THROUGH THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS: FROM BUCOVINA TO MARAMURES	price from 949 €
Romania - Guided walking - 15 days

The northern Romanian villages know how to keep the charm of another age. It is in Bucovina and in Maramures where we will discover their traditions by hiking in preserved places, visiting monasteries and meeting very friendly people. We will take the most beautiful hiking trails of Bucovina, renowned for its magnificent monasteries with frescoes before heading to the west towards Maramures with its round hills and its wooden houses. More than a journey, this trip will be a human experience. A real return to the basics!

Program

Day 1 Reception in Bucharest Arrival in Bucharest. Transfer to the train station. Visit of Bucharest is possible depending on your arrival time. Night train for Bucovina at 9:00 PM (first-class sleeping wagon, 2 beds/cabin).

Day 2 Local craftsmanship We will arrive in the morning in Bucovina. We'll end the route to our hosts (where a breakfast waits for us) with a small local train. After the breakfast we will stroll in a typical village. After the walk, we will meet Houtsoules; these inhabitants (with uncertain roots and history) will make you discover their art: eggs painting. Small hike in the "country of beeches". Visit of the Moldovita monastery. (Approximately 4 hours of walking).

Day 3 Typical hamlet visit Hike through the Bucovina's pastures, to a charming typical hamlet perched on a hill. Then, we will cross the Ciumarna pass during our transfer in the Sucevita valley, where we will visit the monastery with the same name. Night in Sucevita. (Approximately 4 hours of walking).

Day 4 Putna monastery Hike in the forests: we will ramble on the hills to arrive at Manastirea Humorului. We’ll leave Sucevita to hike in the Carpathian Mountains. We will walk in a magnificent environment to reach the village of Putna: the paths we’ll follow cross the hills at about 1000m altitude. The monastery of Putna holds a particular place in the heart of Romanians due to its historical importance (the tomb of Stephan the Great lies here) and its craft importance (approximately 60 monks live in Putna which is an important centre of icons painting). Return by minibus to Sucevita. Night at Manastirea Humorului (4 hours, 12 km, +400m, -350).

Day 5 The bucovinian forest We go to discover the bucovinian forest. Fir trees and beeches will accompany us until a typical Polish village. Then, we will spend a pleasant moment by making a stroll in cart to join the Manastirea Humorului village. Night in Manastirea Humorului. (Approximately 4 hours of walking).

Day 6 Salt mine of Cacica Our hike brings us in an unusual place today: we shall visit the salt mine of Cacica (the name comes from the high number of ducks in the area, called "kaczika" in Polish). The exploitation of this salt mine dates from the 18th century and required the coming of numerous technicians of the Habsbourg Empire. We will visit this incredible mine which shelters a chapel where the ground, the walls and the ceiling are in salt. Depending on the available time we will return at our guesthouse or we'll visit the Voronet monastery also called "The Sixtine Chapel of the East". (Approximately 4 hours of walking).

Day 7 The monastery of Voronet If we didn't do it the previous day, we'll visit the monastery of Voronet, one of the most beautiful monuments of orthodox rite in the world. Otherwise, we shall make a stroll in the neighbourhood. Private transfer to Campulung Moldovenesc - a town created in the 14th century that became in the 18th century a small mining centre. We'll also visit the surprising "Museum of Wood Sculpture". Transfer to the train station and night train for Bucharest.

Day 8 The Princess's Stones We change of landscape today: we leave the sweet hills to climb the mountains of Rarau until the incredible "Pietrele Doamnei" (The Princess's Stones): gigantic stones which gives the landscape an unrealistic look. (Approximately 5 hours of walking).

Day 9 Giumalau Mountain Our route will make us hike on the heights of Giumalau where will have an impressive panorama of the area. Then we'll descend in the valley of Bistrita, through traditional villages where houses are decorated with traditional floral motives. (Approximately 4 hours of walking).

Day 10 Valley of Bistrita We will spend our last day in Moldavia in the beautiful valley of Bistrita. Let us enjoy one more time the particular atmosphere of these villages and landscapes before discovering Maramures which has indisputably a very different cultural identity. (Approximately 5 hours of walking).

Day 11 Welcome in Maramures Private transfer to the Prislop pass (1416m) - the main link between Maramures and Moldavia. According to weather we can hike or continue to Maramures. The hike will be approximately 5 hours of walking in Rodna Mountains with an extremely rich biodiversity, protected by a reservation of about 6000 hectares. If we’ll arrive in Maramures directly we’ll take a more peaceful hike (approximately 3 hours of walking) through the pastures from Ieud to Botiza. Visit of the Ieud church, the most ancient in Maramures. Either way the night will be spent in Botiza.

Day 12 Wooden monastery Hike from Botiza to the village of Bârsana where we'll visit the last remaining traditional built wooden monastery. Local transfer and night in the valley of Mara. (From 4.5 hours to 6 hours of walking depending on the group level).

Day 13 Spectacular crests While you will discover the most typical villages and the most significant wooden churches of the region, the nature will also be very generous: spectacular crests, mountain lakes and carnivorous plants will be in the program. Possibility to take a longer itinerary. (Approximately 5 hours of walking).

Day 14 The "Happy Cemetery" and the "Memorial of Communism Victims" Private transfer towards Sapânta to discover its famous "Happy Cemetery", a real ethnographic museum. On the wooden steles are painted poems and everyday life scenes dedicated to the deceased. While in Sighetu Marmatiei we'll visit the "Memorial of the communism victims" created in the prison where were detained the main opponents of the regime. Departure at 5:40 PM. Night train for Bucharest (first-class sleeping wagon, 2 beds/cabin).

Day 15 End of journey Arrival at Bucharest. Breakfast in town centre, free time and transfer to the airport.