Home

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 - 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