➥ First day Carpathian Epic Trails 

Pick up from Cluj-Napoca International Airport or your hotel. Transfer to Colibita Lake in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. Assembling bikes, short warm up ride around the lake, detailed presentation of the tour.
Transfer: 160 km, 3.5 hIncluded services: airport transfer, dinner, accommodation.
Accommodation: local guesthouse

➥ Day 2 : Ride the wild Călimani Mountains

Today We will be entering deeply into the wilderness of the Călimani Mountains, known for one of the most great densities of the brown bear population in Europe and probably one of the last wild regions on this part of the continent, in its true sense. We will also pass trough some beautiful meadows, where we will experience the traditional lifestyle of the shepherds and from where we will admire the higher volcanic peaks of the Călimani Mountains. The cherry of the day will be the views over the lake and the single trail descent that follows. The reward for the intense effort at the end of the day will be the refreshing swim into the lake.
Ride: 37 km +1430 m/-1430 mIncluded services: breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, dinner, guiding, accommodation.
Accommodation: local guesthouse

➥ Day 3 : Back in time trip

Our second day will take us back in time, in a scenery, that probably remained unchanged for hundreds of years. We will ride on a beautiful mountain plateau, passing through lost in time cottages and admiring the higher mountain peaks that surrounds us.
Transfer: 25 km, 40 min
Ride: 32 km +1210 m/-1210 mIncluded services: breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, dinner, guiding, accommodation.
Accommodation: Dracula Castle Hotel

➥ Day 4 : Ride in the Bucovina Mountains

Today we will pass in the picturesque Bucovina region. Here we will spend the next two days riding some of the most intense trails than can be done here. The reward after the intense effort will be the traditional dishes served with natural, organic, homegrown food, directly from our hosts farm.
Transfer: 45 km, 1 h
Ride: 38 km +1230 m/-1230 mIncluded services: breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, dinner, guiding, accommodation.
Accommodation: local eco certified guesthouse

➥ Day 5 : Ride in the land of endless forests

The last day spent in this archaic place will take us deep into wild forest, undisturbed only be roaming of the powerful stags, sharing the trails with wolves and brown bears.
Ride: 39 km +1380 m/-1380 mIncluded services: breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, dinner, guiding, accommodation.
Accommodation: local eco certified guesthouse

➥ Day 6 : Rodnei Mountains National Park

For the last day of riding we will leave Bucovina, and head towards Maramures. After 2 hours of driving deep into the Carpathians Mountains we will reach the highest mountains in the north of Romania. Rodnei Mountains, with heights over 2300 m is one of the oldest national parks n the country. Here we will end our tour with our favorite trail.
Transfer: 100 km, 2.5 h
Ride: 35 km +1590 m/-1590 mIncluded services: breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, dinner, guiding, accommodation.
Accommodation: 3* hotel with pool and spa

➥ Day 7 : End of a great week

We say good bye and leave this magical place.

Included services: breakfast, transfer to the airport

➥ Bike

Mountainbike in good technical condition – front suspension hardtail or fullsuspension one with a minimum of 2.2 inch tyre

➥ Technical gear

• Small bike backpack (arround 15 litres)
• Sportbag for transfering your stuff from one location to another
• 2 or more bike jearsey, 2 or more bike pants, underware, socks, bikeshoes, gloves
• Helmet
• Sunglases with interchangeable lenses
• Rain resistant biking jacket and pants
• Warm clothes for evenings (temperatures can drop as low as 5 degrees Celcius even during the summer in the evenings and mornings or on the mountains)
• Hydratation systems or botles
• Swimwear
• Suncreams if you have a sensitive skin
• Towel
• Basic firstaid kit
• Camera

➥ Tools to bring

• Multitool, tyre levers, pump

➥ Spare parts for your bike

Rear derraileur hangers (we insist to bring at least one of it with you), spare tubes, brakepads, a couple of extra spokes, extra chain

➥ Weather in Romania

During summer time weather in Romania can be very warm to hot, with short periods of cold rainy days and with regulary summer storms with lightnings and thunders during afternoons. Temperatures during summer can vary from 5 degrees Celsius in the morning to as much as 35 degrees at noon (even 40 degrees in the southern part of Romania).

➥ Travel Insurance

We highly recommend you to have a travel and accident insurance, for your holiday, that should cover you over the time spent in Romania.

