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Day 1, approx. 30 km. Arriving in Transylvania
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Program:
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Arriving to Cluj Napoca airport. Transfer from the airport to a pension outside
the town, in a very picturesque village of Calata (Kalotaszeg) region. On this first
day the guide will meet the group and briefly present the whole tour to the travelers.
He will also hand out leaflets and brochures of the program.
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Accommodation and half-board:
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on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th days in a very neat pension outside the town of Cluj Napoca.
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Day 2, approx. 120 km. Getting acquainted to Calata (Kalotaszeg) area
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Itinerary:
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Huedin - Valeni - Manastireni - Huedin
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Program:
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The region of Calata is one of the regions of Transylvania inhabited mainly by ethnic
Hungarians and includes about forty villages and towns. The main attraction of the region
unified by geography, history and language (specifically its Hungarian dialect) is
the visual aspects of its ethnography both for scholarly and tourist visitors. It
is the colorful costumes of its people as well as the picturesque nature of its
folk-architecture that aroused the interest of the researchers at the end of the
XIXth century and led to the exploration of the region.
We will visit a few of these beautiful villages (Manastireni, Valeni, Sâncraiu
and Izvorul Crisului) by admiring the beautiful protestant churches (Manastireni
and Valeni), by taking part to a folk program and learning about the costumes and
traditions of the entire area and having free shopping program in Izvorul Crisului.
In the evening we will return to our accommodation place.
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Day 3, approx. 80 km. Where the sun shines for two times…
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Itinerary:
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Rimetea - Cluj Napoca
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Program:
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Rimetea is one of the most interesting villages of Romania, with specific architecture,
Hungarian traditional costumes, painted furniture, museum, "clean rooms" or watermill.
This village has been given the Europa Nostra Award and is on the waiting list to be
included among the World Heritage sites because of its location, specific architecture
and richly adorned costumes. We will have a nice walk in the village and visit one of these "clean rooms".
In the afternoon we will climb the Szekler Rock (1.129 m high, difference of level approx. 500 m).
The hike is a very beautiful one on which everybody can test his strength and endurance. From above
the mounatin we will have a great panoramic view over the village and the surrounding area.
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Day 4, approx. 260 km. Direction Szeklerland
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Itinerary:
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Cluj Napoca - Turda - Medias - Biertan - Sighisoara - Odorheiul Secuiesc
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Program:
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We will cross the Transylvanian Plain and head to the land of the Szeklers where we will
spend the next three days. The Saxons were those who inhabited a great part of this plain
part and the southern part of Transylvania and during the day we will include in our program
the sightseeing of Medias (so-called Pisa of Romania because of the St. Margaret Cathedral
with its leant tower), Biertan (former archbishopric of Transylvanian Lutherans with the
biggest winged-altar of the country and powerful defending walls and ramparts) and Sighisoara
(the jewel of Transylvania, included on the lists of the Unesco proteced cultural sites is
the best-preserved medieval citadel with numerous functional old edifices, beautiful gothic
churches, fortifications and towers).
The day will end not far from Odorheiul Secuiesc, in a veritable Szekler village where
the group will be accommodated in private houses with two-bedded rooms. At the arrival
the group will be welcomed with a short folkloric program consisting of Szekler children
playing songs on pipe.
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Accommodation and half-board:
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on the 4th day in a picturesque village of Szeklerland, not
far from Odorheiul Secuiesc, in private village houses at Szekler families.
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Day 5, approx. 140 km. Traditions and relaxation
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Itinerary:
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Odorheiul Secuiesc - Corund - Sovata
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Program:
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Corund is an ancient Szekler pottery-making centre and we will make a longer shopping
break here but not before visiting a potter's house where we will learn some interesting
things about the modeling, burning and painting the clay pots. Next stop will be in Sovata,
a well-known salt water resort where the group will enjoy a few hours of relaxation, sun and
bathing in the Bear Lake. After the short wellness program we will cross the Gurghiu Mountains,
cross the town of Gheorgheni (where a large Armenian population used to live once) and we will
stop for the last time in this day on the shores of the Lacu Rosu Lake (Murder or Killer Lake)
in the resort with the same name.
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Accommodation and breakfast:
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on the 5th and 6th and 7th days in a 2** Hotel, in Lacu Rosu mountain resort.
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Day 6, approx. 80 km. Hiking again…
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Itinerary:
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Bicaz - Izvorul Muntelui
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Program:
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This day will be dedicated entirely to hiking and relaxation and will be spent
outside of Transylvania, at the border with Moldavia. A part of the group will
make a bold endeavor to conquer the top of the Ceahlau Mountain and meanwhile, the
other part of the group (those who cannot go hiking) will have a complete relaxation
day by going with a ship on the Izvorul Muntelui Lake and having a fishmeal (trout)
as lunch in the afternoon. The Ceahlau Massif is one of the most spectacular and
popular mountains of the Eastern Carpathians, also called the Olympos of Moldova.
We will start our hike from the Izvorul Muntelui hut and following the stream of the
Maicilor brook we will reach the Ocolasul Mare peak (1.907 m high) in the afternoon.
Somewhere during the hike we will have our usual daily picnic, too. The hike is not an
easy one, sometimes may seem tiresome and exhausting but the satisfaction will be great
and the panorama from the top of the mountain with the beautiful lake below is amazing.
In the afternoon we will return to Lacu Rosu mountain resort.
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Day 7. The Bicaz Gorge and surroundings of Lacu Rosu
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Itinerary:
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Lacu Rosu - Bicaz-Chei
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Program:
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The Bicaz Gorge is one of the most imposing gorges of Europe and gives plenty of
opportunities for travelers to hike and cliffhanging. We will have an easy walk
through the gorge and at noon we will return to our hotel and have lunch consisting
of famous mamaliga (polenta) with fish and garlic sauce.
In the afternoon we will
make one more hike starting from the shores of the Killer Lake and ending on the
top of the Killer Mountain (1.378 m high). The difference of level is approx. 400 m
and the length of hike is max. 4 hours long. From above we will contemplate the
Killer Lake, a peculiar protected environmental monument, a natural dam created
as a result of heavy rains and landslides occurred in 1837 which caused the
blocking of the stream of a brook and formed the lake. The surface of the water
is pierced by fir-tree trunks which are the remains of the former alpine
forest flooded by the lake.
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Day 8, approx. 260 km. Completing the circle of the tour
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Itinerary:
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Gheorgheni - Sovata - Târgu Mures - Turda - Cluj Napoca
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Program:
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We will return back to our base near Cluj Napoca but not before visiting
the town of Târgu Mures (castle, a famous library and the Palace of Culture)
and Cluj Napoca (walking-tour in the centre of the town, St.Michael gothic church).
We will arrive earlier to our accommodation place because in the afternoon we will
take part at a cultural program that will end the tour. After this we will enjoy a
goodbye dinner accompanied by live music.
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Day 9, approx. 30 km. The last day…
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Program:
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transfer to Cluj Napoca airport.
Departure at…o'clock.
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~ end of program ~
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