Romania wildlife travel advice

“Be open minded and flexible. Wear old clothes, bring rubber gloves for food preparation and be prepared to get mucky. A lot of time is spent on food preparation, but this is important as bears need a lot of food.” – Suzanne Jones on a bear volunteering holiday

“If you want to have a holiday with lots of shops to visit and a wide range of entertainment then this holiday is not for you. The hotel was in a remote part of the national park with no shops, cafés or organised entertainment nearby.” – Alison Mitchell on a Carpathian Mountains holiday

“Make sure you dress in layers as you can get very cold when standing around, but you can also get warm when trekking through the snow. You need a decent level of fitness for the wildlife tracking, otherwise you probably won't enjoy the holiday. The hostess at our accommodation was very attentive and catered fantastically for our vegan diets.” – Tamara Lee on a wolf tracking holiday in Transylvania

“I admit I was nervous travelling solo and a little wary of travelling to an unknown country. However, the people were great. The operator takes you through every step and tweaked the trip to make sure I got the most out of my time. Castle Dracula was great to visit and I also recommend extending your stay to see a little of Bucharest which is a fascinating city.” – Nathan Cresswell on a bear volunteering holiday

“Take every opportunity you can to make the most of this experience, it’s a beautiful country with lovely people. Go on every trip, excursion, walk you can fit in. I was taught a lot of things I didn’t know about both the bears, laws and way of life of the country both past and present, making me more understanding of it all.” – Angela Nunn on a bear volunteering holiday

“Bring proper walking boots, good waterproofs and warm fleece – it rained for four days during the holiday. Didn't spoil it at all, but you need to prepared! Take insect repellent as well, no-one else seemed much affected but my legs were eaten alive. Binoculars would be handy as you do spend some time animal watching. A lot of the activities are based around animal watching so it's flexible, don't expect to follow the printed itinerary exactly – you'll still get to do everything listed in the holiday but maybe not in the order expected. There is a 2.5-3 hour transfer from the airport, but that's the price you pay if you want to spend the week in a beautiful, remote area.” – Mary Devine on a Carpathian Mountains holiday

“Local people will certainly appreciate you coming to admire their country. Local tour guides certainly benefit. Taking part in voluntary work or trying to be involved in a local project I think is essential as most locals couldn't afford not to work and do these things.” – Rowena Dark on a bear volunteering holiday