Responsible Travel in

WILD FLOWERS IN APUSENI MOUNTAINS

The price includes: The price does not include: personal drinks and • airport transfers to and from Apuseni refreshments, insurance, souvenirs, other personal Mountains and transfer by horse-drawn costs. sleigh/car to Ghetar hamlet and from Casa de Piatra hamlet Note: • 3 meals per day (starting with lunch on We are always open to our customer’s demands and needs. arrival day and ending with breakfast on Therefore, the itinerary described above can be adjusted departure day) accordingly in what regards the period and the activities • accommodation 7 nights in double rooms included. Please contact us for more details. with shared bathrooms in guesthouses and mountain cabins rated at 2 and 3 daisies Contact persons: • cave entrance fees Mihai (Mike) Olenici / GSM: +4 0740 062 862 • guidance and all expenses related with the Paul Iacobas / GSM: +4 075 602 301 guide E: [email protected] • costs related to trip preparation Apuseni Experience Responsible Travel Programme

Lacul Crasna ZALÃU E60 Poiana Halmãºd Florilor Bãlan ªinteu Crasna Furta Biharkeresztes Borº xpand perceptions of reality (and nature) Trip details: Valcãu de Jos E Românaºi Darvas ORADEA Bãniºor Ineu Barcãu along the enchanting meadows and pastures Lugaºu Repede Hilda ºu de Jos ri Aleºd Sîntandrei C Tileagd Sig Köröszegapáti Panticeu Oºorhei E60 Bucium Szeghalom Auºeu Sãcãdat Aºtileu º of Western Carpathians. On the fringe of the Start/end: Oradea or Cluj-Napoca (options to pick

lma A Sînmartin P. Igriþa Nojorid Bãile Topa de Criº Bãile 1 Mai Mãgeºti Iclod Felix Copãcel Borod Zimbor Scarita-Belioara plateau, where the limestone you up/drop you at Timisoara or Budapest airports y Piatra Craiului Aºchileu Leº Osoiu Vadu Criºului Vultureni r Hidiºelu Vîrciorog 624 E671 de Sus Cuzãplac ªuncuiuº Ciucea E81 meet the granite, somewhere between the Tãºad are available too). Vésztö a Cefa E79 P. Vîntului Bratca Almaºu P. Ungurului Bulz Poieni Okány Drãgeºti g Tomnatic E576 Vida P. Lesiana Zece P. Moanei real and the surreal, warm sunshine, winding Trip length: 8 days/7 nights Valea Drãganului Cri Lãzãreni Hotare ºu Aghireºu Jucu Ceica Repede n an Chinteni Lacul Huedin Sînpaul Vida rãg D Izvorul Dobreºti ic Runcuri Criºului M u Iad Remeþi walking paths, panoramic views, and local Group size: min 4 - max 12 ºu

Mãdãraº Husasãu ome S de Tinca Motel Leºu Sîncraiu Sãcuieu E60 Apahida H opa Salonta T Roºia Holod Lacul Baciu Pomezeu Leºu CLUJ-NAPOCA charm combine to create a truly unique Activity level: moderate Tulca Sîmbãta Cabana Vlãdeasa P. Meziad Lacul Cãpuºu Tinca Drãganu Vlãdeasa Cãlãþele th th Sarkad Cociuba Mare Cabana Ardeleana Doboz Meziad 1836 vacation. From exploring altitude peatbogs Availability for 2011: May 7 – 14 and Rãbãgani Remetea Mãrgãu Riºca Lacul Gilãu Ciumeghiu Cãpîlna Gilãu Meziad Lacul Floreºti Tarniþa Feleacu Batãr Rãchiþele th th Stîna de Vale Butea Someºu C ald to pastures blanketed by Arnica Montana, Urviº May 28 – June 4 Negru Budureasa 1792 Aiton Olcea Criºu Beiuº Prislop Beliº Sãvãdisla Ciurila Avram Iancu ªoimi E60 Lacul Fîntînele GYULA E81 P. Onceasa Casa Piatra Altarului extinct in so many places in Europe, to the Price: 570 euros/person ld Valea Ierii eºu Ca Apateu Finiº Drãgãneºti Som Mãguri- Zerind P. Cetatea Cr Rãdesei Rãcãtãu iºu Pi Tureni etros Sudrigiu P. ªura Boghii Padiº breathtaking views of Scarita Belioara with Pietroasa Beyond wild flowers: mountain culture, hiking, Lazuri Sat de vacanþã Boga TURDA Miºca de Beiuº Poiana Horea Rieni Galbe 1 Rece Salina Turda iº Petreºtii P. Focul Viu Bãtrîna eºu a Bãiºoara art r na S Glãvoi o Ia de Jos Chiºcãu 1579 Sm Cermei P. Cetãþile Iara Cheile Turzii its rare, gentle and beautiful flowers, this Ponorului Cheia traditional way of life. P. Urºilor Groapa 2 Chiºineu- Pleºul ªtei Ruginoasã P. Vîrtop Ch. Galbenei Muntele Elek Cîmpani P. Mãgura P. Coiba Casa de Piatra 1112 C Criº Mare h Vîrtop Cacovei e Sintea Mare ile Grãniceri Lunca 3 R Sighiºtel u Socodor n Buru 1160 c Gîrda Horea u Ocoale lu i Carpathian paradise offers the perfect blend P. Fînaþe P. Scãriºoara Muntele Mare Beliu Nucet Seacã 4 Albac Cheile Pociovaliºtei Vaºcãu 4 P. Poarta lui Ioanele 1826 Moneasa Casa Speo Arieºeni Scãriºoara eº Ari Cãrand Cãrpinet of walking in nature and discovering rare wild P. Liliecilor Arieºu Negru Bihor re Rimetea iºu Gîrda de Sus Albac Cr Ma

