Picturesque Hiking Trip: Apuseni Natural Park, Rural Life & Scenic Picnic
What you need to know about the picturesque hiking tour:
- This is a full day private hiking tour from Cluj-Napoca to Apuseni Natural Park in the Western Carpathian Mountains. Duration: 8-10 hours
- Included: transport with modern car, sandwich & coffee for breakfast, snacks/water during the hike, picnic lunch & friendly guide
- The hiking will be 5 hours long and of moderate difficulty. Route can be changed on the spot depending on weather and your preferences, with plenty of trails to choose from
- We will drive about 1h 45m on secondary roads passing through traditional villages where you can see local life and meet locals
- At the end, you'll enjoy a delicious picnic with traditional, organic products in a panoramic viewpoint. Nature's restaurant :)
- Plenty of photo opportunities on this tour - bring your camera!
Additional information
Please have good hiking shoes or boots.
And depending on weather / season, wear clothes (warm clothes, rain jacket, sunscreen, etc). A light backpack with some extra supplies is useful.
After I confirm your tour I'll give you more details on what to bring and what to expect from the weather.
Moments to expect in the hiking trip in Apuseni Natural Park:
See village life at its best
On this tour you will see Romanian traditional rural life at its best: in these parts villagers are still the adepts of a simple lifestyle in accordance with nature's laws. The typically village friendship between people and their livestock is a common scene here and you will see how locals live.
Landscape photography
Our hike will take us on curvy trails through woodlands and clearings but also on highlands and plateaus, places where the serenity of Apuseni Mountains can be admired. You will get splendid views of the area and nature's beauty - something your camera will surely like!
Discover nature's wonders
Also on our route we will venture through forests to reach a nicely hidden waterfall formed by nature on a vertical cliff. Water comes from many unseen smaller streams from higher up in the mountains and its smooth flow and peaceful sound will delight you!
Picnic lunch
At the end of our trip I'll take you to a beautiful panoramic viewpoint where we'll set up a picnic lunch with traditional products from the area. The combination of food, views and nature will create a beautiful memory for you on this hiking trip!
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Cluj-Napoca
- Nearest airport: Cluj-Napoca's Avram Iancu International Airport
- Nearest train station: Cluj-Napoca
- Landscape: Hills, Mountains, Countryside
Reviews from travellers
Iancu was excellent throughout the experience. He proactively reached out before the hike to align expectations while remaining flexible with the hiking plan. Despite the date clashing with Easter Saturday, he kindly accommodated our preferred schedule. His deep knowledge of Romanian history and culture greatly enriched our experience, and he consistently ensured our safety along the trail. He also graciously agreed to extend our hike slightly so we could enjoy the trail all the way to the rest house. Beyond the hike, he went the extra mile by driving us around Cluj and sharing insights about the city. Iancu was more than a well-composed guide - he was like a friend whom we have never met for a long time and gladly showed us what Romania has to offer.
Iancu made my day! :) The tour is wonderful itself, but with Iancu is another level! He is such a friendly, knowledgeable and funny guide. He gave me a lot of interesting information regarding Romania, we visited some amazing places that I wouldn't know and I wouldn't do by myself. He is super flexible and he stopped every time I wanted to take pictures (he loves photography as well and for me it was big plus!). He really did everything in his power to make me happy and to enjoy the day. The top was the picnic over Dumesti admiring an amazing sunset! He also gave me lots of suggestions for my next days in Romania. Merci Iancu :)
Great experience. Tour, guide and lunch top marks. Hike with incredible views, highly recommended!
This tour was an incredible experience. Iancu was a very friendly and knowledgable tour guide, and took us to some great spots with amazing views that we would definitely not have found on our own. He even provided a picnic with desert, drinks, and cheese after at the top of a mountain with more incredible views following the traditional Romanian restaurant lunch, which was an awesome bonus. Will be highly recommending this tour to anyone visiting and even family I have nearby that has likely never been to the specific spots Iancu knew about. Thanks Romanian Friend!
A quick glimpse into the Romanian highlands in the company of a professional guide.
it's very good and memorable tour, with beautiful scenes and warm reception. recommend!
Excellent tour, Iancu was very friendly and knowledgeable. Amazing views and we met some villagers too. Hiking not too difficult, more like a walk in nature. Highly recommend!
My children and I had a wonderful, memorable experience on this hike! Radu, our guide, was fantastic. He showed us (once again!) how warm and friendly the Romanian People are. Our hike was simply breathtaking. When I didn´t think we could be more moved by a stunning landscape, Radu brought us to a monastery situated in the Carpathian mountains where we were fortunate enough to visit a beautiful UNESCO wooden church. My children and I ahd the opportunity to meet once of the most spiritual people we have met in quite a while: an orthodox nun! We all came out of the mountains on a much higher spiritual level than we went in. The mountains in Romania are simply awe-inspiring. We are definitely going back. I only wish we had spent more time in the mountains. Excellent experience, excellent guide. I can´t recommend it enough.
This was a wonderful day trip, one of our best experiences during our two-week visit. Sergiu was helpful to communicate with us in advance for making plans and letting us know what to expect. He was accommodating and thoughtful, able to craft our day as we went along based on our fitness and energy levels (even accommodating the two different energy levels between my mom and me with a tweak to a hike). We fit two smaller hikes into the day and both were just gorgeous -- one to a fairytale-like mossy waterfall in the middle of the forest, one to a hilltop with an awesome 360-view of the beautiful valleys below and herds of sheep. His backpack was well provisioned with fruits, chocolates, and water to keep us going strong. He also took some photos of us that we really appreciated having. Most importantly, Sergiu was a delight to talk to, just sharing and comparing aspects of our lives in different countries, experiences in nature, and so on. I would also trust Sergiu completely for longer or more physically demanding trips.
Sergiu was fabulous. And to think this picturesque hiking tour in Apuseni was our second choice! We are really happy that we chose this trip (albeit a little hesitant at the beginning). This was really the experience we were looking for. Away from the hustle and bustle of London. Clean air and a truly local experience. We would never have found this area on our own. The guide was wonderful and tailored the trip to suit us and although he's a true mountaineer, that was never intimidating. We had a lot of laughs and Annette absolutely loved the mud! He even thought of everything including a perfect snack pack. We are very happy to recommend Romanian Friend to anyone wanting a local experience in Romania. I also want to thank you for all the information and help you gave before we left for our trip. And for encouraging us to go hiking in the mountains. Cheers!
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