In order to view this object you need Flash Player 9+ support!

Get Adobe Flash player

Powered by RS Web Solutions

Home Our trips Discover the wonders of underground world

Our trips

Discover the wonders of underground world

  • Print

download-this-itinerary

The location: The Bears Cave, Apuseni Mountains. The view: a collection of thousands of so called “spaghetti” stalactites, hanging from the cave ceiling. The setting: a large gallery, covered by layers of stalactites, stalagmites and columns, asfar as an eye can see. On our weeklong caving trip to Western Carpathians, every day offers a blend of the region’s best natural settings, iconic caves, cultural immersion and easy-going hikes. Explore the wild of Meziad Cave, which shelter many species of endangered bats. Enjoy the coolness of Scarisoara Ice Cave, the largest underground glacier in the world. Come and experience the enduring welcome of the locals, let yourself amazed by the variety of cave formations, samplethe local Transylvanian cuisine - in short: a true Apuseni Experience trip.

Trip’s highlights:

  • discover different caves from different areas; learn about how they were formed and about their importance in the ecosystem they are part of
  • hike through glades and forests, along karstic valleys, 
  • discover and learn about the nature wonders of karst world
  • visit places where you will meet people who still shape the clay with their restless hands, play their traditional instruments or just work their land by hands.

Trip details:

Start/end: Oradea or Cluj-Napoca (options to pick you up/drop you at Timisoara or Budapest airports are available too).
Trip length: 7 days/6 nights
Activity level: moderate
Group size: min 4 - max 10

Availability for 2017:

  • 02nd September
  • 16th September
  • 30th September

Price: 870 euro/person

Beyond caving: hiking, traditional way of life, mountain culture.

Trip Option: customize your trip 

discover-caves-mapDay 1 & 2 | Runcuri karst plateau & Vadu Crisului cave
Enjoy the view of the mountains from Runcuri karst plateau and relax in an old style mountain house. Explore the Vadu Crisului cave, famous for its underground biodiversity. Discover the unique white pottery of Bihor and trey your hands with a piece of clay.

Day 3 & 4 | Meziad cave & Bears’ cave
Visit the Meziad cave and its impressive entrance, inhabited in the past by Homo sapiens and Ursus spelaeus and today by large colonies of bats. Discover the story of horn violin, specific for Bihor and listen the sharp sound of this instrument. Find out the story of Ursus spelaeus from Bears’ Cave and the tales spoken by many old objects from the local ethnographical museum.

Day 5 & 6 | Scarisoara Ice cave & Cetatile Ponorului karst phenomena
Visit the Scarisoara ice cave, the largest underground glacier in the world and attend a woodwork craft demonstration. Enjoy the most impressive karst phenomena in Eastern Europe, Cetatile Ponorului (Fortress of Ponor). Relax in Casa de Piatra hamlet, a small mountain village with only 16 families. 

Day 7 | Tauz karst spring & departure
Discover the deepest karst spring in Romania (- 87 m.), the Tauz karst spring. Admire the nature beauties along Garda Seaca stream in a horse pulled cart on your way to Garda de Sus village.

Trip: Discover the wonders of the underground world

Availability for 2017:

  • 02nd September
  • 16th September
  • 30th September

Price: 870 euros/person

Group size: min 4 - max 10 

Other Options: Don’t see a date that fits your schedule?

Have a group of friends and the willing to make this trip a custom one? Contact us, let us know your ideas and wishes and we’ll come back to you with a confirmation.

The price includes:

  • transportation by car including transfer from and back to airport
  • 3 meals per day (starting with lunch/dinner on first day and ending with breakfast on departure day. Most of the lunches are packed lunch).
  • Accommodation: 6 nights in mountain house and family run guesthouses rankedwith 2** and 3***; rooms have 2, 3 beds with ensuite or shared bathrooms
  • guidance and all expenses related with the guide – English speaking
  • caves’ entrance fees
  • transportation by horse pulled cart
  • costs related to trip preparation
  • the knowledge, support, and camaraderie of experienced guides
The price does not include: personal drinks and refreshments, insurance, souvenirs and personal items purchased during the trip, lodging before and after the trip, gratuities for Apuseni Experience guides, 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.
runcThe Traditional Casa Complex | Runcuri | Padurea Craiului Mountains
Situated in the heart of Runcuri karst plateau, in Runcuri village, a picturesque village perched on a hill, one of the most desired locations, Traditional Casa offers you calm, freshness and relaxation, in a rustic location, enriched by a magnificent view over the west side of Apuseni Mountains. This complex is the dreams come true of a man fond of speleology, who wanted to give travelers the opportunity to return to a picturesque and rustic but comfortable, way of living, close to the heart of the nature.

