The Dilettante Society hiking trip
We had a marvellous 6 –day trek in the beautiful Carpathian mountains of Transylvania, mostly at an altitude of 1800 – 2500 meters. The landscape is beautiful and varied, with impressive forest at lower altitude and alpine as one gets higher. Wildlife is plentiful. We saw chamois on several occasions, came across fresh bear droppings and wild boar tracks. The trails are good and well maintained. The terrain can be quite challenging but still well within the abilities of a bunch of fairly fit 50 – 60 year olds. We were lucky with the weather in mid-September, very pleasant daytime temperatures of up towards 20 centigrade even at high altitude, but cold nights, of course.
Our trek was very well organized by Iulian Cozma, with charming, professional English-speaking guides. Accommodation is comfortable and on the whole of significantly higher standard than the Cabanes de Montagne in France and Switzerland, generally with hot water and good, clean beds, except Podragu where the standard was rudimentary (no heating, no hot water). The food is good, as is the wine and beer.
We also appreciated the good administration part, i.e. the process involving the pre-booking, booking and general follow up of info and exchange of ideas.
Ted Wachtmeister – The Dilettante Society with members from Sweden, UK and Switzerland – September 2009