ªicula 1849 ªimand Criºtioru 5 Ineu Bocsig de Jos 4 flowers. Dezna Vadu Moþilor P. Huda lui Paparã Arieºu Mic Sãlciua Baia de Seleuº Vidra E671 Sebiº Arieº Mirãslãu Bîrsa Poiana Sîntana Gãina Lupºa Avram Iancu Cîmpeni Aiudului 1486 Sohodol Curtici Poieniþa Ponor Pîncota Buteni 1437 C Rîmeþ riºu Alb Pleºcuþa Roºia Montanã Cheile Rîmeþilor Vîrfurile Bulzeºtii de Sus AIUD

Chiºindia Abrud eº Almaº Hãlmagiu b Zimandu Nou Al Ab Bucium ªiria Gurahonþ rud Mogoº Mur Criºu Întregalde Galda E81 Sãlaºul de la Rãscruce

Teiuº Cricãu Vaþa de Jos Þebea Buceº ARAD Galda de Jos Vladimirescu Ghioroc E68 Mihalþ Ighiu Bucureºci P. Liliecilor Roºia Nouã Brad Pãuliº Zlatna Conop Bîrzava Criºcior Ampoi Meteº E79 Lipova Almaºu Mare Valea Frumoasã ALBA IULIA Hanul Cerbu Vãliºoara Petriº Bãiþa Geoa Balºa Sãvîrºin giu Vinga Bata E68 Vorþa Zam Seb

Maºloc e º www.apuseniexperience.ro [email protected] Mada Vinþu Mureº de Jos Lunca Certeju de Sus Birchiº Gurasada ªibot Oradea 410068 -Romania, 1 Decembrie Square 4-6, room 8 Tel./fax: +4 0259 472434 Geoagiu Bãi SEBEª E68 Geoagiu E81 Ohaba Lungã Dobra Apuseni Experience is a trademark of EcoTransilvania Ltd. Brãniºca Mureº Bara DEVA Bobîlna

