Europe’s remaining Brown Bear population – and see these incredible creatures up close and in the wild
Spend a night in the bars and bohemian cafes of Romania's buzzing capital and explore two famous Transylvanian castles
Perfect for adventurous travellers who want a little bit of everything – city life, history, culture and of course, wildlife
Bed down in characterful boutique hotels, nestled in the historic hearts of Bucharest and Brasov
Day 1
Bucharest
Check into your boutique hotel in the heart of gorgeous Bucharest and join your guide for a walking tour around the city's old town. Spend the rest of the evening exploring this vibrant town. Your guide will lead you to some of its famous bohemian cafes, funky bars and top-notch restaurants.
Day 2
Wild bears
Hiking
1hr
Drive through the scenic Transylvanian countryside into the rugged Carpathian Mountains. Visit the fairy tale Peles Castle and then continue on to the Medieval town of Brasov where you’ll stay tonight. From the remote trailhead in the mountains, walk through the forest to a bear hide ethically operated by the local wildlife authority. The hide is like an elevated treehouse, with great views of the bears as they wander in for dinner. If you’re lucky you might even see cubs!
Day 3
Bran Castle
Visit the highly acclaimed Libearty Sanctuary and learn more about these awesome creatures - a great way to add perspective to yesterday's experience. Head to Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s Castle, with its blood-red turrets, eerie rooms and creepy reputation. Return to Bucharest through beautiful countryside and back to the airport in time for your flight home.
Included
Guides
Professional, experienced guides
Accommodation
2 nights in 4-star boutique hotels
Meals
Munch on tasty food throughout
Transfers
To and from the airport and everything in-between
Permits
Entrance to Peles and Bran Castles and Liberty Bear Sanctuary
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Visas where required
Day 1
Hotel · Twin or triple share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Hotel · Twin or triple share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Romanian food is hearty, flavourful and heavily influenced by neighbouring countries. Most meals start with a soup, often made with meat, vegetables or fish and made sour with lemon or vinegar. Sausages are also popular, as well as meat and vegetable pies, goulash, stuffed cabbage rolls and cheeses.
Breakfasts are included at your hotels, while lunches and dinners will be eaten at restaurants along the way. Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form'
What is the accommodation like?
Bucharest
You’ll stay at either the Rembrandt, Z Hotel or similar. Located in historic buildings, these boutique hotels are classy yet unpretentious, with beautiful facilities. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, a delicious buffet breakfast, onsite café and excellent location.
Brasov
In Brasov you’ll stay in a boutique hotel right on the main square, probably Bella Muzica or Casa Wagner. Both hotels are housed in historical buildings with modern amenities, excellent service, and lots of character.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price . Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability)
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Bucharest Airport or your accommodation in Bucharest
14:30 at the airport or 16:00 at your hotel
Ends
Bucharest Airport
18:00
Transfers
Bucharest Airport - 14:30 or Your accommodation in Bucharest - 16:00
Your adventure begins at Bucharest Airport with your airport transfer at 14:30. Please schedule your flight to arrive more than 30 minutes before this time, your driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals area. If you’re not able to join the transfer, you can book any flight and easily get to your accommodation via a 30-minute taxi from the airport. Your host can also organise a private taxi for you, please see Optional Extras below. You will meet your guide and fellow adventurers after you have checked in for a guided tour of the city.
At the end of your adventure, you will be dropped back at Bucharest Airport at 18:00. You’re free to book any flight that departs after 19:30. Alternatively If you would like to be dropped off in Bucharest city centre, please let your host know when booking.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Bucharest from airports across the UK and Europe.
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What do I need to bring?
Bags
- A small daypack
Clothing
- Dark or neutral-coloured layers (thermals, jacket) for the bear hide
- Waterproof jacket
- Sturdy walking shoes
- Sun protection (hat, sunglasses and sunblock)
- Warm hat for April and October
- Sunhat for May to September
Other
- Reusable water bottle
- Camera
- Binoculars
- Universal travel plug adaptor
- Suncream for May to September
- Odourless insect repellent
Additional Night Single Room incl Airport Transfer
Payable Before Departure
Additional Night Single Room incl Airport Transfer
…
Additional Night Twin/Double Room incl Airport Transfer
Payable Before Departure
Additional Night Twin/Double Room incl Airport Transfer
…
Private Room Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Private Room Upgrade
…
Airport Transfer One Way (1-3 people)
Payable Before Departure
Airport Transfer One Way (1-3 people)
…
Airport Transfer One Way (4-8 people)
Payable Before Departure
Airport Transfer One Way (4-8 people)
…
I would definitely recommend this trip, my host Christina and her dad were fantastic, so friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble and I learnt so much about Romanian history from them. The hotels were lovely and the restaurants we visited were top notch. Christina recommended some local dishes for us to try and they were all beautiful. The castles were great and it was good to see both. The highlight for me was the bears, we saw 2 female brown bears from the hide and learnt lots about how they live in the wild from our guide, the trip to libeartys sanctuary was so moving. What a fantastic happy ending for the bears they rescue.
