Hiking and Bear Watching in Romania

Perfect long weekend

This short adventure was perfect to recharge our batteries with nature, wildlife and good food. Alin and Lucian were great guides showing us great local food and sharing wonderful insights along the way about Romania, Brasov and bears. The highlight was seeing the bears from the bear hide but the hike through the alpine valley of Poiana was also breathtaking.

This was our first time in Romania and we had a lovely few days exploring the area. Alin, our guide went out of his way to make sure the trip ran smoothly, he was informative in talking about the history and culture of the area, and arranged a variety of restaurants so that we could sample local cuisine. The highlight for us was seeing bears in the wild, although we didn’t see any the first evening, Alin arranged a second evening at another bear hide and we were luckily enough to see 3 bears. The bear sanctuary was also interesting and we were able to see bears closer up The scenery is spectacular, with snow cover mountains in the distance.

We personally did not enjoy the trip to Bran Castle, it’s very touristy, and busy, although it could apparently get much busier in the summer. We would have preferred a different activity for the last morning, but that just a personal preference. All in all a really good trip and would definitely recommend it.

From start to finish, this trip was perfectly organised and I felt so comfortable from the very moment I landed. Our guide was so knowledgeable and so friendly! Considering we had to cram so much in over a short period of time, it never felt too rushed and we had plenty of free time to explore at our own pace which was great! All in all, I had an amazing time and I’ll definitely be travelling with Much Better Adventures in the future :D

This was a great short break that exceeded our expectations. Firstly Brasov is a lovely City with plenty to see & do. Very neat & clean, good restaurants & cafés & people are pleasant. Enjoyed the 2 hikes which were varied & not too testing ( would have liked them to be a bit longer). The evening bear watching was very special, we were lucky to see 2 bears from the hide. Libearty Bear Sanctuary was excellent & we have checked their web camera every day since our return. Bran Castle was a bit of an Enigma but still an enjoyable visit. Our host / guide, Alin, was nothing short of superb. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable & chose great lunchtime & evening restaurants. ( We did arrive a day early which gave us more time to explore Brasov)

Fantastic long weekend in Braslov with pretty hikes in woodland and Alpine meadows. We were lucky and had 3 bear sightings and some of the group found a fresh paw print in the alpine meadow. Alin was a fantastic guide and really looked after us.

Such a great trip. Well organised, Alin was great and we saw so many bears 🐻

It was a really lovely trip. Unfortunately we didn't see wild bears but the trip to the sanctuary was great (some very sad stories but amazing work being done to help the bears). The hikes were beautiful and I wish I could of stayed longer to see more. Romania was an amazing place to visit and the hotel and restaurants were great.

Would completely recommend, Brastov is a really interesting place and Alin our guide was really informative and friendly explaining about his culture and heritage. We saw a wild bear and visiting the sanctuary was really special. Bran's castle was also really interesting just expect it to be a tourist hotspot. Loved that our meals were included and we got to sample local dishes, my favourite was their donut with sour cream and sour plum jam!

Seeing a wild bear has long been a dream of mine. This trip provided that, along with trekking through unmissable scenery, great company and an amazing local guide Alin. His knowledge of Romanian history, legend, folklore and customs was fascinating. The bear sanctuary visit was very moving; it was good to see so much care being given to the rescued bears. This was my second trip with MBA and both have been exceptionally well organised. A highly recommended tour. Looking forward to my next adventure!

It was amazing, thank you very much Much Better Adventures!

My second MBA trip and it was fantastic. Excellent organisation from start to finish and Alin the guide was amazing. The hiking was easy going with stunning scenery and of course it was a joy to see a bear in the wild.

Great trip thanks!

Great holiday, full 3 days our guide Alin is so knowledgeable, informative and kind The itinerary was full with varied experiences Hotel was 3 star with a good selection of breakfast goodies

This was my first visit to Romania. I am returning home feeling refreshed and relaxed from the beautiful scenery, fresh air, great company and lovely food.

Our guide Dragos was wonderful. He clearly loves his country and his enthusiasm was infectious. I learned a lot, saw a lot and made some new memories.

Sometimes on tours you feel like a herd of sheep, but Dragos was part of the group but also stayed a few steps ahead thinking about what we might be needing next. Everything was handled seamlessly.

Thanks also to Christina and Matei for the stories and fun. And to Marius for organising the trip and helping me with my Bucharest plans.

