Civilization-focused tour in Romania (9 days) (Cultural Tour , Wallachia,Transylvania,Moldavia,Bukovina,Maramures,Bucharest,Danube Delta)

Itinerary: Bucharest – Maneciu Ungureni Village – CHEIA RESORT – Muntele Rosu Hut – Ciucas Mountains – Brasov – the Saxon villages area in Central Transylvania (Viscri Village – Bunesti Village – Crit Village – Cloasterf Village – Saschiz Village) - SIGHISOARA – Biertan Village - Darjiu Village – The Red Lake – Bicaz Gorges – PIATRA NEAMT – Agapia Village – Targu Neamt – Solca Village – Marginea Village – SUCEVITA VILLAGE – Moldovita Village – Carlibaba Village – Prislop Pass – Borsa – Poienile Izei Village – Barsana Village – Vadul Izei Village – Giulesti Village – SIGHETU MARMATIEI – Sapanta Village – Sambra Oilor Pass – Huta Certeze Village – Baia Mare – Gherla Town – CLUJ NAPOCA – Turda Gorges – Rimetea Village – Sibiel Village – Fantanele Village – Paltinis Resort – SIBIU – the villages down the Olt Valley – Ramnicu Valcea – Horezu Village – Pitesti - BUCHAREST

1st Day – Bucharest Otopeni Airport – CHEIA RESORT

We reach Bucharest by plane and are transferred, on a secondary road going through a beautiful mountain scenery, to Cheia Resort at the bottoms of Ciucas Mountains.

• Meeting the SELECTOUR guide
• Transfer to Cheia Resort
• Accommodation in a 2-3* hotel, at an altitude of approximatively 1000 m.a.s.l. (approx. 3300 ft.), with two options: a 2* hotel in the “centre” of the resort (Cheia being a rather small resort with a couple of hotels and several villas) or a 3* hotel at the resort limits, almost in the forest, with a wide park around it.

2nd Day – CHEIA RESORT – Muntele Rosu Hut – Ciucas Mountains – Brasov – the Saxon villages area in Central Transylvania (Viscri Village – Bunesti Village – Crit Village – Cloasterf Village – Saschiz Village) - SIGHISOARA

In the morning we start by car to Muntele Rosu Hut, located on a pasture, and we do a hiking trip towards Ciucas Ridge and Peak (approximatively 6400 ft.a.s.l.), on pleasant paths that go on pastures and among impressive rocks. These mountains are less frequented by tourists, as they lie near a secondary road that eases the access between Bucharest and Brasov. In the afternoon we move to the North and, after crossing Fiser Village, we turn on a dust road, leaving the main road behind and eventually reaching Viscri Village, once a totally isolated community from the outside world. The village hosts a very interesting peasant fortified church. In the village we shall be accommodated in a local household, where we shall have the chance to get into contact with the local people and their way of approaching life. A conversation with Mr. or Mrs. Dootz, the church keyholders, will tell us a lot about the once developed and nowadays almost extinct Saxon community here. The time to go will certainly come too soon and we shall leave for Sighisoara, crossing the villages of Saschiz and Criţ. Sighisoara is an inhabited fortress which gathers about 150 16-19^th century old houses. We shall be accommodated inside the fortress.

• Hiking trip in Ciucas Mountains
• Visit to the fortified church in Viscri
• Visit to Bunesti, Saschiz and Crit villages
• Accommodation in Sighisoara, in a 3* guesthouse hosted by one of the houses inside the fortress, or in a 3* hotel also located within the fortress walls, in an old building.

3rd Day – SIGHISOARA – Biertan Village - Darjiu Village – The Red Lake – Bicaz Gorges – PIATRA NEAMT

After visiting Sighisoara, we go for more villages in the area, where traditions are still preserved. These communities developed around a church and, because of the often Turkish invasions, the peasants chose to fortify their churches, which provided at peace time a religious service and, at assault time, a defensive service. Westwards of Sighisoara, we find Biertan Village, settled around a majestic church. Then, returning on the main road, we pass by Sighisoara again and head eastwards, on a secondary road. At a certain point we leave even this one, taking a dust road for ten kilometers to Darjiu Village, a remote place inhabited by many Hungarians which settled around an interesting Unitarian church in the cells of which local people still preserve their smoked ham for winter. Back on the road, we continue towards Moldavia, crossing the Eastern Carpathians through a great landscape. We pass by the Red Lake and its sad story, then we go along the spectacular Bicaz Gorges. In the evening we reach Moldavia and get accommodation in Piatra neamt in a 3* hotel.