pensiunea_scarisoaraScarisoara guesthouse | Ghetar Hamlet | Bihor Mountains
Nestled in the tiny village of Ghetar, only a short distance from the famous Scarisoara Ice Cave lays Scarisoara guesthouse. A family run guesthouse recently extended, in which one can still feel the smell of the fir-tree largely used for construction. The owners, a Moţi family, are well known for their warm hospitality. The guesthouse has rooms with double beds and en suite bathroom, rooms with three beds with shared bathroom and an apartment with 2 rooms with en suite bathroom. It also has a terrace, a large living-room and a room for meetings and conferences. Facilities include central heating, running cold and hot water, access to the kitchen (fridge also) and wash-house. Close to the guesthouse there is the family’s animal’s farm and a restored old traditional house while in the large, picturesque surrounding glades you can see hayricks raised by the family during summer. Iuliana is famous for the traditional cheese and blueberry-pies she makes and most of the ingredients she uses in the meals she cooks are originally from the animals they breed.

casa_de_piatra_mai_2009_318Gligor guesthouse | Casa de Piatra | Bihor Mountains
This family owned and operated guesthouse is located in the heart of the hamlet of Casa de Piatra. The guesthouse has simple but yet comfortable rooms decorated with wood and accented by charming details. The whole area is very romantic and picturesque; a little hamlet with just few houses spread here and there, surrounded by rocky forested mountain heights. The food is cooked by Tanti Dorica, the landlady and the soul of the whole place – a mountain woman full of joy and energy, always kind and smiling – but the kitchen can be used also by the guest for whatever cooking needs they have. The family’s little animal farm and wood workshop will give, to those willing, the opportunity to witness and learn about a Moţi family’s everyday life in this specific environment.

"So far I have been to the Apuseni three times with Apuseni Experience and the team has become good friends with us.  Each time we have done some great caving trips and been shown into the heart of the Apuseni.  I can thoroughly recommend Apuseni Experience to anyone who wants to see the real Romania. "

Hugh Penney, Glasgow University Potholing Association, Scotland

  •  
    I want to book a trip

    Thank you for choosing to travel with Apuseni Experience. If you require assistance at any stage, during your booking, don't hesitate to call our friendly and knowledgeable team on +40745602301 or +40740062862.

    After you'll fill in this form we will then proceed with the requested reservations and contact you once your booking is confirmed (normally within 3 working days), by sending you a booking confirmation form that you'll need to sign and send it back to us either by fax or by email. Completing the booking form does not result in immediate confirmation of your holiday.

    For this reason, if you are making your own travel arrangements (or any other independent arrangements which depend on your Apuseni Experience holiday), we strongly advise you not to book these until you hear from us. If we are unable to arrange the holiday requested, we will, of course, refund your deposit promptly and in full.

    To reduce the amount of paper used in the office, we would like to send your Booking Confirmation, Invoice and all other communications about your holiday by email. If you would prefer to receive them by post, please tick here:
  •  
    I prefer to receive details by post
  •  
    Please note that we will send your documentation (and other correspondence, if you have requested it by post) to the postal address you're going to give us. If you would prefer us to send them to a different address, please give the alternative address here:
  •  
    Alternative address
  •  
    We'd like to keep you informed of the latest news and offers via email. If you do not wish to receive these, please tick here:
  •  
    I do not wish to receive news via email
  •  
    Reserve A Trip
    Fill in the below information to book your trip of a lifetime. Save time now by completing only the required fields, or save time later by completing the entire form now.
  •  
    Trip to Reserve:
  •  
    First Name
  •  
    Last Name
  •  
    Daytime Phone
  •  
    E-mail
  •  
    Street Address
  •  
    City
  •  
    Country
  •  
    State/Province
  •  
    Post Code
  •  
    Gender
  •  
    Birth Date
  •  
    Emergency Contact's First Name
  •  
    Emergency Contact's Last Name
  •  
    Emergency Contact's Phone Number
  •  
    Emergency Contact's Relationship to you
  •  
    Passport Number
  •  
    Passport Expiration Date
    pick date
  •  
    Passport Place of Issue
  •  
    Medical Conditions we should be aware of
  •  
    Medications we should be aware of
  •  
    Allergies we should be aware of
  •  
    Dietary Restrictions
  •  
    What's Your Occupation?
  •  
    Active Trip Before?
  •  
    Active Trips in Last 5 Years
  •  
    Companies you have traveled with before
  •  
    Trip Occasion
  •  
    Other Trip Occasion
  •  
    How did you hear about us?
  •  
    Specific Other Source
  •  
    Name of your travel partner(s)
  •  
    Check if interested in a Single Supplement
  •  
    Trip Consultant who helped you (if applicable)
  •  
    Message to Trip Consultant
  •  
    Send Me the Email Newsletter
  •  
    Add Me to Your Mailing List
  •  
    BOOK THIS TRIP