Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For multiday mountain-bike adventures to the Danube Delta or Transylvania check out
the excellent website Cycling Romania (
www.cyclingromania.ro
)
.
Caving, Rock Climbing & Paragliding
In 2002 cavers found a 35,000-year-old human jawbone while digging around in the
Peştera cu Oase (Cave with Bones) in the southwestern Carpathians; it turned out to be the
oldest-known human fossil in Europe.
Romania has more than 12,000 caves
(peştera).
Two of the best are reached from south
of the Apuseni Mountains: the spectacular Ice Cave, which is one of Romania's five glaci-
er caves, and the Bear Cave (Peştera Urşilor).
Check with Apuseni Experience (
Click here
)
, based in Oradea, for caving tours. Green
Mountain Holidays (
Click here
)
also generates great reports for its caving trips in the
Apuseni Mountains. The
Emil Racoviţa Institute of Speleology
( 0264-595 954;
www.speleological-institute-cluj.org
)
, based in Cluj-Napoca, can offer a guided tour to the
otherwise-closed 45km Wind Cave - Romania's largest.
For climbs around Braşov check the new title,
Rock Climbing in Romania
by Ciprian
Draghici, available in Sport Virus (
Click here
)
shops. Rock climbers take to the walls at
the Piatra Craiului National Park, not far from Bran. The Bicaz Gorges offer spectacular
challenges too, and there's some climbing near Băile Herculane.
Paragliding is gaining in popularity in Romania. You can arrange classes through
Braşov Traveller.
Extreme Wings
( 0723-887 459;
www.extremewings.ro
;
tandem
paraglide 250 lei)
also offers tandem one-hour motorised paragliding tours of Braşov and
beyond, as well as training. Finally, check out
www.azlr.ro
for a full index of paragliding
instructors across Romania.
Health Spas
Those with illnesses including kidney, liver and heart diseases, as well as metabolism,
gynaecological and nutrition disorders, can find relief in a number of spas across the
country; check the map provided by the National Organisation of Spas (
www.spas.ro
)
.
Treatment goes underground at popular salt mines at Turda (
Click here
)
and Praid (
Click here
)
.
Some standout spas:
Băile Tuşnad
A
pensiune
-filled valley in Transylvania with mineral baths and pools in
the Harghita Mountains.
