About me

Hello, Let me introduce myself, my name is Iulian Cozma and I would like to share some data about me so that you get to know me better. I was born in Fagaras town, in 1975 at the feet of Fagaras mountains, and I spent my childhood at my grandparents, in Ucea de Sus village, also at the feet of Fagaras mountains. Iulian CozmaI am an engineer, by profession, I graduated the Electrotehnics Faculty of Brasov in 1999. I have been a member of the Romanian Mountain Guides Association since 1996, and starting with 1999 a member of the Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. In the autumn of 1997, I began, together with the colleagues from RMGA the first course of Professional Mountain Guides, which we finished in 1998, thus becoming the first promotion of Romanian Mountain Guides, accredited by all qualified organizations. Now, I am a member of RMGA, in the past also being the President and General Secretary. I have been going in the mountains since childhood, my father, a mountain passionate taking me with him everytime he had the occasion. I was introduced to the real moutain trip and the real mountaineering during the first years of university when I became a member of CPNT Brasov and for a short while an active member in mountaineering department of CSU Brasov. Every year, since 1996, together with my colleagues from RMGA I made numerous tours in Fagaras, Bucegi, Piatra Craiului Mountains and other mountains of Romania. The most important tours were done during winter time, amongst them being some northern ridges from Fagaras mountains like Dragus, Buteanu, Albota, Vistea, Zanoaga, and the famous ridge Virtopel-Arpasel. I have been practicing skiing since 1988, and until 1995 I participated at the ski competitions in the Meridionali Carpathians Cup which used to take place in Bucegi, Piatra Craiului and Fagaras Mountains. I have been doing this job, of professional mountain guide, since 1999, when I led the first group of tourists in Fagaras Mountains. That tour was on the following route : Vistea Mare Valey – Moldoveanu peak – Podragu Cottage, the second day Podragu Cottage – Tarata ridge – Victoria city. Since then, I have been organizing and leading more and more groups on mountain trips, ski touring or mountain tours combined with cultural visits. On average I spend 180 days in the mountains, in all seasons. You can find here impressions of people for whom I organized mountain tours and with whom I crossed Romania’s mountains. With an experience of over 10 years in guiding groups of tourists and planning mountain tours, I am offering you services which cover all range of mountain activities : trekking and hiking, ski touring, off the slopes skiing, having the possibility to include in all programs visits at different cultural objectives which are on our way. As you go along visiting this site, you will be able to find some proposals for mountain tours and other pieces of information which I believe are useful when going on the mountains. If there are specific things you want to find out about the mountains or if you have any suggestions about the site, and about the mountains, of course, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

CURRICULUM VITAE

First name: Iulian

Last name: Cozma

Marital status: married; one child.

Permanent address: 175 Lunga St., 500051 Brasov, Romania

Contact: Tel./Fax.: +4 0 268 418 441; Mobile Phone: +4 0 744 327 686

E-mail: contact@mountainguide.ro

Web page: www.mountainguide.ro

Occupation:

• Administrator of my own tourism agency: “Iulian Cozma – Outdoor Adventures”.

• Professional mountain guide (mountain tours including hiking and trekking, alpine ski and ski touring, cultural sightseeing tours in Romania’s historical centers, specialized consulting services, etc.).

Professional objective: Promoting and sustaining the romanian tourism, by offering a variety of tours in the mountains, both during the summer and the winter season.

Education:

• Transilvania University, Brasov: majoring in Electrotechnics (graduated: 1999).

• Profile studies in the field of mountain tourism: Course qualification and expertise at being a Professional Mountain Guide, organized and certified by the Romanian Mountain Guide Association (RMGA), together with the Romanian Ministry of Tourism (the class of 1998).

• Management Certificate in Tourism – issued by the Romanian Ministry of Tourism

Professional background in tourism:

• 10 years of activity in the field of mountain tourism

• since 1996 active member of the Romanian Mountain Guide Association

• since 1998 holder of the Professional Mountain Guide Certificate

• since 1999 member of the Romanian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation

• 2001- 2003 President and General Secretary of the Romanian Mountain Guide Association (RMGA)

• 2007 – present; Public Relations Manager for the RMGA

• 2001 – Founder and Administrator of the privately owned agency for mountain tourism: “Iulian Cozma – Outdoor Adventures” (license nr.: A4184, issued by the Romanian Ministry of Tourism).

• 2003 – 2005: Administrator of the “Valea Sambetei” chalet (located at 1407m altitude, in the Fagaras mountains).

• 1999 – present; Activities: Organizing and participating at various profile events (i.e. trekking, hiking, mountain marathons, raising waste in high altitude areas with volunteers, interviews for televised documentaries on subjects such as nature, tourism and mountaineering (aired on PRO TV channel), several slide show presentations about the Romanian Carpathians (at the “Reduta” Cultural Center in Brasov), exhibiting panoramic photographs at various international tourism fairs (i.e.in Germany and England), writing and publishing nature-bound articles in newspapers and magazines (such as “Jurnalul National”, “KNOX”, etc.).

