Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

Flight time to Bucharest from London is 3:15hrs, with British Airways or Tarom Airlines.

Useful Tips

• Read William Blacker's book - 'Along the Enchanted Way', an excellent introduction to this fascinating country.

• Be prepared for sun and rain, the weather can change quickly in the mountains!

• Arrive by train. Take your time and travel via Vienna and Budapest.

• Romanian is a beautiful language, try and learn a few phrases. Hungarian and even German are spoken in some areas as well.

• Leave some room for souveniers, the painted eggs are often a favourite

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Bradt Guide, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Romania are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
Wild Frontiers offers a group trip based around the book by William Blacker called Along the Enchanted Way, which is a great starting point.

Outside of that, Romania, An Illustrated History, by Nicolae Klepper, is an insightful synthesis addressed to all those who want to learn about Romania's history, politics, culture, and society.

Winds of Sorrow: Travels in and around Transylvania, by Alan Ogden unravels the history of the country through an eclectic collection of essays which he compiled from his travels around Northern Romania from 1998-2004.

If you enjoy the Dervla Murphy’s adventures then her book Transylvania and Beyond, accounts her journeys both in 1990 and 1991, uncovering her insight into the people she met and the country she travelled through.

When To Go

Summer in Central Europe can be pretty hot with temperatures getting up to the mid-thirties. That said it can rain as well when the temp will drop, so be prepared!

In winter time Romania can often be subject to heavy snows and severe cold.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Romania. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.
On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 3 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long.
• 2/3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear dresses and skirts
• 2 x pairs of shorts
• 2 x Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• Good quality fleece or warm jumper (Best if a dark colour or reversible for wildlife viewing)
• Warm jacket
• Set of lightweight waterproofs
• Change of clothing for the evenings
• An extra “outfit” if you’d like to dress up a bit on occasion
• Warm Hat
• Gloves
• Sun hat or cap
• Swim suit or trunks
• Pair of walking shoes/boots (walking)
• Pair of recreational shoes, adventure sandals, trainers or pumps

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers

(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Trekking poles for the steep paths, which can be slippery when wet.
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Romania is 2hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
Romanian cuisine is greatly varied. It is a cuisine influenced by repeated waves of different cultures: the ancient Greeks, with whom Romanians traded; the Romans, who gave the country its name; the Saxons, who settled in southern Transylvania; the Turks, who for centuries dominated Romania; as well as Slavic and Magyar neighbours. All of these influences gradually blended into the varied and delicious Romanian culinary tradition.

The main ingredients used by Romanian chefs are meats, fish, vegetables, dairy products and fruit. A traditional Romanian meal may include: all kinds of cheeses, meatball soup, grilled Black Sea sturgeon, meat stew seasoned with onions and/or spices, more than 20 vegetables cooked in oil, pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of minced meats, rice and spices, and "mititei" (The "Wee Ones" " small skinless grilled sausages) are among the favourites. Romanians produce great pickled vegetables, called "muraturi" (red peppers, green tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, cauliflower). Vegetarians or those with special dietary needs can also be catered for with ease.

A traditional drink enjoyed with a meal is "tuica" (a potent plum brandy) which varies in strength, dryness and bouquet according to the production area. Romania also produces excellent wines, some of which are exported all over the world. Romanian beers are excellent as well.

Electricity:
Those bringing electrical equipment should bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug.

Money:
In Romania the unit of currency is the Leu.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• Increasingly more shops and hotels will accept credit card payments, though a cash advance is unlikely.
• You can easily exchange Euros, US Dollars and UK Sterling cash.
• ATM machines are available in the larger towns.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel.

Language & Religion:
The official language is Romanian, an eastern romance language related to Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan. It is spoken by over 90% of the population. The most important minority languages are Hungarian and Vlax Romani. Being a secular state there is no national religion, the dominant religious body being the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romania also has a Muslim minority mostly of Turkish ethnicity concentrated in Dobrogea.

Cultural Sensitivity:
At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'. Please also be considerate when taking photographs.

We also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.