Carpathian mountains holiday in Romania
Description of Carpathian mountains holiday in Romania
Often, the best walking holidays are those that arent all about the walking. On this holiday in Romanias stunning Carpathian Mountains, youre not just putting one foot in front of the other. Youre also exploring the fascinating rural culture of this region, in the company of a local guide who brings with them a wealth of knowledge.
Join a small group of walkers as you enter Piatra Craiului National Park, spending some time among the foothills in the village of Magura. Here, in this Transylvanian community, it can sometimes feel as though life is frozen in amber. Farmers use pitchforks to bring in the hay, and people still get around by horse and cart (you may be offered a lift). Stay in a family-run guest house your hosts may not speak a great deal of English, but your guide can translate, and youll be amazed how much can be communicated with just a welcoming smile.
Among the daily walks is the route between Piatra Craiului and Bucegi Natural Park. Another takes you through the famed Zarnesti Gorge, while still another ascends past seven beautiful waterfalls as you walk with the aid of metal staircases. The landscapes here are beguiling, but far from uninhabited. You may pass remote shepherding communities where you can drop in to taste their homemade cheeses, or their fruit brandy.
June to October is the best time for this walking holiday. The weather can be divine up in the Carpathian Mountains in late summer. Equally, it can turn on you quickly at this altitude. Thats the reason the itinerary is kept fairly flexible, and another reason why you cannot beat walking in the company of an experienced local guide.
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Reviews
2 Reviews of Carpathian mountains holiday in Romania
Reviewed on 06 Jul 2026 by sarah ball
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Hiking through the Carpathian mountains.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be sure to go Romanian all the way, from guest houses to guides.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, I wanted local, family owned guest houses and that's what was delivered.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The country Carpathian mountains are stunningly beautiful, the people warm and friendly. I loved it and learned a lot about Romania.
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We're delighted to hear that hiking through the Carpathian Mountains was the highlight of your holiday. It means a great deal to us that you appreciated our commitment to using locally owned guesthouses and local guides, as supporting rural communities and providing authentic experiences are at the heart of what we do.
We're especially pleased that you left with such positive impressions of Romania, its beautiful mountains, and the warmth of its people. Thank you as well for encouraging future travelers to embrace the local experienceit truly makes a difference.
We hope to welcome you back to Romania for another adventure in the future. There are still many beautiful trails, charming villages, and hidden corners of the Carpathians waiting to be discovered!
Warm regards,
The Active Travel Team
Reviewed on 29 Jun 2025 by Elizabeth Smith
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It was all absolutely fantastic - the historic cities like Bra?ov, Sibiu and Sighi?oara, the Saxon villages and fortified churches, the magnificent castles like Bran and Pele? -but the most memorable and exciting was hiking in the Carpathian Mountains, and climbing Mount Buc?a.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The operator, based in Romania, were truly wonderful, from the owner, Marian, to every one of his team of guides. Marian gave me the tip that I could fly direct from Luton to Bra?ov, which was so helpful to get me direct to this historic centre for most of Transylvania's marvellous attractions and beautiful countryside/mountains for hikes.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, very much. I used a local tour operator who is based in Bra?ov, Romania, so the benefits went direct to the local economy. My tours and hikes also incorporated visits to cafιs and restaurants serving dishes made from locally-sourced ingredients. I hiked in a national park which is focused on nature conservation
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This was one of the best holidays I have ever had, which is very high praise. I
booked at the last minute and all the communications and organisation were
superb. Nothing was too much trouble. They were very flexible when I wanted to
change my plan. The tour operator gave me the best experience of this beautiful and still less well-known part of Europe.
Responsible Travel
Planet
The tour is a small group one, with maximum number of 12 tourists. In this way we reduce at minimum the impact on the environment. We collect all the garbage on our trek. More than this we collect the garbage left by some tourists on the way (as much as we can carry in a such kind of walk, of course). We hardly use plastic for this kind of tours. We are working with small family guesthouses which promote eco tourism and they have in their rooms the instructions about how they can reduce the water consumption (eg. using towels) and they serve local food produce in the local communities (eg.milk, eggs, meat, cheese). We limit the use of plastic bottles by providing reusable bottles, as much as we can and we are not working with the single use plastic. We stay only on marking trails. For example, when following a trail, parties should walk single file down the middle of the trail.People
In our multi day trekking tours we use the local resources: we stop at a local handicraft or to a museum or at a local guesthouse for cheese tasting. Where we need we use local guides.Our tailor made programs help clients to better identify those areas that can offer awesome nature and rural culture experiences.
Our tourists can participate at the current works in the villages (eg. cutting the grass, milking the cows or sheep). We make a stop, during summer time, at an authentic sheep farm up into the mountains for a shepherd's lunch called bulz (polenta with cheese). Here we show at the tourists how the cheese is produced in a traditional way. The tourists could taste a special yogurt called jintita (can not be found in the local markets or big markets).
We inform the clients that it is important to know and respect a few elementary rules before visiting the areas of the Nationals Parks or Natural Parks. In this areas we have locals from the mountain villages which are struggling to preserve their traditions and their way of life (not so much help from the Romanian state). We inform them to keep down the noise level so both humans and wildlife can enjoy the balance of nature, to admire the flowers and if they wish to pick them to use only their photo camera. During our tours we use to make a stop at a local guesthouse which has a small farm for a cheese tasting and/or an eco-lunch with local products. They can visit the farm and/or to participate to the daily activities, as milking the animals or cutting the grass. In this way they have a perspective about the conditions of living in this areas and they understand how important is to respect their lifestyle.
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