Why go hiking in Romania?

It is beautiful, inexpensive, and the people are nice.

In the summer of 1994, I began hiking in Sebes de Sus, on the western end of the Fagaras mountain chain, staying in the mountain huts - which provide bed and meals. In 1995, I hiked the eastern half of the ridge and took a tent. Since the huts are located on the steeper, northern side of the ridge, staying at huts means that one must drop down as much several hundred meters and regain the altitude the next morning. Since there is ample water on the ridge, taking a tent is a nice alternative to staying in the huts. In 1997, I returned to the Fagaras mountains to study the plant, Dryas octopetala. On this trip, I also made my first visit to the Danube Delta Biosphere Preserve! Click here to see a map of the Fagaras mountains marked with the routes of my hikes.

In early fall, 1995, Bilea Lac hut (lower right) burnt and was totally destroyed. In the summer of 1997, the former lodge of Ceausescu (upper left) was being used as a hut, with good food service but limited overnight accomodations. Near the old Bilea Lac hut, a new private hut was being built. I am told that there are plans to rebuild the old state-owned Bilea Lac hut at its original scenic location.

Need a guide?

In 1994, I was hiking alone in Romania and met Ion Sanduloiu (Adi). In August of 1995, I went hiking with him in the Fagaras range (the "Transylvanian Alps") and later toured Romanian Moldova in his car. In 1997, he and I went plant hunting in the Faragas and he arranged a botanical tour to the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Adi is head of a chapter of Salvamont, the Romanian mountain rescue association. Salavamont members are expert mountain hikers, climbers, and skiers, trained in first aid and mountain rescue - nice to have around! Adi is a wonderful hiking and touring companion - He is available for hire as a mountain guide, for skiing, mountain climbing, mountain biking, or for general auto touring at a reasonable rate. I enthusiastically recommend him.

Contact: Ion Sanduloiu, str. Craiovei, bl. 18, sc. A, ap. 20, Pitesti 0300, Romania (phone: 048/647857). E-mail to: adriansanduloiu@hotmail.com

Guidebooks and maps:

The only hiking guide in English I know of is "Hiking Guide to Romania" by Tim Burford (Bradt). This book is excellent but its maps don't have a lot of detail. It describes the Fagaras mountain hike from east to west, the opposite of the direction which some find to be optimum.

Two excellent guide books to Romania are: "Romania - The Rough Guide" by Dan Richardson and Tim Burford and "Romania and Moldova" published by Lonely Planet.

Hiking maps are hard to find. There is a thin paperback of full color maps of 26 hiking areas in Romania, "Drumetie in Carpati" which is sometimes available in Romania. Ion Sanduloiu sells these as a fund-raising activity for the Salvamont organization. Contact him for the current availability, price, and shipping information.

Click here to see a map of the Fagaras mountains from "Rumunske a bulharske hory" - Olympia, Prague. (Dots = blue trail markers, Dot/Dash = red, and Cross/Dash = yellow. The colored symbol marking each trail is indicated by a cross, vertical stripe, triangle, dot. Cabanas - huts with bunks and meal service - are shown as little houses.) The rail line at the top of the map connects Sibiu to the west (left) with Brasov to the east (right).

Click here to see a portion of a map from "Drumetie in Carpati", showing the central region of the Fagaras chain, near the Trans-Fagaras highway.

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