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Hikers in Fagaras mountainsMy name is Iulian Cozma and I’m a full time professional mountain guide, and together with my mountain guides team, I organize tours in Romanian mountains, and I invite you to discover more about Romania, and maybe one day we hike or ski together here, in Romania!

I have been guiding tourists through the Romanian mountains for more than ten years now. Most of them are foreigners or expats working in Romania. Their continuous interest for the Romanian mountains comes as a surprise to my fellow Romanians, who tend to believe that the Alps or the Pyrenees deserve all the spoils. Not to me, though – I’ve been trekking the official and unofficial trails of the Romanian mountains since I can remember and I still get amazed at the scenery every time I go to Fagaras Mountains, or Bucegi, or Piatra Craiului.

I am not very good with words, and probably too biased when describing the mountains I grew up with, so I will let the images do the talking – please go the the Photography section and see for yourself the photos I took with various groups of tourists in the last ten years in the Romanian mountains.

I’ve been told that many of these photos were the reason why a lot of tourists asked me to guide them through the Romanian mountains, be it for trekking, hiking, ski touring, or freeride sessions.

Simon village in South Transylvania

As you can read in the Testimonial section, the Romanian mountains more than lived up to the expectations. But, equally important, my clients were really impressed by the people they met, the experiences they had with local, rural Romania they visited while going up or down the mountain – a part of Romania that was the least affected by the communism and that – I was told – accounts for an Europe that only lives in the memory of the elders.

If you want to experience that, you should come to Romania as soon as possible – after joining the European Union in 2007, Romania will be less and less like… Romania, and more and more like the rest of the present-day Europe. Which is good in many ways, but not all of them…

Ciucas mountainsThey say growing your business is a must if you want to stay prosperous. A bigger business, however, is much more difficult to manage, especially when trying to offer each and every group a personalized experience – something I am proud to say I was able to accomplish so far. This is why I was always careful when working with other Romanian mountain guides for my groups. The effort paid off, as now I am able to count on several local mountain guides – see My Team section – and to offer the clients a wider range of services (mountain biking and photo tours are new entries on my list) for more groups.

So, to end an introduction that already is too long: if you are looking for an active mountain vacation in Romania, you arrived at the right place. Choose one of the already made tours or let us prepare a specific schedule for your needs. Hiking, trekking, mountaineering, mountain biking, ski touring and freeride, snowshoeing, phototours, all of that and much more – we can organize your vacation from the moment you step foot on Romanian soil till the moment of your leaving. We will arrange for your accommodation, transportation, visits to the ‘must see’ Romanian tourist attractions like the Bran Castle, Sighisoara, Biertan, Sibiu, Brasov, etc, – or we will give you travel advice for the non-mountainous part of your Romanian vacation.

We strongly believe that adventure tourism done safely and responsibly is a wonderful way to visit Romania. Don’t hesitate to contact us!


Last update - 27 January 2012

Latest testimonials
A great itinerary. We started by taking the Cable car from Busteni to Babele. There we made a big loop passing thru Omu Peak and arriving after 8 hours in Pestera. The sun was bright and the scenary was incredible with the clouds in the valley. In some parts it was like walking on the clouds. Iulian had arranged for us a good stop for the night in the National Salvamont School in Pestera where we recoverd with a good meal. The second day was very nice as well since the landscape had turned white with the night frost. We arrived in Moeciu tired but happy. Next time will be in winter with snow shoes!!
Beth and Marc Desenfans, Bucharest, November 2011

Une tres belle balade ce lundi 14 novembre. Nous aimons les paysages autour de Moeciu car on decouvre la vie et les scenes de moyenne montagne tout en ayant une vue superbe sur les montagnes de Bucegi quand le soleil est de la partie. Iulian nous avait prepare comme d'habitude un bel itineraire de 5 heures de marches(sportif mais accessible a tous). Les quelques arrets dans les granges nous ont permis de manger en cours de route. A l'arrivee une bonne Ciorba nous a permis de nous rechauffer.
Beth Desenfans, Bucharest, Novembre 2011

Whaat a journey….Două zile concentrate, in care am ramas fascinata de ce frumuseti ascund Bucegii nostri. Daca in prima zi m-am simit ca o pasare, mergand aproape de nori, cu soarele in ochi si vantul de la Omu pe la urechi, iar seara am mancat mai bine ca la mama, a doua zi am pornit grabiti, si dupa 4 ore de urcat si mult coborat prin padurea de brazi, am iesit la dealurile cernite ale Moeciului de Sus, iar vacutzele, prietenele lui Iulica, ne-au dat binetze din talaga… Un traseu sublim, dar si vremea a fost de partea noastra…
Multumim Iuli Carmen si Catalin, Bucuresti, Noiembrie 2011

This was my latest of many hiking trips I have taken with Iulian's guide services. As usual, his route selection and flexibility to work with my schedule and abilities made for a fantastic hike! I have come to depend on his expertise in the region and he has become a friend and outdoor mentor based on the many hours we have spent hiking together over several years. He arranges tours well based on a hiker's abilities and he knows I enjoy a challenge. This trip did not disappoint - it was very memorable and challenging! There is also no substitute for the beauty of the remote regions of Romania. Thanks again for a great weekend!
Mike, USA, November 2011

Seine Betreuung vor und während des Aufenthalts lies keine Wünsche offen. Besonders gut fanden wir, dass wir das Dorf seiner Großmutter kennengelernt haben und auf der Hütte mit am Küchentisch sitzen durften. Die Freundlichkeit der Menschen war beeindruckend. Auch für unsere weitere Reise durch Rumänien hat er uns noch viele gute Tipps gegeben und eine tolle Tour ins Donaudelta organisiert. Wir danken Julian für die schönen Tage in den Karpaten und werden, wenn sich die Gelegenheit ergibt, gerne wieder kommen.
Astrid, Susanne und Holger, Germany – September 2011

Beste Iulian, Hoewel we de afgelopen week in September maar een paar dagen te besteden hadden, ben je er in geslaagd om een prachtige trip voor ons te organiseren. Ik heb uitgebreid genoten van je kennis over Roemenië, haar cultuur & historie en natuurlijk de bergen zelf. Heb een boel geleerd deze paar dagen. Overigens niet in het minst betreffende jullie prima bier, wijn en worstjes. Dank dat je dit voor ons hebt geregeld. Wij zouden je organisatie - en zeker jou - zonder twijfel aanbevelen voor dit soort trips. Het beste,
Michiel Haarman, The Nederlands, September 2011

Dear Iulian, thank you so much for the photos. I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone if I say that we had truely a fantastic two days in Bucegi mountains with you. The photos are the proof! Surely, we can recommend you to everyone we know. So once again, a million thanks and, who knows, we will see you again soon. Our best regards, Commissarissen Shanghai,
Jean-Pierre Bienfait and Alexander Werre, The Nederlands, September 2011

Although we only had a few days this September to get a flavour of your beautiful mountains, you succeeded in arranging a beautiful trip for us. I really enjoyed your knowledge on the country, its history, culture and nature, and of course the mountains itself. Learned a lot these few days. Not in the least on the excellent beers, wines and sausages. Thanks for arranging this for us. We would receommend your organization without any hesitation for these kind of trips.
Michiel Haarman, The Nederlands, September 2011
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Fagaras mountains are the Transylvanian Alps!