• Visit to Sighisoara
• Side trip to Biertan Village
• Side trip to the village of Darjiu, inhabited by Hungarian people
• Transport to Piatra Neamt via the Red Lake and Bicaz Gorges
• Accommodation in Piatra Neamt in a 3* hotel

4^th Day – PIATRA NEAMT – Agapia Village – Targu Neamt – Solca Village – Marginea Village – SUCEVITA VILLAGE / FRASIN / CAMPULUNG

We leave the city to the North and cross a few typical villages for the area. The way houses are built, the way people dress and even the food they eat in this area, all are different from yesterday’s Transylvania. Most villages in this area settled around a 15^th – 16^th century church, as, at that time, the priest and the king were the only real leaders of a community. We shall make a stop in one of these villages, i.e. Agapia, which also hosts an important monastery. Houses here are always surrounded by flower-filled gardens and the local traditional architecture seems to meet someway the natural environment. Later on we shall cross Targu Neamt and take a secondary road instead of the main one, in order to meet traditional life out of the madding crowd. In the afternoon, we shall reach Bukovina and we shall be able to make a stop in Marginea Village, an important pottery center where craftsmen still do their job as their ancestors did. In the evening we shall reach Sucevita Village, which hosts one of the most interesting monasteries in the area, but which is nevertheless located in a beautiful mountainous area and depicts the local architecture in the best way.

• Visit to Agapia Village
• Visit to Marginea Village
• Accommodation in Sucevita Village, in a 3* hotel set in traditional way; alternatively we shall be lodged in Frasin or Campulung Moldovenesc (the program will be changed accordingly if so); it is a matter of availability, these places are small

5^th Day – SUCEVITA VILLAGE – Moldovita Village – Carlibaba Village – Prislop Pass – Borsa – Poienile Izei Village – Barsana Village – Vadul Izei Village – Giulesti Village – SIGHETU MARMATIEI

This day we shall make a perfect blend between Bukovina and Maramures, the two traditional areas in Northern Romania. Starting from Sucevita, we shall go across the wooden mountains and then along the scenic Bistrita Aurie Valley. Then we shall cross Carlibaba Village, where we cannot miss the local way of covering their houses on the exterior with differently coloured tiles. Going up the valley, we shall cross into Maramures via Prislop Pass. After crossing Borsa, we shall make a few side trips in order to visit traditional villages in this area. Maramures is the sweet home of carpenters which know how to carve and process wood like no others. Houses and churches bear very interesting symbols which illustrate this issue. In some of these villages people still wear traditional outfits on a daily basis, where the vivid colours and the mixture of red / green and black on a white background is stunning. In the evening, we shall reach the virtual capital of Maramures, a former important Jewish center, where we shall get accommodated.

• Visit to Moldovita Village,
• Visit to Carlibaba Village
• Visits to villages in Maramures area: Poienile Izei, Barsana, Vadul Izei, Giulesti
• Accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei, 3* hotel or guesthosue

6^th Day – SIGHETU MARMATIEI – Sapanta Village – Sambra Oilor Pass – Huta Certeze Village – Baia Mare – Gherla Town – CLUJ NAPOCA