This is an incredible experience. Bucharest and Brasov, the two main cities you visit are both great. The experience of seeing wild bears is incredible. Also, the experience of seeing bears in a sanctuary and learning their back stories is upsetting at times but very interesting and heartening to know they are in a better place now. The local guide (Alan) was incredible throughout. He was very knowledgeable and made the trip seamless.
It’s an action packed Itinerary with a fair amount to see and do. The Bears in their natural habitat made it all worth it. Patience is required as you wait, but we were lucky enough to see 3 of them of different ages and size which made our trip. The castles were a nice in between thing to see. Our guide Alan was very knowledgable and took us to some great local restaurants and was always on hand to assist us with anything related to the trip we needed.
A truly incredible trip - you should book immediately. Surprisingly good standard of accommodation and a great balance of activities. We were lucky enough to see three bears in the wild which was an experience that I will never forget.
This trip is amazing. The castles are great and seeing the bears in the wild one day and the sanctuary the next was brilliant. Obviously you may not see any bears in the wild, we were lucky and saw three immediately, and then an eagle appeared to really top it all off, but you'll definitely see some at the sanctuary. The stories behind a lot of the bears' lives are incredibly sad so be prepared! All of the food was so good, everyone let the guide pick the meals and he never went wrong. Ended up eating a lot of stuff I would never usually order. The restaurants were also great, great atmosphere and great beer. Our guide Marius really made the trip - his energy, humour, and knowledge turned this great trip into a perfect one. Romania has a lot to offer and this trip covers a fair chunk of it, but you'll leave wanting to return.
Really good trip and would strongly recommend! The wild bears were the absolute highlight. Requires patience, we waited for an hour and a half in the hide, but we then saw three wild bears (in ascending order of size) and it was magical! The sanctuary was also very worthwhile, really interesting but tinged with sadness as these things often are. Castles impressive, Brasov is beautiful and the walking tour of Bucharest really interesting. Our guide Alin was excellent, incredibly knowledgeable and reliable, and took us to lots of delicious local restaurants (Romanian food is tasty but very stodgy, be warned!)
Great tour providing a nice mix of culture and nature. Our guide Marius did a great job both providing information about Romania, history and the sites and giving us the perfect tips for food in restaurants. He was also very attentive with each of us, making sure that we were all happy. I strongly recommend this tour. I fell in love with Romania and I wanna come back soon!
What a wonderful trip! Saw 3 Bears in the wild, then were educated about the Rescue Sanctuary - really worth the time and money!
Amazing trip! Had the best local guide, Cristina, who answered every question and was so knowledgeable. We were so lucky to see the bears in the wild. It was a totally magical experience. The bear sanctuary was an honour to visit. And the castle’s were stunning. So much delicious local food and very well catered for vegetarians. A once in a life time opportunity.
Perfect, amazing, jam packed. Christina and her family really made our stay perfect they looked after us and made us feel like we were part of the family. Thoroughly enjoyed and felt like we saw so much of Romania in such a short amount of time. Thank you so much!
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 93kg 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 for 2023 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 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 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. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
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.
This trip is suitable for anyone in reasonably good condition, with the bear hide accessed by an easy 40-minute hike.
Hunting Brown Bears was outlawed in Romania in 2005, so populations are on the rise. To help reduce human-bear conflicts, wildlife officials now leave bear-appropriate foods at designated spots far away from towns. They've also set up hides near these feeding stations that allow people to view bears in their wild habitat without alerting or scaring them.
These bears are completely wild and adults, sub-adults and cubs all visit the feeding stations regularly. They come and go as they please while you quietly observe and photograph them from above. There’s a 90% chance of seeing wild bears from the hide.
The site is accessed via an enjoyable 40-minute hike through woods and meadows in the beautiful Carpathian Mountains.
Along with hunting, trapping and keeping bears was also outlawed in 2005. The Libearty Bear Sanctuary was established to rescue captive bears that could not be returned to the wild as they were now too habituated to succesfully survive on their own.
The sanctuary provides a home for more than 70 rescued Brown Bears, often saved from inhumane captivity. They roam freely on 70 hectares of land with pools, trees and natural forage. They're safe and healthy and provide an incredible learning opportunity for visitors. Knowledgeable guides at the sanctuary will teach you all about bear behavior and their history in Romania.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
This trip is offered from April to October (peak bear season). In Brasov the temperature usually ranges from 15 – 25 °C during the day and cools off to 3 – 12 °C at night between May and September. Most days are sunny with beautiful blue skies. In April and October the weather can be more unpredictable and the temperature varies between 10 – 20 °C during the day and 3 – 10 °C at night.
Tipping is not mandatory but often expected in Romania. We suggest the below as a guideline per person:
GBP10-15 or equivalent to guides and 10% in restaurants.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that 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.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
Pay In Installments
You can choose to pay for this trip in as many installments as you like, with no interest or fees.
Full Financial Protection
Your money is safe. Every booking is fully financially protected.
