Maramures is a region up northern Romania, surrounded with mountains and with picturesque meadows and valleys, where people still wear their traditional clothes everyday. The region is also famous for the small timber houses, with huge wooden entrance gates and for the wooden churches competing to reach the sky.
DAY 1:
Arriving to Cluj Napoca airport, where you will be picked up and transferred by car to Maramures region. About 3 ½ hours drive to our accommodation.
Dinner and accommodation in a small village, on Mara valley, in a restored wooden house. Dinner at the accommodation.
DAY 2:
Visit the Thursday peasant market of Ocna Sugatag (described by William Blacker, the place where he bought a scythe). Peasants sell their pigs, chickens, cereals, etc.
Easy walk with superb views from our village, Hoteni, to Breb, the village where William Blacker lived. Picnic lunch.
Continue the walk and sightseeing in the picturesque villages of Budesti and Sarbi. Along the riverside there are several water-powered installations, all made of wood: valtori (villages’ simple washing machines) for washing clothes and blankets, water mills operating all day long.
Same overnight accommodation. Dinner included.
(B, L, D)
DAY 3:
Today we have a harder challenge to climb the Gutai mountains. We will be driven to the starting point, then we start an easy hike, before taking the path to the peak (2 ½ hours hike). We descend from the peack to continue our hike back to village. Dinner and same accommodation, as previous night.
(B, L, D)
DAY 4:
Explore Maramures by car. To have a chance to visit a wider area in Maramures, we move to the next accommodation by car, visiting also Sapanata Merry Cemetery and Sighetul Maramtiei (the prison and the town).
Lunch not included in Sighet.
Dinner and accommodation in Botiza in a restored wooden house.
(B, L, D)
DAY 5:
It is Sunday, so people will dress their Sunday best and go to church. Time to attend one of the Ortodox service in the church (for a short while!).
We then continue to our walk over the hills to Ieud village. Ieud has two wooden churches. The upper church (Biserica din Deal), up the hill is the oldest wooden church from Maramures (1364), said to survived the Tartar’s attacks.
Picnic lunch. The car will pick you up to return to Botiza.
Same accommodation in Botiza with dinner included.
(B, L, D)
DAY 6:
Have a walk in the morning starting from your accommodation towards remote villages. Visit the wooden church of Poienile Izei (Unesco heritage), where the punishments of the devils are so evocative.
Picnic lunch.
In the after noon drive to Viseu de Sus for a swim and your night accommodation. Dinner independent.
(B, L)
DAY 7:
9.00 Take the steam train along Vaser Valley. A picnic lunch with a barbeque sandwich will be provided by the rail way staff.
Little walk in the area.
In the after noon drive to Cluj for your last night accommodation before the flight. Dinner independent.
(B, L)
DAY 8:
Early transfer to the airport.
B
Cost of the tour:
Included: comfortable accommodation everywhere, with dinners and breakfasts, as mentioned above; transport by minibus in Romania, with services of English-speaking guide.
Not included: return flights; lunches (see above); drinks; entrance fees; tips; insurance.