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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 - 20 April 2013

 

Latest testimonials
Iulian ha organizzato tutto in modo perfetto: dall’arrivo all’aeroporto fino alla ripartenza, compreso un qualche cambiamento del programma dovuto a condizioni sfavorevole. Iulian non è solo un’esperta guida di montagna, ma con piacere informa anche su usi e costumi e il loro contesto storico. Inoltre prende molto a cuore il poterti arricchire con informazioni e dettagli sul suo paese, facendomi scoprire una realtà della Romania che mai avrei immaginato prima di partire per questo viaggio. Grazie mille Iulian e ARRIVEDERCI,
Barbara Gubser, Svizzera, Feb 2013

Iulian's skill of knowing the terrain, snow conditions and weather meant that I always felt extremely safe and in exceptionally capable hands. Iulian's service extends well past the actual trip. From my first email inquiry more than 4 years ago his response to any question has always been incredibly prompt and helpful. His attention to detail in every stage of planning and execution of a trip is outstanding. I've had 2 great trekking trips with Iulian and would highly recommend him to make any travel arrangements for you.
Sheila McDowall, Sidney, Australia, Feb 2013

Una decina di giorni fantastici, con paesaggi per noi nuovi e una neve da sogno. Alla fine la neve era perfino troppa, ma Iulian ha saputo inventare con 2-3 telefonate un programma alternativo che ci ha soddisfatti tutti a pieno. Bei posti, organizzazione logistica degna di un orologio svizzero e - aspetto non secondario - una conoscenza della regione, della storia e dei suoi abitanti da parte di Iulian che ne fanno un'ottima guida. Avanti così!
Mario Casella, Guida, Switzerland, Feb 2013

Insbesondere durch die Kleinigkeiten bewies Iulian seine Erfahrung mit Touristen: z. B. sorgte er für einen stressfreien Ablauf, indem er uns von der Pension abholte oder uns zu einem windgeschützten Rastplatz führte. Außerdem erfuhren wir von ihm viel Interessantes über Land und Leute. Zum Schluss organisierte Iulian sogar unseren nächsten Tag und gab uns wertvolle Tipps für Sehenswürdigkeiten mit Infos zu den Zugabfahrtszeiten…
Katja and Bernhard, Deutschland, Jan 2013

We really had a great day trip with Iulian in the Carpathian Mountains near Bran village. The landscape was superb and the place very remote – we did not meet anybody the whole day, except a shepherd with his 200 sheep. One notices very quickly that Iulian is very competent and experienced with tourists.
Katja and Bernhard from Germany, Jan 2013

Thank you for such a lovely trip. Thank you for organizing such smooth transfers, information, and for providing us with a friendly guide. The tiny strawberry bush we have in our garden reminds us of the wild-berries that Mihai showed us on our walk. The walks that Mihai took us on were memorable. The colors in the mountain photos can only be described as inspiring.
Rhys and Alex, Australia

Sometimes you don't need 11 days to enjoy the Carpathian mountains.Last week we had enough of the grey sky in Bucharest and Iulian organized for us a one day hike on top of Bucegi mountains from Sinaia to the Caraiman cross. This was for us a confirmation that a two hours drive is enough to enjoy a day in paradise!!
Beth and Marc Desenfans

The trip was really well-organised and Mihai was a great guide. The scenery was beautiful and varied, the accommodation very comfortable. I would definitely recommend this company - they are reliable, professional, knowledgeable and friendly.
Anne-Claire Harrison, England

Two weeks in Romania and our time spent with Iulian was our most memorable. What a challenge! How to organize a successful family hiking trip for grandparents, parents and kids? Iulian pulled it off masterfully! It was a wonderful family bonding experience. Our only regret? Not hiring Iulian for longer. Our four days with him were the best!
Dani, Robin and family - Canada

We hebben genoten van dit prachtige landschap en het geweldige weer. Voor de wat meer ervaren mountainbiker die eens in een andere omgeving willen fietsen is dit zeker een aanrader. Horia en Iulian, bedankt voor deze mooie ervaring en alle goede zorgen!
Groet, Liek, Karin, Yvonne en Henk - Holland
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Fagaras mountains are the Transylvanian Alps!