Lovely hotel in centre of Braşov. We had mini suite, with 2 large bedrooms, and a small hallway! The beds were comfortable, and there was a kettle in the room. We were ally the back of the hotel, so it was quiet. The guide was very good, and knowledgeable. He was very helpful, and the experience was great. It’s lovely to go on holiday with like minded people.

Awesome trip with lovely people! Alin our guide was fantastic, knowledgable, and friendly. The mix of hikes, bears and free time was perfect and the shared meal times were fun. Would definitely recommend!

I had an amazing time and would 100% recommend this trip! Our guide Alin was brilliant, giving us lots of local history and info throughout the whole weekend. He made sure that the group set the pace for the hikes and activities, and provided the perfect balance of planned activities and free time. The planned hikes provided the most stunning views of Brasov and the mountains, and the bear experiences were incredible. A great way to meet new people and try new things!

Our group of 10 people were well coordinated by our guide Alin who chose 2 lovely hikes for us and excellent restaurants including local Romanian feats at 2 restaurants in particular. We did see 2 bears 'in the wild' from the bear hide which was amazing.

Excellent trip and guide! Would 100% recommend this to others, the hikes and timings were tailed to our group to give the very best experience. Felt like a great balance of activity and free time and our guide was superb. Would also recommend tagging on a few days in Bucharest as really easy to get the train through to Brasov.

Im going to keep this short and sweet. The weekend was awesome. The guides, Dragos, his wife (and team member) Christina, and their Son, all spoke perfect English and lead us on our weekend of adventures. Seeing the bears in their natural environment was an amazing experience. Hiking was probably harder than anticipated at times but still great fun and enjoyable. Meeting others from across the UK was great too, with lots of funny stories whilst getting to know one another. I'd definitely recommend this trip and actually have done to some of my family and friends.

excellent short break in Romania. Based in Brasov, a very attractive town in the Carpathian Mountains, the hiking was not strenuous but very enjoyable. We luckily saw a wild bear as well as the bears in the sanctuary. Our guide was brilliant.

We really enjoyed this. The trip was well organised and the local guides were knowledgeable and helpful. The scenery was amazing and seeing bears in the wild was incredible.

Amazing trip that allows you to capture and experience a glorious part of Romania and its countryside

This trip is a great idea for a long weekend. I had never seen bears in the wild before so that was a big draw for me and boy did it deliver on bears. Minor negative is that the hike on the Saturday is just going to a viewpoint over the city so would like this to be a bit more remote and in nature. Other than that I would highly recommend.

The tour was fabulous from start to finish. Alin our tour guide was perfect! He was so accommodating and thoughtful to the whole group and to each person. He took us to amazing places and restaurants and although it was only a long weekend we packed in so much and had spare time to wander around. 14 of us came and each one of us had the best time! Thank you Alin

Alin our Romanian guide was amazing, so knowledgeable, patient and made sure we were all catered for. The hotel was lovely and in my opinion better than the star rating given. The trip has a nice balance of outside easy hiking as well as opportunities to see bears in the wild. We were very lucky to see multiple wild bears. The sanctuary visit was heart-breaking when you heard the stories of the cruelty they’d suffered, educational of the battle they face but all of the stories have happy ending of a better life they now experience.

Food was good if you’re a meat eater!

Bear watching might not always produce the desired result but then you look out of the back door of the hide and there’s a brown bear just 4 metres away! Great weekend.

I heartily recommend the 4-day hiking and bear watching trip in Brasov, Romania that I have just been on. It was packed with superb activities: an invigorating mountain climb up to the Brasov sign (a general level of fitness required) to be rewarded with stunning views over Brasov; watching bears in the wild from a bear hide (we saw 4 bears, including a mother and her cub); a visit to Libearty Sanctuary to learn about the amazing work they are doing with bears in need of help; a refreshing hike through breathtaking alpine meadows in the Piatra Craiului Mountains, and a visit to the gothic Bran Castle. I went in a group and we had our own smart mini-bus, local driver and tour guide. The trip was really well organised and brilliantly led by Alin, our local guide. He was knowledgeable, flexible and kind (helping one of our group all the way up a mountain), and took us to eat at some great local restaurants and a fairy tale wine bar. Our driver, Christian, was also friendly and patient, and drove carefully up the narrow, winding mountain roads.

We were looked after so well for the whole trip. Our guide, Alin was so interesting and knowledgeable about all aspects of Romania. He was flexible, adapting plans to best fit with the group. He made us feel safe during the bear watching activity. A fantastic weekend leaving us wanting more.