Transylvanian Long Weekend

Transylvania is a beautiful part of Europe and the sights on this trip are stunning. Unfortunately the awful traffic in the mountains did cause a lot of delays leading to both a shortening of time to visit the bear hide and long days (leaving at 8am and not returning to the homestay until 10pm), with no time for café stops on Days 2 & 3, just a quick lunch. I was caught out by how much colder it was in the mountains but the Homestay was warm and comfy - note that they don't supply shower gel. I really enjoyed the walk and found the poles supplied by the Homestay very useful as it was steep going up and down.

Unfortunately due to traffic problems we only had 45min in the bear hide, had intended a return the following day but again stuck in traffic. Apparently bears had plenty of beech nuts in the forest so were not approaching the hide at the time. It was very disappointing not to see them as that was the main attraction for everybody on the trip but obviously this can't be guaranteed however if this is usual for the time of year, (end September), then perhaps the tour shouldn't run on those dates. Tour leader was v accommodating when whole group requested we go to bear sanctuary the following day & re-scheduled Bran castle trip to accommodate. The accommodation in Transylvania was less than comfortable, our room had 2 narrow single beds & a couple of side tables plus 3 hooks on the wall, no shelves or wardrobe & as we had 3 nights there it would have been nice to be able to unpack, instead we had to walk around opened cases on the floor. The only area to sit was at the dining table. The food available for breakfast was plain & same each day, we did have a typical dinner when we arrived & that was fine. The guesthouse was remote & nowhere to walk unless along a busy road with no pavement so the other 2 nights we had to eat as a group. It would have been better to stay closer to the sights we were visiting & not have so much travelling so we didn't keep getting stuck in traffic & to also be able to walk around in the evening or go elsewhere for food or a drink. We spent far too much of our short trip in the minibus. The guide was knowledgeable & helpful but constrained by Explore expectations, I think he should have had more flexibility with the itinerary & perhaps we could then have avoided the long holdups.

Too much emphasis on bears when in reality the itinerary of the trip meant that we only spent an hour of the weekend actually in a bear hide. Romania itself was interesting and guide was friendly and knowledgeable but the trip let itself down by advertising itself as a wildlife experience when in reality it is more of a history tour.

This was my first ever trip of this kind and I am so glad I did it! Being a solo female traveller, my prime concern was being safe when abroad. Explore went above and beyond this expectation. The trip to Romania covered a lot of ground and was full on, but my goodness do you see some amazing sights! Although not guaranteed, seeing bears in the wild was definitely a highlight of the tour and was remarkable. But for me, it was staying in a cute romanian guest house in the mountains that was the most enjoyable part. It was a truly authentic experience and we were made to feel very welcome. If I was to change anything about the trip, I think a bit longer for lunch / coffee breaks would be nice, however I am also aware that this is not the purpose behind it.

Enjoyable 4 days with excellent itinerary. The group leader was informative and was good at keeping the group together. The restaurants that she chose for the group to eat at were excellent. Explore use local people as group leaders who have good local knowledge. The guest house owner was very friendly and the dinner we had on arrival was an excellent example of Romanian home cooking. She cooked a memorable meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Transylvania. The itinerary was packed with interesting things to do, so the trip felt longer than the few days it actually was. The only downside was that, despite our tour leader's best efforts to contact the ranger, we were unable fit in a second bear visit. We were lucky to have a fantastic group who bonded really well, and Rux, our tour leader was outstanding. One point of feedback is that it would have been useful to know in advance (ie. in the pre-tour info) roughly how much local currency we needed to take for tips, splitting meal bills, etc. We did the tour after it being recommended by a friend and we'll definitely be recommending it to our friends too!

Accommodation and itinerary were as described. Our Tour Leader was exceptional in all aspects of her job, keeping us informed, entertained and pandering to the needs of challenging group members.

We had a fantastic long weekend in Transylvania. Our guide, Rux, was excellent – extremely knowledgeable, patient, and professional throughout the trip. The itinerary was very well thought out and gave us the chance to experience so much in just a few days. The highlight for us was definitely the bear watching, which was an unforgettable experience. Be prepared – this is a full-on trip with long days and early starts, but it’s packed with activities and well worth it for everything you get to see and do. Highly recommended!

Excellent tour leader , went above and beyond, recommending places to eat, cost and shop

Another wonderful trip with Explore! Our guide Rux was exceptional in every way and fitted in with group wonderfully. She's extremely knowledgeable and incredibly thoughtful and one of the best guides we've ever had! Thank you also to our wonderful driver Danil who kept us safe and tried to dodge some of the frustrating traffic. All the accommodation is well placed, clean and comfortable. If you're a light sleeper I recommend taking earplugs and an eye mask, especially for the home stay. The owners of the home stay are a lovely couple who welcome you into their home and really appreciate it if you try to speak Romanian. The trek is quite steep in places and a lot of people made use of the provided walking poles, the views of the surrounding area and the meadows are well worth the hard work. The history of this beautiful country is fascinating and if you're into architecture, you won't be disappointed! We were lucky to see two bears, one as we got to the hide and another whilst we were in there. TOP TIP... if you're using a camera find out how to turn the focus light off as bears are incredibly sensitive and seeing these can startle them meaning that you can't take photos. As vegetarians we were well catered for and didn't miss out on any of the gorgeous meals. Thank you to all of the group members who bonded really quickly on such a short trip and really made the holiday.

The itinerary was packed and lots of interesting facts and buildings to see and history to be absorbed. The traffic was pretty grim and transfers and day outs were always longer than expected so we sometimes had to rush lunch etc. Rux (Anna) was a lovely intelligent young lady full of knowledge and was a lot of fun. Very patient with us all. We did manage to see a bear at the Keep for about 15mins we watched him feeding from the nearby log.

An amazing trip, and Rux, our guide, was exceptional! Don’t expect much downtime, but you will see some amazing sights and (hopefully) bears (I did!). The scenery is incredible, but be prepared for some long bus journeys.

Varied long weekend, with highlights being the morning hike up behind the homestay. The scenery was beautiful. Also lucky to see three bears from the hide which I will never forget. I enjoyed the free time in Brasov to explore the beautiful city.