Fãget E68 Simeria Orãºtie ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival and warm-up exploration. We’ll leave the valley back and discover step by step, a sequence of glades and meadows covered with Airport – transfer to Padis. We’ll meet at the airport and wild flowers and beech forest, and summer settlements of drive you right in the heart of Apuseni Nature Park: Padis local people. Here is the perfect place to learn about herbs karst plateau. Padis is well known for its forested karst and healing plants and your guide will teach you how to landscape and is home for a variety of interesting vegetal use them and prepare your own herbal teas. Packed lunch associations, influenced by its specific climate. Check- on the way. After reaching Ghetar hamlet we’ll check-in at a in, dinner and rest in a mountain cabin. If there will be guesthouse owned by a young Motzi family and will fully some time left, we’ll have a short warm up stroll to visit enjoy a good rest. Dinner and accomodation at guesthouse the entrance of Caput Cave and learn about the karst in Ghetar hamlet. landscape of the area. Day 5: Arnica Montana Day 2: Molhasurile de la Izbuce peatbogs Breakfast at guesthouse in Ghetar hamlet. We’ll spend After a rich breakfast we’ll pack our daypacks and enjoy most of the day discovering Ghetar area, one of the a day hike of around 5 hours to Molhasurile de la Izbuce highest permanent settlements in Romania. Here, at the peatbogs. On our way, we will pass through Ponor Glade, Tourist Information Center, will meet Pasca Ilisie, an old a place where underground waters come to light through man with a warm smile on his face, always eager to share a karstic spring, pass the glade and then further on with you his stories and to perform a woodcarving craft disappear in the underground in order to come out to the demonstration. We will continue by exploring for about surface later, in Cetatile Ponorului Cave. In karstic terms 2 hours the meadows that surround the village and will this type of glade or valley is known as a polja. Molhasurile learn about centuries old traditions in land management, de la Izbuce area is proposed to become scientific reserve, which gives the places its abundance of plants and a local based on the presence here of several species such as: Pinus character. We will visit the headquarter of the local WWF Mugo, Richospora alba and Empetrum Nigra, Esphagnum conservation project Arnica Montana where we’ll learn Cuspidatum, Escheuzeria Palustris, most of them being about the efforts of conservationists to protect this unique ice age relicts, some of them being found at the lowest flower, now extinct in most parts of Europe and make it altitude in Europe (e.g Pinus Mugo). On our way back, we an asset for the local economy. Scarisoara Ice Cave, a 3500 will pass by a sheep hold where we’ll have a chance to years old underground glacier, our final destination for see the way shepherds look after sheep, milk them and the day, impresses the visitors by its compact ice block prepare traditional types of delicious cheese. Once back of about 100.000 cubic meters, the largest of its kind in at the cabin, we’ll enjoy a hot shower and then, after a Europe. We’ll come back to Ghetar hamlet via Hanasesti warm dinner, we’ll have a chance to sit by the campfire hamlet, through orchids, meadows and traditional style for a storytelling evening and enjoy a cold beer under the courtyards, full of life and colors in this part of the year. stars. Then, we’ll get back to the guesthouse, right in time for a delicious dinner. Day 3: Cetatile Ponorului karst phenomena Day 6: Scarita Belioara Nature Reserve Today we will visit Cetatile Ponorului/Ponorului Fortress, considered not only the most impressive karst phenomena After enjoying a typical mountain breakfast, we’ll be in Eastern Europe but also one of biodiversity hotspots transferred by car downwards to Garda de Sus village, and of the Apuseni Mountains. Along 4 hours we will enjoy to Scarita Belioara nature reserve, a true paradise of wild great views upon the impressive cave entrance as well flowers. Once arrived, we’ll take a snack and a rest, before as the sinkholes that give the specific characteristics to starting our hike in the area. Besides its breathtaking this unique place. Return to the cabin, lunch and rest. rocky scenery, the place is home for about 40 species of Then, we’ll take our luggage and do a 3 hours moderate protected flowers, out of which 30 species are endemics hike to Casa de Piatra hamlet, a tiny community of only for Romania. We’ll need about 6 hours to explore on an 16 families, located in a remote valley, where electricity easy pace all these wonders of Mother Nature and discover became a commodity only 5 years ago! Here we’ll be the hidden corners of this great place. accommodated in a guesthouse owned by a local family and we’ll have a chance to immerse ourselves in the local Day 7: Wild orchids on Bedeleu karst plateau cuisine and way of life of this firm mountain people. Dinner and accommodation at the guesthouse in Casa de The last day of the trip will be dedicated to exploring the Piatra. Bedeleu karstic plateau and Vanatarile Ponorului nature reserve, a 5 hour round trip through dense forests, Day 4: Mountain pastures and meadows limestone cliffs and large glades with thousand of flowers, from which we will focus on discovering wild orchids. After a rich breakfast consisting of organic products we’ll Packed lunch on the way. Return and farewell dinner at pack our backpacks and head on to Ghetar hamlet, home guesthouse in Salciua. of Scarisoara Ice Cave. The trip will take about 4 hours in a moderate pace. On the way, we will pass by Tauz karst Day 8: Departure spring – a little lake, surrounded by high rocky walls, with a depth of more than 80 meters and still under Breakfast at guesthouse and then transfer to the airport.