“La belle vie” spills over on this ApuseniMountains bike tour. The textured landscape of the karstic plateaus of Zece Hotare or Runcuri capture a diversity and charisma that eludes description. Biking in this area is about discovering the slower pace of life, from savouring each flavour you create at our special barbecue evening to chatting with the locals as you bike through the villages. Pedal through quaint villages and picturesque valleys, explore mysterious caves and old traditions, relax in authentic guesthouses and relish delicious local cuisine. This biking trip offers the opportunity to indulge in all things at the perfect pace in the perfect place.

During this trip you will:discover by bike wide karst plateaus, hamlets - scattered over the hills and wide forestsexplore the history of the area, and get - a glimpse of the local traditions such as: woodwork, lime making, hay cutting and forestrydiscover ancient caves, once the shelter of - prehistoric man

Trip details:

Start/end: Oradea or Cluj-NapocaTrip length: 8 days/7 nights.Activity level: moderateGroup size : min 2 - max.14

Availability for 2018: March 24th; April 14th; 28th; May 12th; 26th; June 9th; 23rd; July 7th; 21st; August 4th; 18th; September 1st; 15th; 29th; October 13th.Price: from 1030 euros/personBeyond biking: local cuisine, cave visits, traditional way of life

Responsible Travel in Romania

www.apuseniexperience.ro contact@apuseniexperience.roOradea 410068 -Romania, 1 Decembrie Square 4-6, room 8 Tel./fax: +4 0359 410556

Apuseni Experience is a trademark of EcoTransilvania Ltd.

The price includes:transfers from airport to Apuseni•Mountains and back,accommodation in double rooms with•ensuite bathrooms in local guesthousesrated at 3 daisies,3 meals per day, starting with dinner in the•first day and ending with lunch (packedlunch) in the last day,cave entrance fees,•guiding and all the expenses related with•guide,mountain bike rentals (you should also•have your personal bike equipments suchas: biking clothes, helmet, pack, gloves andgoggles).craft demonstration fees.•

CYCLE THE APUSENI HEARTLANDSThe price does not include: souvenirs, drinks, health insurance, any other personal costs.

Note: We are always open to our customer’s demands and needs. Therefore, the itinerary described above can be adjusted accordingly in what regards the period and the activities included. Please contact us for more details.

Contact persons: Mihai (Mike) Olenici / Mobile: +4 0747 962 482Paul Iacobas / Mobile: +4 0745 602 301 E: contact@apuseniexperience.roApuseni Experience Responsible Travel Programme

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival and warm-up

We’ll pick you up at the airport and drive you by car to Runcuri hamlet, located in the NW side of the Apuseni Mountains right in the heart of Padurea Craiului Mountains. After reaching the hamlet, located on a karstic plateau with a stunning view upon the west side of the mountains, we’ll check-in in a local guesthouse arranged in an old wooden house, and enjoy a rich warm dinner prepared by the campfire, with mainly organic products in a true Transylvanian style.

Day 2: Rosia village

This is the first day on the bike, so we’ll pack our packs and head towards Albioara valley to Rosia village. During the today’s ride will have a chance to explore by bike 2 local villages and visit a horn violin workshop as well as a 200 years old water mill, still in use. Back at our guesthouse for a deserved rest and a warm dinner.

Day 3: Vida valley Today will take another ride to Vida valley, with its 10 km long gorges that shelters several caves and rock cliffs and with a beautiful lake for swimming and fishing alike. We’ll eat by the lake and from this point will follow a road that climbs a hill and then goes just above the gorges, offering form time to time great views upon the longest gorges in the Apuseni Mountains. We’ll return at our guesthouse for a good shower and a nice dinner. Day 4: Cutilor Gorge

We’ll pack our luggage, and head on to Ponita village, making our way through Cutilor Valley, another iconic valley with many caves and rocky cliffs. Once in Ponita, a typical village in the mountains we’ll head on to our main destinations for today: Lazurilor Valley, a long and rocky valley surrounded by forests and meadows. From here, we’ll climb by bike a hill and then will catch a forest road that will bring us back at guesthouse.

Day 5: Zece Hotare karst plateau

Today will discover another area: Zece Hotare karst plateau. The plateau is one of the most typical karst plateaus in Romania, with no evident valleys, punctured by many sinkholes and caves, and animated by the presence of 10 hamlets which give the area a special character. People shaped this area

with their presence, from cutting the large forests to making lime and raising animals, here you’ll have a chance to know the local people’s life with its simplicity and challenges alike.

Day 6: Meziad Cave

We’ll take our way to Remetea village, our host village for the rest of the trip. Remetea is a village located at the foot of the mountains, with a mixture of Romanian and Hungarian population, and an old history still alive in its 800 years old church or its traditional dances. Pedal through the village and discover its churches, the local museum as well as the mixture of cuisine that is worth to try, even you’ll sample just a traditional pie or a home made plum brandy, called palinca. Then, will bike to Meziad cave, a 4 kilometers long cavern with a large population of bats as well as with some evidence of being a settlement of the ancient human beings, long time ago. Return at the guesthouse and enjoy a delicious traditional meal prepared by our hosts.

Day 7: Dragoteni village

We’ll take our bikes for the last day of our trip, discovering Dragoteni village, where ladies, old and young, still weave traditional costumes and paint eggs for Easter celebration, a very old tradition in orthodox communities. Coming back to Remetea, will pass a place from where, on good weather, we may have a 360 degrees view over the west part of the Apuseni Mountains, with its peaks and valleys and large plateaus, perfect for hiking and biking. Descending the hill, we’ll pass close to a wooden church that had a complicated history, being moved several times between two villages. Back in Remetea, we’ll enjoy the farewell dinner, sampling delicious local cuisine and local liqueurs.

Day 8: Departure

Breakfast and transfer to the airport. Packed lunch served on the way.