Last month I spent a long weekend in Romania with my cousin on a short, guided, group trip that was exactly what I needed – not because it was “life-changing” or any of that, but because it removed the part of travel I have had zero capacity for lately: endless decision making.
After months of moving stress and admin, I just didn’t want to plan an itinerary. I didn’t want to compare hotels, build a route, or spend three evenings deep in Google tabs trying to map out a long weekend. I wanted someone else to hold the structure, so I could just turn up and be pointed in the right direction.
So we booked the Hiking and Bear Watching in Romania trip with Much Better Adventures, based out of Brașov – a place I’d never once thought about visiting on my own.
The Highlights
The whole point of this kind of trip is that the thinking is done for you. You still get the joy of doing something out of the ordinary – hiking in the Carpathians, wild bear watching from a forest hide, visiting a Bear Sanctuary, and a hit of gothic drama at Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s Castle) – but without the mental load of stitching it all together.
I booked this trip when I was feeling really overwhelmed and unhappy in December, and having this all sorted and there to look forward to was just what I needed.
I shared a room with my cousin at the four star Prinz Gregor (part of the Much Better Adventures package) and it was perfect for us. A great location in the old part of the city, which gave us plenty of time outside of the planned itinerary and the group dynamic to catch up properly – early mornings, post-hike decompression, and wavy bathroom photoshoots before bed.
I loved that this trip wasn’t just centred around eating and drinking. Lord knows I love a bar crawl, but I didn’t want a weekend that revolved around only that. I wanted to come home feeling like I’d done something: seen something I wouldn’t normally see, been in landscapes I don’t have at home, and had a few moments that were properly memorable.
But if you are thinking of booking something similar and wondering about the wine situation; Romania delivers there, too (I had the mother of all hangovers from Bodega Brasov to prove it).
The Verdict
In a nutshell, Romania – and this trip in particular – really delivered. Brașov old town had plenty to keep us entertained, but when you get out of the city and in to the countryside, it really is beautiful, with dramatic ice-capped mountains in the distance at every turn. And seeing bears in the wild is the kind of experience that really stays with you, even if spending three hours waiting in the hide in SILENCE was also a secret form of torture for someone like me.
TLDR: Book the trip! And get £100 off your first Much Better Adventure with this link.
Oh these photos are SO cool!!!
Author
Aw thanks! It was such a lush trip!