Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Outdoor Activities & Wildlife
The Land
When the gods were doling out unspoilt wildernesses they seem to have been extra gener-
ous with Romania; covering 237,500 sq km this oval-shaped country offers a panorama of
mountains, pristine forests, lakes and rolling meadows unparallelled in the rest of Europe.
And thanks to traditional methods of farming, incursions into the habitats of wild animals
have been relatively low. In fact it's the other way around if you speak to shepherds be-
moaning dogs and sheep lost to wolves, or donkeys feasted upon by the country's healthy
population of brown bears.
Increasingly, travellers on the hunt for isol-
ated locations abundant with nature and wildlife
are coming to Romania. It's also a great time for
ecotourism, with an association of 30 companies
with green credentials under the umbrella of
Discover Eco-Romania (
www.eco-romania.ro
).
Be it birdwatching in the Danube Delta, wolf
tracking in the Carpathians, musical visits to Roma camps, crouching in a hide watching
brown bears, or mountain climbing and hiking with a reliable guide, you should find what
you need in the way of expertise and information.
Following is a list of some of the activities you can do in Romania, and where and how
to go about doing them.
The proportion of forested land in Romania is
26.3%. Within these dark spaces, according to the
Romanian General Association of Hunters and An-
glers, lurk around 4000 wolves.
A WORD FROM A PRO
Dan Marin, Best Guide of the Year 2007,
Wanderlust
magazine, shares his favourite treks in Romania.
The Carpathian Mountains are one of Europe's great wonders. Where can you still go tracking wolves, bears and
lynx and see 50 species of wild orchids blooming, while crossing some of the best-preserved old forests and alpine
meadows in Europe?
For trekking, I recommend Piatra Craiului National Park near Braşov. Short of time and not the eight-hours-a-
day-hiker type? Go up to the shepherds' villages of Măgura and Peştera for some of the most beautiful countryside
in Romania, and then down to the spectacular Zărneşti Gorges. Not in a rush and pretty fit? Cross the same gorges
