Taste a little bit of the Transylvanian wintermagic! Come and breath the fresh, strong winter air of the heights, follow the animals’ tracks in the deep, untouched snow, hike through endless forests and listen to their sound of silence. Stop on a snow caped peak and let your mind and soul fly while admiring the far landscapes on a sunny, serene day. Here, in Apuseni Mountains.

Trip details:

Start/end: Oradea or Cluj-Napoca Trip length: 7 days/ 6 nightsActivity level: moderateGroup size: min. 2 – max. 10 Availability: 2018: January 13th; 27th; February 3rd; 10th; 24th; March 3rd; December 15th. Price: from 966 euros/person

Beyond snowshoeing: wild life tracking•admire the typical landscapes of Apuseni•Mountainsdiscover and learn about the nature wonders•of karst worldmeet people and communities where old•customs, traditions and crafts are still alive,despite the challenges of modern times.

Responsible Travel in Romania

www.apuseniexperience.ro contact@apuseniexperience.roOradea 410068 -Romania, 1 Decembrie Square 4-6, room 8 Tel./fax: +4 0359 410556

Apuseni Experience is a trademark of EcoTransilvania Ltd.

The price includes:transportation by car from the airport to•Albac village and from Garda de Sus villageback to the airport3 meals per day (starting with lunch on•arrival day and ending with lunch ondeparture day)accommodation 6 nights in local guesthouses•ranked at 2 and 3 daisies, on double roomswith ensuite and shared bathroomsnowshoeing equipments (snowshoes and•trekking poles)caves’ entrance fees•guidance and all expenses related with the•guidecosts related to trip preparation•

SNOWSHOEING IN THE HIGHLANDS OF WESTERN CARPATHIANS

Ghetar Karstic Plateau – Casa de Piatra hamletWhat the price does not include: personal drinks and refreshments, insurance, souvenirs, other personal costs.

Note: We are always receptive to our tourists’ demands and needs. Therefore, the itinerary described above can be adjusted accordingly in what regards the period and the activities included. Please contact us for more details.

Contact persons: Mihai (Mike) Olenici / Mobile: +4 0747 962 482Paul Iacobas / Mobile: +4 0745 602 301 E: contact@apuseniexperience.roApuseni Experience Responsible Travel Programme

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival and warm-upTransfer from the airport to Albac village where we will have a short rest, meal and refreshments. Then we will start hiking in the fresh, mountain winter air, towards Runc hamlet - a typical mountain settlement, hidden somewhere in the heart of the mountains, with traditional wooden little houses and warmly welcoming people. The trail will take us through forests and glades with large perspectives upon Bihor Mountains revealing the beauty of Apuseni landscapes in the white season. Arrival at the guesthouse. Warm-up, rest, dinner and accommodation at guesthouse in Runc.

Day 2: Ghetar plateauBreakfast at the guesthouse and then prepare for reaching our next destination – Ghetar hamlet. The 6 hours trip will continue our yesterday adventure.Arrival at the guesthouse, check-in, warm-up. Our hosts will be Dinu and Iuliana, a young family of Motzi (the name of the population living in Apuseni Mountains). The days we will spend in their guesthouse will provide us with a good opportunity to learn about the lifestyle these mountain people have, to hear their stories and listen to their tales. Today it’s already been a long traveling day so, the time left will be reserved for recovering and preparing for the trips that will follow. Relaxed programme in the afternoon.

Day 3: Scarisoara Ice CaveAfter breakfast at the guesthouse we will first visit the Ghetar Tourist Information Centre where, besides detailed tourist information about the area we will hear the sound of tulnic (the local version of the alpenhorn) performed by our friend, Pasca Ilisie. At his age of 74 he has already more than 60 years of experience in wood carving – traditional occupation for Motzi - and he will prove this through a demonstration of this amazing craft, showing how everyday or ritual objects have been made since centuries, here.We will continue our today trip with Scarisoara Ice Cave (1165 meters altitude). The cave, with an entrance of 48 meters deep and 60 meters large hosts Scarisoara Glacier - an impressive block of ice of 110.000 cubic meters (the largest in the world, by last researches), 22 meters thick and 3500 years old. Certainly, a lesson of geology that should be not missed.

Day 4: Casa de Piatra hamletOn our way to Casa de Piatra hamlet, our final destination for today, we will hike across the mountain through one of the most beautiful glades in Apuseni Mountains - Calineasa Glade.

Scattered at an altitude of 1300 meters, the glade – now a silent white world – is an unpermanent summer settlement used by locals mainly for forestry and raising animals. On a clear weather one can have a great perspective upon the southern part of Apuseni Mountains as well as on their highest peak: Cucurbata Mare Peak (1848 m). Packed lunch on the way.We will continue our tour and, in the afternoon, we will reach Casa de Piatra area and our final destination, the guesthouse.Casa de Piatra hamlet is an isolated and picturesque

settlement with a romantic name given by the place – a large glade surrounded by spectacular white stone walls. It is said that the whole settlement is actually a stone house.It is a small mountain community of 16 families for whom electricity became an everyday commodity only 5 years ago! Here you will discover an archaic architecture - most of the houses are wooden made many decades ago, with high fir-tree roofs and raised in a traditional style.Arrival at the guesthouse and check-in. We will be hosted at a local guesthouse owned by a family of Motzi formed by three generations (grandfather, children and grandchildren) who’s everyday life is closely linked to the rhythm of nature. Here we will see how domestic animals are breed in a typical local farm and will also have the opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine, not very sophisticated but very tasty.

Day 5: Tauz karst springToday we will explore the area and visit some of its representative karstic elements.First we will visit Coiba Mare cave. The impressive entrance of the cave is 74 m large and 47 m high. Large halls, narrow galleries, underground stream, lakes and waterfalls – 5050 m long in total. We will explore only the first hall which is easily accessible for any visitors.Another cave which is part of this karst system is Coiba Mica and can be visited inside only by specialists properly equipped and only when the weather is drought. There is a connection gallery between the two caves - Coiba Mare and Coiba Mica through a stream which springs out further on in one of the most beautiful karstic springs in Apuseni Mountains - Tauz karstic spring.

Further on we will continue our trip through Sohodoale and Hodobana hamlets following paths known only by locals and finally will reach Tauz karstic springHere, what seems to be a perfect clear, green lake surrounded by white, vertical stone walls is actually a spring, a river that has got lost through a sink hole in Coiba Mare Cave and bursts out here, 3 km downwards.Packed lunch on the way.From here we will return to the guesthouse (3 km still to go), have a good rest and enjoy a relaxed evening programme.

Day 6: Vartop Ice CaveBreakfast at the guesthouse.Today we will take a shorter (considering the distance) trip in the area and will visit a famous cave – Vartop ice cave. Despite its name, the cave is not that famous for ice (actually there is just one hall covered with ice, the rest is just snow) but for its limestone jewelries and more, for the 25000 years old footprints in the limestone ground left by Homo Fossilis. Return to the guesthouse for lunch. Rest and relaxed programme all afternoon.

Day 7: DepartureAfter breakfast at the guesthouse we leave Casa de Piatra area and take a three hours trip on snowshoes through a changing landscape towards Garda de Sus village. Here in the village we will first take a short visit to the old wooden church. Raised in 1792 and painted in 1804, the church has a large collection of Orthodox icons dated from 1798 to 1804.

Lunch at a local restaurant and transfer to the airport.