Located in the Western part of Romania (as their name suggests – “apus” in Romanian means “sunset”), within a small distance from Oradea, the Apuseni Mountains can be reached by car on European roads (E60 and E70), and then by following several county roads that will take you even closer. They are also accessible by train, on the railroad linking Oradea to Cluj-Napoca, Cluj Napoca-Alba Iulia, Alba Iulia-Deva-Arad.
Even though they are not very high or rocky (the highest peak, Bihor, is 1849m high), the Apuseni can be included among some well-known attractions of Romania – The Danube Delta, Bucovina, Maramureş or Prahova Valley. What makes them special are the limestone forms, typical for the karstic relief, the local people who inhabit them and their lifestyle, as well as the extraordinary mixture between these two key elements for this area of the Carpathians: the human being and nature. When travelling in Romania, if you were not born here, you will notice that human life is very much connected to nature here, especially in the countryside, where people still live an unaltered life. Still, this connection takes different shapes in all the different parts of the country, and this is something definitely worth discovering! As for the Apuseni, our experience has shown that, in order to really penetrate the spirit of these places, you need patience, passion, love for nature and an open mind. We like to believe that exploring the Apuseni is a spiritual experience tha uncovers gradually and probably never reaches an end. Most of the people who chose to have a taste of this experience came back as often as they could, like a child who wants to return to his/her favourite playground. Moreover, once you’ve lived the Apuseni experience you will feel the need to share it with your friends and colleagues, with the whole world, because these places make you give away a piece of what they have given YOU. This is how you enrich yourself by enriching the others. But let’s come to more practical things, like HOW to reach this experience… If you are an active person, you have a whole series of options for spending a group holiday in the Apuseni: caving (in some of the hundreds of unique caves that are found here), hiking and trekking on marked and non-marked trails, kayaking and white-water rafting on mountain lakes and streams, cycling, rock-climbing (a complete range of climbing routes), canioning – these are only some ideas! If you are interested in something really special, you can chose to go cross-country skiing, bird watching, wild animal searching or you can try a photo safari which the Apuseni allow for. If you love folk traditions and you want to understand how an authentic lifestyle has been preserved here for thousands of years, you have the chance to do it in almost every rural community sheltered by the Apuseni Mountains. Pottery, chest-making, weaving, wood-carving, lime-making are but a few of the habitual occupations and crafts that contribute to the charm of these areas, keeping their spirit alive.
The traditional architecture, the work people do in the forest or in the field preserve a way of life that is typical for the mountain area, where human destiny interweaves closely with the deep meanings of water, earth, air, fire… Here life is measured in the roads we walk, the houses we build, the pots we make, the towels we weave. Here everything has a meaning and a sense, and this may be the most surprising aspect of a trip in the Apuseni! The Apuseni Mountains provide, in their variety, the ideal space for a holiday at the heart of nature – both in summer and in winter. However, the uniqueness of your experience also depends upon yourself! It is found in respect towards nature and the local people. Over time, humanity has learned that the destruction of nature and of the cultural heritage of local populations all over the world led to huge losses in identity and self-awareness, whose effects are terrible. At present there are countless attempts to undo the mistakes of the past, but some can never be repaired. Because we do not want to lose what we have inherited, we are struggling to preserve all this natural and cultural patrimony that the Apuseni Mountains hold. That is why many areas and sites here have been declared protected areas. The Apuseni Nature Park, the « Crişul Repede Gorges » Reserve, Vantului Cave, Meziad Cave, The Flowers’ Glade, Cetăţile Ponorului are some of the most important ones. With few exceptions, a great number of these protected areas are open to public access (more or less specialized public), within special ecotourist programs. The areas you can visit by means of the Apuseni Experience program are: - Vadu Crişului – Suncuiuş (on the valley of Crişul Repede)
- The superior valley of the Arieş
- Padiş karst plateau
- Chişcău - Sighiştel area
- Roşia – Remetea area (near Beiuş).
Some details: Vadu Crişului – Suncuiuş area Accessibility: very good
Attractiveness: high
Types of activities: caving tourism, spaeleology, kayaking, rafting, hiking, climbing, bird watching, photography, flora observation, cultural routes, and authentic life. Superior valley of Arieş Accessibility: good
Attractiveness: high
Types of activities: caving tourism, spaeleology, hiking, cross-country skiing, skiing (on a ski slope), wild animal searching, photography, cultural routes, authentic life. Padiş karst plateau Accessibility: difficult
Attractiveness: very high
Types of activities: caving tourism, spaeleology, hiking, cross-country skiing, wild animal searching, photography, flora observation, shepherding. Chişcău – Sighiştel area Accessibility: very good
Attractiveness: high
Types of activities: caving tourism, spaeleology, hiking, bird watching, photography, cultural routes. Roşia –Remetea area Accessibility: relatively good
Attractiveness: high
Types of activities: caving tourism, spaeleology, hiking, bird watching, photography, cultural routes, authentic life, shepherding.
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