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.