LOST IN APUSENI
archaic lands & subterranean secrets

We will drive to Rosia Montana, the place where we will spend the whole day. Visit the Roman Gold Mines from Rosia Montana, whose gold was the major reason for wars, kings’ disputes and curses; Apuseni gold wrote a bloody history of its inhabitants. Next, we go up to Piatra Corbului, a natural historical Monument of Rosia Montana, a grayish-yellow rock, which took the shape of a raven in time; we admire the beautiful panorama from the top. Visit to 3 different “tauri”, artificial lakes specific for the region of Rosia Montana, being built starting with 1733. There were more than 100 so-called tauri, of different sizes, their water being used for operating the gold dollies. We go back to Arieseni, a paradise where we will sleep for the next nights. Dinner wine and good mood.

Breakfast. After breakfast we head to Rimetea, the most beautiful village in Transylvania and Romania. Rimetea (Torockó) is the only Romanian village with the Europa Nostra Award of the European Commission for the Conservation of Material Cultural Heritage. We admire the fabulous landscapes of the Trasca Mountains and immortalize the moment. We visit the Ethnography Museum in Rimetea, a unique museum collection. We serve lunch in a surprise location, where old traditional recipes are revived. Afterwards we go to Geamana, a village covered almost entirely by the waste from the Roşia Poieni copper mine. The unreal landscape and the stories of our guide will fascinate you. Our last visit is at Pisoaia Waterfall, one of our favorite waterfalls in Romania. Pisoaia Falls is a splendid waterfall of over 18 meters high across the road from the Snail Hill. It is a landscaping reservation, located on a rocky limestone threshold, surrounded by a conifer-hardwood forest. Close to Pisoaia Falls is the Snail Hill. A reservation of petrified snails of various shapes and sizes, stone shells of snails that lived in these places long time ago, at the time when the Apuseni area was a great sea called the Tetis Sea. Dinner at the guesthouse with delicious meal, wine and a big campfire.

Breakfast. 3 h trekking tour to the one of the most wonderful peaks of Apuseni: Detunata Goala, 1169 m altitude, formed of basalt columns of 75 m high. Lunch in a traditional household. Surprise of the day: we will wear the traditional popular costumes of the Apuseni region and we will have a photo session in a very natural and beautiful environment. Dinner at the guesthouse with traditional menu.

Breakfast. We go to Pestera Ursilor (Bears’ Cave), the most spectacular cave in Romania and the paradise of karst forms that hosts the bones of cavern bears. A short stop at the Horea and Aurel Flutur Etnographic Museum, a family museum that hosts more than 2000 old objects from the village history over the years. Lunch in a traditional family household. The last visit of the day is Groapa Ruginoasa, a large ravine of 1 km width and 100 m level difference; a very wild and picturesque landscape.

Breakfast. First stop is in Vartop at the Glacier Cave. In this cave were discovered 3 footprints of Neanderthal. Unfortunately, these are no longer found in the cave. One was lost, another was stolen and the last one was taken to the Speleology Institute in Cluj-Napoca. Next is Petrehaitesti Waterfall, a 2-steps waterfall of more than 14 m; the route is easy and lasts about 1h in both ways. When returning from the waterfall, the road takes us to the Rovin family home. Here we meet Paraschiva and Filip, two craftsmen, whose work is based on wooden objects as well as carpets, and other popular and traditional craftwork. Traditional Transylvanian Lunch served in their household. We have the last surprise of the day at the Patrahaitesti Museum. Here, the custodians of the museum, Mrs. Paraschiva will delight us with ancient songs at the horn. The tunic or the buckthorn is a symbol of moti, a name under which the population living in the Apuseni Mountains is known on the Aries Valley. In the past, there was at least one horn in each house, to which every member of the family could sing. The musical instrument was also used to announce events or calls in the villages of Apuseni region. Dinner and red wine at the gueshouse.

Breakfast. First visit is at Vanatarile Ponorului Waterfall, Dalbina Waterfall with a 25m drop. The waterfall is visible from a wooden balcony belvedere. Be prepared for a spectacular view. Next stop is at the Scarisoara Glacier Cave. The place that houses the largest underground glacier in Romania! Another cave with a unique feature is not far from here. The majestic, with a portal of nearly 20 meters, the Gate of Ionele Cave, gives you the impression of the solemnity of a cathedral withered in the heart of the Apuseni. The grandiose spaces, the almost perfect arc of its vaults, the hidden lake or the streams that come to light make this cave the place where the mountains reveal the secrets of the innermost. Surprise of the day: we climb into traditional carts and follow a fairytale trail to the Varciorog Waterfall. Varciorog Waterfall is a spectacular water drop of over 15 meters high at the foot of the Piatra Graitoare Peak. Dinner with red wine at the guesthouse.

The end of our journey is approaching, but before we leave for Bucharest, we go to Cluj County where we kick off one of the most spectacular gorges in Romania: Turzii Gorges. Rock walls up to 200 meters high, mysterious caves, rare plants and hiking trails make Cheile Turzii, in Cluj County, an impressive place. A smooth road winds through the hills covered by the forest, which then make the place of the rocky landscape. We say goodbye to these fairytale realms and we head to Bucharest via private executive transfer.