Leaving Sighetu Marmatiei, we shall take the road that follows the Ukrainean border through a beautiful scenery on Tisa River shore. Then we shall meet one of the – maybe, at first sight – most shocking places around: the Merry Cemetery of Sapanta Village. Some would say it is a “tourist cake” just like Dracula Castle or so, actually it is not, it was settled by local people out of their own belief. People in Maramures are very happy and they always say that life should be accompanied by a cheer. Considering death as a passage state and nothing else, they do not find a reason to welcome it with a grief. Therefore they have made this cemetery, where every cross on graves bears a funny epitaph about real events from the buried man’s life, also bearing a wood sculpted image of that person. Continuing along the Ukrainean border, we shall cross Sambra Oilor Pass where shepherds from the area meet every spring to trade sheep and talk about the summer to come, and then we go down to Huta Certeze, a village which hosts many Slovaks which settled here between 1854 and 1862, as they came from towns like Spis and Saris. Later on we shall cross Baia Mare and, after taking Somes Valley, we shall reach the town of Gherla, once an important Armenian Town, hosting many elements of traditional Armenian architecture. In the evening we shall reach Cluj Napoca, where we shall be accommodated in a 3* hotel.

• Visit to the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta
• Visit to Huta Certeze Village
• Visit to Gherla Town
• Accommodation in Cluj Napoca, 3* hotel

7^th Day – CLUJ NAPOCA – Turda Gorges – Rimetea Village – Sibiel Village – Fantanele Village – Paltinis Resort – SIBIU

We shall start in the morning and leave the city for the mountains. Apuseni Mountains, host for over 200 caves and many gorges, waterfalls and springs, is a very special area in Romania. We shall make a short incursion in these mountains, walking along some of the most impressive gorges here: Turda Gorges. Then we shall go to Rimetea Village, bearing many houses in traditional style and also being an important center of pottery and artifacts. The local museum depicts very good exhibits of traditional art. Moving to the South, we shall go in yet another area, with different architecture and all. We shall cross Miercurea Sibiului Village, then we shall split from the main road and go at the foothills of Cindrel Mountains, crossing orchards and pastures among which there are few very interesting villages. Especially Sibiel Village will probably stir our attention, in an area where people still wear their black & white traditional outfits just out of habit. Later on we shall make a side trip uphill to the small village of Fantanele with its narrow streets and old houses painted in different colours. In the afternoon we shall go up to Paltinis Resort, one of the highest such settlements in Romania. Here we can do some easy hiking for an hour or two in Cindrel Mountains area and then, in the evening we shall be accommodated in a 3* hotel in Sibiu or, better, in a guesthouse settled in the traditional style of the area and meeting the 3* conditions.

• Hiking trip along Turda Gorges
• Visit to Rimetea Village
• Visits to Miercurea Sibiului Village, Sibiel Village, Fantanele Village
• Hiking trip in Cindrel Mountains
• Accommodation in Sibiu, in a 3* hotel or guesthouse

8^th Day – SIBIU – the villages down the Olt Valley – Ramnicu Valcea – Horezu Village – Ramnicu Valcea – Pitesti – BUCHAREST

We shall say farewell to Sibiu area and to Transylvania, moving down the Olt Valley and crossing another type of villages, with a different architecture and different people, in the legends-filled Land of Lovistea, surrounded by rocky mountains. After making a few stops and after an optional stop to visit Cozia Monastery, we shall reach Wallachia. We shall make a short detour to Horezu Village, to experience the rural life in Wallachia as well. Horezu is host of a UNESCO listed monastery, but also of many houses set in traditional style. The village also preserves the traditional pottery workshops and one can meet in the main street a lot of small shops or exhibitions of such products, not necessarily to buy, but – more interestingly – to make a comparison with the ones in – say – Marginea of Bukovina. Back in Ramnicu Valcea, we shall cross the Olt and, crossing the forested Black Hill, we shall then see another type of households in Arges County, surrounded by orchards and grassy meadows. In the afternoon we shall go to Bucharest, saying good bye to the Romanian countryside. In the city we can have an optional dinner in a regular restaurant, to observe the way people go on with their lives in this bustling city.

• Visits to a few villages alongside Olt Valley
• Optional visit to Cozia Monastery, on the shore of Olt River
• Visit to Horezu Village
• Arrival in Bucharest in the evening
• Accommodation in Bucharest, 3* hotel

9^th Day – BUCHAREST – Bucharest Otopeni Intl. Airport

This day we shall be transferred to Bucharest OTP airport for the flight back home.

• Transfer to Bucharest OTP Airport