Tracks 'n' Trips

A village scene on a walk in Mallorca

Romania

For more information give
Steve a call on 01902 373410 or 07779 008990

Our postal address is
3 The Glebe
Albrighton
Shropshire
WV7 3EF

2008 Dates & Prices
27 June - 4 July 2008		£699

Prices include flights, airport transfers, half board accommodation* on most days. Accommodation is in double and twin rooms. There are also a small number of single rooms available for a supplement of £140. All rooms are en suite.

* On two evenings we have not included the evening meals. This is to give you the opportunity to try other restaurants of your choice so that you can enhance your experience in Romania (main courses are usually less than 10 euros even in good restaurants). When we visited to put the trip together we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food available in the restaurants.

Local payment: There is a local payment of 120 euros (about £80) to cover local payments for picnic lunches, transport to the walks and entry to Dracula’s castle at Bran.

Extras: Cable car fares, which are just a few euros, entry to Peles Castle (optional), lunch on non-walking days, 2 evening meals, drinks and the visit to the Large Carnivore Centre (optional).

Flights are with British Airways from Heathrow to Bucharest.

"Our accommodation is the Hotel Anda, a small, friendly luxury 4 star hotel right in the heart of Sinaia"

Grade: Easy / Moderate

Transylvanian Alps of Romania

This is a new destination for 2005. Romania is often described as being among the last bastions of Europe’s traditional heart. You can still see unspoilt countryside, isolated villages in lush valleys where the people carry on a traditional way of life. Shepherds still tend to their flock, scythes are still used to cut the grass for winter feed and cars compete with horse drawn carts on the roads. Romania has some of Europe’s best walking in the Carpathians and Transylvanian Alps and we will be based right in the heart of this Alpine countryside. Sinaia itself is a traditional small town which welcomes visitors for skiing in winter and walking in summer. The town has many bars, cafes, restaurants and even a Casino.

Our accommodation is the Hotel Anda, a small, friendly luxury 4 star hotel right in the heart of Sinaia. The cellar restaurant in the hotel is superb and offers us a traditional 3 course Romanian dinner. Meat is at the heart of Romanian cooking but there is also plenty of fish and vegetarians can be catered for. Vegetables are grown locally without the aid of pesticides and fertilizers so organic is standard. On 2 nights we will eat out so that we can sample other restaurants for a treat. You will be surprised how good the food is and Romanian wine is good too.

We take advantage of the cable cars to access the higher walks with some great views. Walking is on good mountain trails, forest tracks and country lanes. The area is hilly so be prepared for some uphill climbs. There are 2 leaders allowing everyone to walk at their own pace to enjoy the views or we will offer a choice of 2 walks. We will walk on 4 days, walking time per day is between 4-7 hours.

You can visit Peles castle in Sinaia (King Carol selected Sinaia as the Royal summer residence and built Peles Castle in 1870). We will organise a visit to the famous Dracula’s castle at Bran, we will visit the beautiful medieval town of Brasov and can arrange a visit to the newly opened Large Carnivore Centre. One of the aims of this conservation project is to protect the brown bear and it may be possible to visit a hide and see bears in the wild. On our walks we can look out for traces of the brown bear but they will be too shy for us to see while walking (you’ll be pleased to know).