➥ Romania – a short overview

Romania, a country from the east part of Europe is a place little known for the rest of the World, but wich has a lot to offer.
Romania’s mountains are considered to be one of the last wild places in Europe beeing home of more than half of Europe’s large carnivores like bears and wolves.With almost half of its population living in the countryside, Romania and its villages is the place where you can still experience the rural lifestyle, in its true sense, witnessing ancient old traditions and customs, wich are extinct in other parts of Europe. People are still working and living from the land, using their own hands and animals for this. They still use horse drawn carts for carrying stuff and colecting hay in the old ways.But this fragile paradise is facing extinction due to globalization, Eu regulation (Romania entered European Union in 2007) and young people migration to urban areas and to foreign countries in search for a place to work.Also, other danger that Romania is facing is deforestation. Tourism and income from it could be an alternative to distruction of the wild habitats. It can also add an income to the local economy, helping to preserve the fragile way of life of the local comunities.The best moment to visit the wild and archaic Romania was 20 years ago, the second one is NOW !!!

➥ FAQS

On what dates is the trip available?
Visit our calendar to see the available dates for this trip.
If the dates do not adapt to your needs, contact us to get your needs, we will assign a commercial agent who will look for the best possible solution
How many people will be in the group?
We organize adventures in small groups to ensure everyone has the best experience.
Normally there are between six and ten people in each group, with a guide/rider ratio of 1/5 .
What is the age range of the people who usually come to this tour?
Usually, between 30 and 55 years of age, but age is simply a state of mind, and we welcome anyone over the age of 18!
Whenever you have good physical condition and good bicycle handling, you will enjoy this mountain bike tour regardless of your age.
Is Romania a safe country?
https://safearound.com/en/danger-rankings/
According to the ranking of safe around Romania ranked 31 out of 160 among the safest countries in the world, to this we must add that the city where we have flights is a medium city that is very safe, most of the trip will be visiting rural areas, which are calm and safe.
In case of accident, what are the means of assistance available?
All the areas we visit are covered by a professional mountain rescue service http://www.portalbn.ro/salvamont/home.html
In Carpathian Dreams we have an action protocol in case of accidents
Our guides are professionals with training in first aid.
The Carpathians in general, unlike other areas of Europe such as the Alps or the Pyrenees, are areas with less infrastructure and large areas without GSM coverage, which makes it especially advisable to hire guided mountain bike tours with qualified guides.
Carpathian Dreams guides, in addition to knowing the terrain perfectly, are equipped with satellite communication systems that guarantee rapid communication with the rescue teams.
How is health service in Romania?
Romania has a public health system spread throughout the country, the Romanian public health system has very good professionals although health facilities are of a level below the Western European standard.
The private health facilities are of high quality, comparable to the best European quality standards.
To participate in our trips it is compulsory to have an individual accident insurance, which covers the costs of the necessary health care in case of an accident.
If you do not have insurance, we can arrange one with one of our associated insurers.
In what airport do you recommend to fly?
To access any part of the Carpathians it is necessary to use land transportation from the various airports. Most of our tours include transfers from Cluj-Napoca International Airport, which is the closest to our area of ​​activity.
Before booking the trip we can advise you personally to choose the best flight option, depending on each particular case since some flights do not appear in all the search engines.
If you have another travel plan to extend your stay in the country, we can advise you on flight reservations, activities, etc.
What luggage do you recommend to take?
Apart from the technical equipment for riding a bike that you will find in the technical equipment section, we recommend you take the clothes you need for after the tours and for visiting Cluj. The transportation of your main luggage (suitcase) from one accommodation to another, is includes in our standard tours.
How are the accommodations?
We have been selecting accommodations for many years that allow us to offer a quality standard in which aspects such as traditional aesthetics, close contact with people and the possibility of consuming local products of the highest quality.
As a general rule, the lodgings are usually a three-star bike friendly rural house where you can enjoy a comfortable stay after a day of cycling.
What kind of food will we have on the tour?
We understand our trips as a sum of experiences that allow participants to experience another culture from different points of view.
Without a doubt, gastronomy is an important element to understand the culture of a country.
The menus are designed so that throughout the tour you have the opportunity to taste the most typical dishes of the local cuisine.
We insist in local, homegrown , organic products.
We also ensure that the quantities are in accordance with the energy needs of a sporting activity. (if you think about coming to lose weight we warn you that it will be difficult to get it)
If you need a special diet, inform us in the booking process and we will solve the specific needs.

➥ 1 Contact us

Tell us about the selected trip and dates and we will assign you a commercial agent who will send you an e-mail with the confirmation of availability and the instructions to make the reservation.

➥ 2 Pay for the reservation

In the confirmation email of availability we will attach all the information to pay the reservation.
Please note that the approximate amount of the reservation is 30% of the total amount, which will be paid by bank transfer or PayPal to us or to the account of our associated tour operator.
The outstanding amount to complete the total amount of the trip, must be paid in cash on the day of arrival or by bank transfer 2 weeks before the start of the tour.

➥ 3 Booking flights and other trips

You should not book flights or other trips until we confirm that you can do it.

Price: (special prices for groups.)
Duration: 7 days
Overnights: 6
Fitness level:  4 de 5
Skills level: Advanced