Transylvania Winter Walk & Snowshoe

Most Inspirational Moment

Lunch at the Curmatura Cabin - it snowed heavily while we were inside, and the whole world had changed when we came out.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Leo was excellent. He was very capable in the outdoors, and very sensible in his approach to problems. He was very aware of our health and safety - helping us up and down difficult bits, cutting side branches off fallen trees etc.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Have at least a modicum of fitness. It's not terribly strenuous, but neither is it leisurely. Most people hadn't snowshoed before, and that was fine. And definitiely bring yaktrax or equivalent - you'd be lost without them if you have ice like we did. And this is not a holiday for people scared of dogs - farm dogs run free everywhere, and are completely unavoidable.

Suggestions

I probably spent a bit more than I expected, mainly on alcohol...

Most Inspirational Moment

When I look back at my pictures, there are two moments that stand out. At the end of our visit to Brasov, we stopped at a viewpoint on our way to the restaurant. That view was epic. It was nightfall, the lights in the city were on and behind it, you could see the mountain, it was breathtaking. The walk to Bran was the most beautiful. I can not put it into words. I enjoyed every second of that walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas, the group leader was perfect. He knows the area really well and has a lot of experience guiding groups.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes. For some bizarre reason, I hadn't done that and I didn't have the right gear. Luckily I was able to borrow it, but still. I felt uncomfortable doing that, knowing I could break or lose something.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was a week full of experiences, but for me the last two walks were the best. The walk to Bran Castle took us through some beautiful countryside, and the castle itself was very interesting (our guide also advised that this was the best time of year to visit as you may have to queue for up to two hours in the summer to get into the castle). Our last walk through the gorge to the Piatra Craiului mountains was also stunning. It was quite a slog up to the mountain hut, but well worth it for the views, as well as the soup and mulled wine we enjoyed inside the hut.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was a star - I liked his relaxed style and his bad jokes! We had a full group of sixteen people, so he had to work hard to make sure that everyone was coping okay with the terrain. He made sure that we had all the vital information for each day's itinerary and generally went above and beyond to make our holiday as enjoyable as possible.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hotel is quite isolated in the national park - no other bars or restaurants around. I loved the week away from it all but don't pick this holiday if you want a busier nightlife. Linked to this, take plenty of supplies with you, e.g. toiletries and snacks for the walks, as it is the middle of the holiday before you get a chance to stock up on such items. Be aware that there are a lot of working dogs in the neighbourhood. I was never woken up by them howling, but I know that some of the others in the group did find it a bit of a problem some nights. Also, make sure that you have a good level of fitness. I am a keen hill-walker so did not find it a problem, but on balance I felt that this Grade 3 holiday was more difficult than a Grade 3 summer walking holiday with Exodus.

Suggestions

If you want to try something a bit different, then I would highly recommend this holiday. Indeed, I have already stated looking at the various options for another snowshoeing holiday with Exodus next year.

Most Inspirational Moment

The beautiful scenery and lots of snow was definitely a highlight of the trip for me, helped by a nice, friendly group of people, great leader and hospitable, generous hosts at the Vila.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good! Thomas is a great leader, he looked after everyone well, and knows a lot about the area and history and has good humour too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't forget your yaktrax, gaiters and lots of layers of clothing! You will be cold at the beginning of the treks but warm up quickly so it's good to have the option of taking layers off. Although the breakfast and evening meal are substantial (plenty for everyone), I advise taking extra snacks for lunch and a thermos flask for hot tea.

Suggestions

A great trip for those wanting an intro to snowshoeing. This is a beautiful area, full of history.. I'd also suggest a day or two in Bucharest to visit the parliament building and museums (history museum was interesting)

Most Inspirational Moment

High points - 1:visiting Bram Castle, a very fine piece of architecture. 2. The final day, up to a mountain hut in the snows. Helping un-ditch the snowmobile a mile down the trail that got stuck carrying the resupply sledge. 3. 2 days up a very major gorge, 400' cliffs on either side! In England that'd be festooned with climbers - there, there's so much of it nobody even notices!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas really does know every trail on the mountain.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be fit. It's not the most strenuous snowshoe I've done, but deep, soft snow and steep slopes are arduous.

Suggestions

It's excellent value, in the Villa Hermani the beer is only £1 a bottle, and the local plum brandy (Tuica) you really have to try!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the wildlife: bears, chamoix, bats and the steep rocky mountain scenery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas Oyntzen. Very helpful generally, particularly with snowshoeing and knowledgeable about the local history and local routes to explore. Spoke very good English and gave very detailed explanations of local history and the peoples involved. Had obviously studied history to an academic level. There was a lot to explain in this area, where there was often conflict between the Austrian and Turkish empires and buildings like churches were often fortified to resist invasion. There was a lot of interesting historical facts to learn about a country, which was very different to Britain.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Come prepared for real deep snow and cold weather. A real Winter experience in a completely different landscape to Britain.

Suggestions

Very interesting holiday offering good exercise in deep snow. Great natural scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

Bran castle was one of the selling points of the trip, and was great to see. We also enjoyed the walks through the forest areas and the peace and tranquility. We took one of the villa's dogs with us on every trip and it was a joy to watch them having so much fun in the snow.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was a great group leader. He changed the itinerary to suit the weather conditions and was very attune to safety. He let the group spread out during the walks, depending on personal pace, but would stop regularly to regather and check in on everyone. He shared his wealth of local knowledge and experience and was informative and interesting. I’d be very pleased if every tour leader was as engaged as Thomas – he is definitely one of the good ones.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you keep fit in the lead up to the trip and don’t worry about the distances for the longer walks, they are all achievable and the longer walks tend to be less steep. For people who are not great with heights some of the steep sections are nerve-racking but achievable. Don't bother taking a water bladder the pipe just freezes over no mater how well insulated.

Suggestions

A great winter holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stunning mountain views in the middle of nowhere.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Holger was very friendly and obviously very knowledgable. He looked after us well. Holger is quite laid back - I don’t think anyone would mind if he was stricter with us about staying together in a group, telling us when and where we need to meet, etc.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take ear plugs and the best yak traks you can afford.

Most Inspirational Moment

completing the 22-24km walk and still be laughing at the end of it although tired.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Holger was a first class leader as I said earlier, he was everything you want in a leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

you need to be relatively fit, and be prepared for tough terrain, depending on weather.

Suggestions

great hoilday

Most Inspirational Moment

We were lucky to have plenty of snow, so the snowshoeing was a delight, especially on the clear bright days. The scenery was beautiful, although we did have one day when in snowed throughout and so views were minimal.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader, Holger, was capable and considerate, with a good dry sense of humour. He took a while to get used to the group, but became more sociable as the week went on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you haven't snowshoed before, make sure that you are confident that your showshoes fit correctly and have no defects before you set off. Although plenty of bread and a variety of fillings are provided for packed lunches, there are no snacks, so I would recommend that you take some, as we definitely needed extra calories between meals, especially on the two longer days. A travel kettle could be useful too. The temperatures were well below freezing, and the roads around the guesthouse and in the towns were very icy. We found our instep crampons very useful; other members of the group used Yaktrax or similar.

Suggestions

We travelled to Bucharest before the holiday started, and spent a couple of days exploring the city before joining the rest of the group. There was plenty to see; we especially enjoyed the Village Museum and a tour of the Palace of Parliament.