• Administrating the interactive site for mountain lovers: www.alpinet.org

Foreign languages:

• English – advanced level (written and spoken)

Leisure activities:

• Photography as passion and art.

Last update - 30 July 2010

Latest testimonials
It's quite possible that a vacation in Romania might pose some challenges for the average American tourist, especially when planning to visit castles, monasteries, and historical towns, as well as complete a 4-night hut-to-hut hiking traverse of the Fagaras Mountains. Challenging, that is, unless your trip is in the capable hands of Iulian Cozma. From our pickup at the Bucharest airport to our 4:30 a.m. departure back to the airport 10 days later, every step of our trip was handled by Iulian with the utmost efficiency and care for our comfort and enjoyment. His skills go far beyond his competence as a mountain guide or his organizational abilities in handling every detail of lodging and traditional Romania menus. It's a rate individual who can teach his guests how to clear hundreds of sheep from a hiking trail (just whistle!), then several days later escort them to an elegant and extraordinary restaurant in Bucharest. He is one hard working individual, and it is amply demonstrated in the results achieved. We had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful and memorable experiences thanks to Iulian and would highly recommend his services to anyone who wants an unforgettable and stress-free vacation in Romania.
Jim and Peggy Hilton - Seattle, WA USA – July 2010 – Fagaras ridge traverse

Chris and I would like to thank you so much for the walk you put together for us all. It was well prepared and planned, The meadows so full of wild flowers were breathtaking,and we were very impressed with your knowledge of where to walk, especially where there were no known paths. We felt you carried out the walk with true professionalism. You were extremely helpful at all times and very informative on all aspects of the walk,the area and customs of Romania. The Pensions were really nice to stay in and the people we met were so lovely and friendly. It was a pleasure to visit your country and especially Transylvania, which you obviously love and care about. Once again thank you so much. We wish you and your family best wishes for the future,
Chris and Yvonne Hartley – Leicestershire, England – June 2010

Iulian was a very friendly and efficient guide, and took us on a great two-day, low-level route in the beautiful Piatra Craiului National Park through forest (which we were glad of in the heat) and lush meadows. We paid a fascinating visit to cheese-making shepherds (and had a robust encounter with some sheep dogs!)
Mary Byrne,London, UK - July 2010

After a very nice experience with Iulian in May where we discovered Omu Peak in the Bucegi mountains we decided this time to go hiking in the Fagaras Mountains on 19th&20th of June. It is the best period because all Rhododendrons are blossoming and the top of the hills turn red. We slept on Friday in Brancoveanu Monastery and on Saturday morning we moved up from 800m to 2100m on the North Dragus ridge. The climb was tough but the scenery on the top with all the trees blossoming was worth all the efforts.We had a great lunch next to a stream before to start our descend to the Salvamont Hut on Valea Sambatei. At the end we had been covering a distance of 15km, walking up 1300m and walking down 800m. All in all a great experience witch I recommend to anyone who wants to discover this unique scenery of the Fagaras mountains covered by red Rhododendron flowers.
Beth and Marc Desenfans, June 2010

A massive thank you for arranging, and then personally guiding us through our amazing Romanian experience. The itinerary you put together perfectly matched our requirements - it covered mountain, country, forest and city landscapes -all in 5 days. In addition seeing a wild bear with her cubs, having a cup of fruit tea in a weather station on on top of Omu and watching the hay making process, were all unexpected bonuses. Our biggest thank you goes to you personally for your attention to detail - from the fantastic Romanian food you ensured we had, sharing your knowledge and insight with us as we covered the many kilometers during our daily hikes. We would recommend you to anyone (and have passed on your details already) - and happy that you share this note, our photos and contact details with others who may be considering a Romanian adventure. Until next time,
Dave and Jo, UK - June 2010

My recent hike (May 2010) with Iulian will certainly be one I remember. He arranged and accompanied me on a one day 25km hike up over Piatra Mare which offered me a challenge, incredible scenery, a couple of places to stop along the way. This was my second hike with Iulian and I intend to use his guide services for many more. He is able to guide through well-planned routes that I would not be able to find on my own. Iulian chose this route based on my ability, schedule, and desire to see certain areas. His services are professional and his personality made the entire expedition a pleasure. The mountains of Romania are Iulian's home and it's clear that he enjoys sharing the beauty of the area to others.
Mike Eubanks - USA - May 2010

Lovely trip. Lovely senery. Silence and tranquility for those who want to get away from hum of busy city… Pestera is a special place, much different from Sinaia or Predeal. It’s a kind of a hidden valley located in the heart of mountains. The trip became my first experience in mountain walking. We’ve made around 15 km each day. In fact, I’ve never walked so much in a single day in my whole life:) Physically challenging, though exciting. Definitely a good excersize. Liked a lot walking on snow..Presence of Iulian inspired the confidence and feeling of safety in a trip. Looking forward to new mountain adventures.
Alexander Sidorov, May 10