4-Day Carpathian Trek: Bucegi Mountains and Piatra Craiului National Park

I made the 4-day active tour as sole client with Bogdan as guide, who picked me up in his car and drove us to Magura. He also delivered me back at my hotel in Brasov at the end of the tour. . The routes followed tracks taking in the Curmatura and Grind huts and the rocky side of Piatra Craiului. I was very pleased with the routes we made although the tracks were often continuously steep in difficult forest trails, equally demanding on leg muscles both up and down. We typically made about 16 km and 600-800 m altitude in 5-7 hours. The weather was cool and occasionally damp. One day saw a strong wind from the valley with very low temperartures which caused us to change our jackets several times. The accommodation in the Montana guesthouse was very good, warm and clean, with breakfast, dinner and packed lunch provided in the neighbouring restaurant – the hosts were very friendly. Bogdan is an all round sportsman and was sensitive to my limitations. He was an excellent companion at mealtimes and over a beer at the end of the day, very jovial and well informed of Romanian history. The routes are marked but not always easy to follow. We met three pairs of trekkers who had lost their way and Bogdan was gracious enough to guide them and give detailed instructions. On the last day we also took in the more touristic area with Bran castle and Poiana Brasov.

I would readily use their services again and perhaps for winter sports, now that I have a better idea of the fitness level required. I would recommend these guided tours to anyone. They can accommodate all capabilities.

We had such a great time! Bogdan was a very knowledgeable and experienced guide, and a very nice person to be around. We enjoyed our hikes with the amazing views of the mountains and our stay at the guest house with great food at a charming mountain village.

We were two couples on this trip. What a fantastic time we had! Our guide Mihai was so knowledgeable and patient. We got rained out one day but made up for it the following day with an epic day up to Shepherd’s Peak. Each day (3 hiking days) was different and equally interesting and exhilarating. I can’t recommend this trek more. Also- planning it with Marian at Active Travel was so great. We did it all over Whatsapp which made it easy to get questions answered etc. She worked with us to make the perfect trip. Have to give a plug to the guesthouse where we stayed in Magura (will do a separate review). This place was organized by the tour and it was also a highlight. The village of Magura is unlike anything I’ve seen- such gorgeous mountains and small farms- forests and fields. We hope to come back one day.

From the minute we landed in Bucarest to the minute we left the driver back in Bucarest, everything was perfect.

The hotel was amazing and the location was great, Marien was always available for our questions no matter when we called him, the tracks were amazing - Beautiful and at the exact level of our experience of fitness and navigation.

Even when we wanted advice and help with things not related to our trip Merian was so happy to help us.

This was the perfect choice for our honeymoon and we are so happy we did it with him.

This trip is really great! Marian was extremly flexible and adjusted the route to the weather and our wishes and needs. We learned a lot about the nature and history of this beautiful country from him and the planning and accomodation was excellent. Besides of this, he is a really nice guy.

The nature varies a lot and you will enjoy forest, meadows, saddels, canyons, dramatic ridges and magnificient views. It is really wild nature and most of the time we were actually alone.

This was a great trip. Marian was the guide throughout the self guided treks and he was excellent. He prepared everything went through all the details, arranged all the travel to and Back from the trials, and pick the best guest houses I've ever stayed in. The people running the guest houses were lovely, the rooms were spotless, breakfast was fantastic and I was very well looked after. Thanks for a great trip. I couldn't recommend this more.

Amazing 4 days! Completed this hike with a friend and had Mihai as our guide; incredibly knowledgeable and very friendly. Every day of hiking was completely different and saw so many things.

Stayed at Pensiunea Pepino, super comfortable room, phone reception and fast wifi. The food was an absolute highlight, traditional Romanian food and lots of it!

Just loved this 4-day hike and overall experience in the mountains. The hikes were varied and challenging (most often, 8 hours of hiking per day...one rainy day, we hiked 5 hours and went to Bran Castle). Our guesthouse was fantastic with comfy beds and traditional food and wonderful hospitality. Our guide, Mihai, was also terrific - getting us where we needed to go and sharing insights and info about the history of Romania (ask him about Queen Marie!). Most definitely would recommend. Bring serious hiking clothes and boots and poles -- this is real hiking!