Responsible tourism in Romania
Animal welfare is another issue where Romania can benefit from responsible tourist input. In particular, show your distaste at caged or performing bears, and pointedly shun places that have them. Visit/support the marvellous Libearty sanctuary, and show an interest in other wildlife and also native flora. All this shows your awareness of Romania responsible tourism issues.
Our Romania Holidays
Carpathian Mountains holiday, conservation & culture
Wolves, bears and sightseeing
Romania holiday, the Beauty of Yesterday
Small group tour to rediscover enchanting rural Romania
Photography tour in Romania, Orthodox Easter
Photography adventure through the heart of rural Romania.
Transylvania self-drive holiday in Romania
Traditional Landscapes & Cultural Heritage - beyond Dracula.
Transylvania holiday accommodation
Stay at a Count's guesthouse
Transylvania walking and nature holiday in Romania
A scenic nature tour of Transylvania
Transylvania cycling holiday in Romania
Cycle through the beauty and mystery of Transylvania
Rural Romania photography tour
Photography adventure through the heart of rural Romania.
Transylvania winter walking and snowshoeing holiday
Wander through the mountains and forests of wintery Transylvania
Romania adventure holiday
An amazing tour exploring medieval Europe and Transylvania
New Year photography tour in Romania
Explore authentic rural Romania's New Year traditions.
Volunteering with bears in Romania
Volunteer at an inspiring bear sanctuary in Transylvania
Romania walking holiday, Along the Enchanted Way tour
Explore the stunning scenery of remote Romania
Romania walking holiday, self guided
Experience walking through the heart of Transylvania
Romania holidays, Transylvania to the Danube Delta
Village stays, painted monasteries and wildlife in the delta
Romania wildlife holiday, bear watching and tracking
Memorable trip in Romania focused on wild bears
Romania holiday, Discover Romania
A superb trip around the best of Romania
Transylvania winter holiday accommodation
B&B in Transylvania
Danube Delta birdwatching in Romania
An incredible Danube Delta birdwatching experience!
Romania hiking short break
Less beaten trails from a lost world in Northern Romania
Romania & Bulgaria tour
Explore 2 countries with great history and traditions.
South Eastern Europe motorcycle tours
Enjoy South Eastern Europe with friendly guides + good bikes
Romania family activity holiday, small group
Range of activities in authentic Transylvanian countryside
Romania ski touring holiday
A touring ski experience in the Carpathian wilderness.
Romania hiking holidays in Apuseni National Park
Relax from modern life hiking in wild Transylvania
Romania's natural wonders holiday, small group
Natural and cultural highlights - Danube Delta, mountains, bears
Romania wildlife holiday stay in wildlife hides
-Explore some of the wildest forests of Europe.
Wolf tracking and watching holiday in Transylvania
Wolf watching and trekking in Transylvania (mid Jan-Feb)
People & culture in Romania
Adept at sustainability
Saschiz is the headquarter of the Adept Foundation a charity working to protect the special countryside of the Tarnava Mare area and give local people a secure future by promoting sustainable agriculture and marketing of high quality food products, while encouraging ancient crafts and skills, rural tourism and nature conservation. The area - home to 23,000 people in 27 small villages - is also a focus of an approach to sustainable development integrating two EU programmes: Natura 2000 for nature conservation and LEADER for rural community development. The principles promoted by the Adept Foundation apply, of course, across Romania in terms of using traditional accommodation providing work for local people, and buying Romanian products wherever possible.What you can do
Use local services, plus buy local food and craft products. And donate to the Adept Foundation.

Wildlife & environment in Romania
Bear necessities
For years, bears in Romania have been trophy-hunted, forced to dance in the streets and trapped in cages outside restaurants. Kept in cruelly cramped conditions and regularly abused by their owners, these bears are now being rescued and brought to Libearty near Brasov, Romania's largest bear sanctuary. It was founded by Cristina Lapis, who was spurred to action in 1998 after seeing three bears in a small cage outside a restaurant in central Romania where they were used to attract customers.In 2007 Romania joined the European Union and that brought new laws including the EU Zoo Directive - which meant all zoos in Romania had to come up to a certain standard of animal management. Many zoos could not comply and the bears in these zoos faced euthanasia - but were saved by being re-homed in the bear sanctuary.
The Libearty bear sanctuary - based in oak forests above the town of Zarnesti in central Transylvania - conducts regular tours for visitors to see around 80 bears enjoying life in 70 hectares of forested sanctuary areas, where they can climb trees, swim in pools and forage naturally. The sanctuary also offers unique opportunities for more committed visitors to work with the bears. The sanctuary has also helped to create better awareness of the issues affecting bears in Romania, and enjoys a high media profile to become one of the country's primary symbols of optimism for the protection of Romania's rich natural environment.
Take a Libearty tour or make a donation at the Sanctuary website. For even closer involvement, volunteer to work with the bears through Responsible Travel. Make your disapproval clear anywhere you see caged or performing bears. And buy the book Bear Sanctuary from the Sanctuary website.
Preserving the Delta
During the 1980s, the Danube Delta suffered significant damage from economically and environmentally disastrous large-scale agricultural and fish farming developments sponsored by the Ceasescu regime, which caused degradation and loss of wetlands and led to soil salinisation and the virtual extinction of wild carp in the region. More than 15,000 hectares of wetlands have now been restored, and management of this vast region has developed ways to balance public use with conservation, and to encourage sustainable tourism, providing opportunities to diversify livelihoods in the region. Some areas have been put under special Reserve protection, including some navigable sections of the Danube, the Saraturile Murighiol Plopu brackish lake and Razim-Sinoie lagoon.Tourism is an important and growing activity in the Reserve - although currently only providing just over 2 percent of the region's employment, compared to over 63 percent for fishing and agriculture. Romanian tourists outnumber foreign visitors by four-to-one but you can help change that - but be sure to travel responsibly.
Choose accommodation and tours run by local people. Do not venture willy-nilly into specially protected areas - stick to designated visitor areas for exploration, photographic safaris, birdwatching and sport fishing. Make a point of visiting some of the Delta's traditional fishing communities, showing an interest in their culture and lifestyle - and be sure to try some of the delicious local food, including the justly-renowned Delta fish soup!