Romanian Carpathians

Romania's Carpathian Mountains form the largest arc of the Carpathian chain, sweeping through Transylvania in a great curve from the Ukrainian border to the Iron Gates on the Danube. This is Europe's last great wilderness — forests where brown bears, wolves, and lynx roam in numbers not seen elsewhere in Europe, and mountain villages where traditional pastoral life continues much as it has for centuries.

The Bucegi Massif above Sinaia and Busteni offers dramatic limestone plateau walking with extraordinary views across the Prahova Valley. The Fagaras Mountains — the "Alps of Romania" — hold the country's highest peaks including Moldoveanu (2,544 m) and the beautiful Balea Lake glacial area. The Retezat Mountains of western Transylvania surprise visitors with glacial lakes and wild valleys covered in pristine forests where wildlife sightings are guaranteed.

We combine mountain walking with cultural immersion: visits to Saxon fortified churches, painted Orthodox monasteries, and the legendary landscape of Dracula's Transylvania. Romanian hospitality in simple mountain pensions is warm and generous.