This private hiking trip is a great  opportunity to explore Piatra Craiului National Park in the Carpathian  Mountains, an area pretty much untouched by the 21st century. Trek past  gorges, forests and pastures where mountain shepherds still work, and  see a side of Romania that's hardly changed in generations.

Hike among the spectacular Carpathian  Mountains on a guided, private-group tour of Piatra Craiului National  Park from Brașov. Follow one of two routes on a 5- to 7-hour hike  through alpine meadows, fragrant forests and/or country villages that  seem untouched by time. See the cavernous Zarnesti Gorge, and learn  about the traditional rural industries of cheese-making and shepherding.  Refuel with hearty Romanian fare at either a mountain hut or a local  village.

The grade of the tour is ranked T1 or T2 from Swiss Alpine Club (see please https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAC-Wanderskala), depending of the route we choose.

T1 - Hiking. Path well paved. Terrain flat or slightly  sloping, no danger of falling. Doable with sneakers. Orientation without  problems, even without a map.

T2 - Mountain hiking.  Path with continuous route and balanced slopes. Terrain partly steep,  danger of falling not excluded. Some surefootedness. Trekking shoes are  recommended. Elementary orientation skills.

Did you know?

The name of the mountain came from one  of the citadels built by the Hungarian Kingdom, as a custom, control and  protection point, at the southern border of Transylvania, at the bottom  of the mountains, at the end of XIV century. The name of the citadel in  German language was Königstein.

The locals called the mountain The Stone (Piatra).

The name of the highest peak (2238 m) is  called Piscul Ciobanului or Piscul Baciului - Shepherd's Peak in  English language and Hirtenspitze in German language.

A century ago the Carpathians mountains  represented the border between Austrian-Hungarian Empire and Valachia,  the southern part of Romania. The border divided Piatra Craiului Massif  exactly on the highest peak, Piscul Baciului, where was the border  pillar no. 201 and a pyramide made from wood (triangulation beacon).

The Piatra Craiului Massif became a  natural reserve on March 28, 1938 (Journal of the Council of Ministers  No. 645), with an initial surface of only 440 ha. The Council of  Ministers made this decision "due to the unique nature of the massif  where there are rare species, such as Dianthus callizonus, Hesperis  nivea, Minuartia transilvanica, Leontopodium alpinum, and also for the  beauty of the landscape."