Hiking in Padis: the heart of the Apuseni

After my three-day hike through the Vladeasa Mountains I went straight on into the heart of the Apuseni Mountains: Zona Padis, as the Romanians call it. Padis is a green karst plateau full of surprises. Its mysterious forests hide many a cave (and possibly also many a bear); spectacular dolines connected by underground rivers make for challenging hikes. Overall, hiking in Padis is very easy, because most of Padis consists of large pastures, where you can camp with the cows if you like. It’s very suitable for day trips with children or for newbie hikers, but also for multi-day hikes, as you will see below.

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Hiking in the Vladeasa Mountains

Normally I try to squeeze an entire hike into one blog post, but my first multi-stage trek of the season was way too eventful to do that. So I’ve decided to split it up. So here’s Part One: hiking in the Vladeasa Mountains. Sprinkled with a good dose of snow and peppered with adventure and beauty!

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Easter in Romania

Hristos a înviat din morţi cu moartea pe moarte călcând… This line has been in my head for over a week. I am in Șuncuiuș, Bihor, Romania, a village nestled in the foothills of the Apuseni Mountains. Last Sunday I had the privilege to witness Orthodox Easter for the very first time! All these years, I’ve never managed to visit Romania during this festive period. And I’m so happy that I’ve now experienced what Easter means in Romania.

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The Galbena Gorge: an exhilarating hike in the Apuseni

I’ve written about the Apuseni before, but I promised to write more – and there is lots more. I haven’t been able to explore everything but there is one route that stays with me: the fabulous hike through the Galbena Gorge. The Apuseni generally makes for gentle walking, but this circular route is a good deal more challenging than most. So if you want to combine some easy hiking through the hills of the Apuseni with some clambering, this one is for you.

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Hiking through Râmet Gorge: a very watery adventure

One of the hikes that I’ve most enjoyed so far led through Râmet Gorge, or Cheile Râmetului in Romanian. It is perhaps the most spectacular hike in the Trascău Mountains: walking this trail means actually having to wade through the river that streams through the gorge, for a distance of about two kilometres. The water streams pretty fast and can reach as high as your chest in some places – although in those cases you can always rely on cables and footholds in the wall of the gorge. This hike is absolutely delightful on a hot day and the scenery is stunning. If this sounds like fun, read on and find out more.

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The Apuseni Mountains: an itinerary

I’m supposed to be writing about the mountains mostly, but I just noticed none of my last three posts deal with the mountains in any major way. Time for an itinerary again – through the Apuseni Mountains this time. Not the highest of mountains, but certainly not the least among them in terms of beauty and surprises. I’d been wanting to visit them for a long time – and I finally got to explore them in July. And I was pleased with what I found. Here is an itinerary through the delightful Padiş region.

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First Month: Ups & Downs (and two routes to Scăriţa Belioara)

By now I’ve spent a month in Romania, so it’s time for a review – and a post. Things haven’t been easy, and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time pondering how I want to use this blog. I feel a strong urge to write Real Stories – as opposed to Smooth Stories that may make my adventure sound like a dream come true (which it is) and encourage you, my reader, to come visit Romania, but don’t reflect the hardships that are also part of my dream project and of my life. It’s a lot less scary to write up an attractive itinerary and a cheerful account of all the beautiful moments I go through here, but the truth is that Real Life comes with Rough Edges. more “First Month: Ups & Downs (and two routes to Scăriţa Belioara)”