Carpontica Rustic Tourism Program

1. General Information

CARPONTICA TRAVEL offers you the unique opportunity to visit Romania – A Wonderful Surprise.

CARPONTICA TRAVEL's young and talented team is prepared to guide you through the wild natural medieval landscapes of Romania.

You will have the occasion to visit some of the greatest places that Romania has to offer, places like: monasteries, museums, mountain trips, castles, medieval cities, glacier lakes and many more. Our offer covers 2000 km. of Romanian major tourist attractions.

The whole trip is made with 4-star coaches and the accomodation is made in 4-star hotels and pensions along the road.

During your stay in Romania you will have the opportunity to experience Romanian hospitality, Romanian cuisine delicacies and learn more about Romanian customs and traditions, while having a memorable vacation.

2. Touristical objectives Carpontica Rustic tourist program offers you the possibility to visit a wide range of tourist objectives. The main tourist attractions that you will visit are:

A. The Romanian Village Museum from Sighetu Marmatiei. 

 

· Any visit to Maramures is not complete without a stop at Maramures Village Museum, one of the few of its kind in the country. If you want to see what a traditional village in Maramures looks like, as architecture so popular in this area or to admire the costumes, the Village Museum is definitely the answer. Landscaped outdoor museum is located in the southeast of the city (the entry from Baia Mare), Hill Dobaies (you can reach by car following the road DN 18). Village Museum was opened in 1981 at the initiative of Francis and Michael Dancus Nistor, who started collecting exhibits since the '70s. The museum is actually a distinct section of the Museum of Ethnography in Sighet (by Bogdan Voda Street. 1) where you can see other objects, tools, icons, furniture and costumes from ancient times until today.

· Buildings that make up the museum are arranged in space, according to their place of origin. You will see first-Borsa houses Viseu area, then Cosău-Mara, Iza lower and middle valley, and then the Tisza basin Ruscova. You can even see houses that belonged to other ethnic groups, who have been established over time in this area: Slavs, Germans, Hungarians or Hebrew. All these buildings are mainly made of wood (more wood: oak, oak, fir, spruce) painted in dark colors (typical for Maramures) and the base is made of river stones. There are also beautiful wooden gates, especially characteristic for this area and they have a great architectural value. The interior of the houses can also be visited, some of them still retaining the original decoration (especially the doors) of local artisans.

B. The Merry Cemetery of Sapanta. 

 

· The fame of Sapanta village comes from it's famous Merry Cemetery, that has become a tourist attraction. Legend has it, that joyful attitude towards death was usually found with the Dacians who believed in eternal life and death. For them, death, was just passing to another world. They see death as a tragic end but as a chance to meet Zamolxe, their supreme god. The cemetery dates back to mid 1930 and is Stan Ion Patras creation who was a folk artist, sculptor, painter and poet at the same time. More than 50 years the artist has created hundreds of wooden crosses in the style characteristic inscription. After his death in 1977 his work was continued by his disciple Dumitru Pop Tincu.

· The material used for the cross is oak that is worked manually after the inscription was cut and dry. At the top of every cross there is a bas-relief scenes from the life of the deceased. The scenes are simple and I might even say naive style but villagers bring the past alive, presenting a relevant aspect of everyone's life. They present women purring wool, weaving carpets and making bread, men who cut wood or earth country, shepherds with their flocks, wood workers, musicians and many other occupations. After the cross is carved it is usually painted a blue background, so-called "Blue Săpânţa". The scenes are painted using vibrant colors: yellow, red, white and green.

C. The monasteries from Bucovina and Maramures. 

 

· Certainly there is no other place in the world as Bucovina in northern Moldavia, Romania, where a group of Orthodox monasteries painted with such a high quality exterior frescoes, are waiting to be seen. The rarity and beauty of the painted monasteries are part of UNESCO World Heritage.

· Wooden Churches of Maramures belong to another group, which are unique examples that combine Gothic style with traditional timber construction.

D. The Ceahlau mountain. 

 

· Mount Ceahlau was considered by the Dacians, as the abode of the god Zamolxis. Ancient name for Ceahlau Massif is "pawn”, or "peon”, word comes from Greek and in translation means "pole house". Today, Mountain Ceahlau is considered the second holy Orthodox Christianity mountain, after Mount Athos. Perhaps for these reasons his name is common in Romanian literature, the most remarkable pages have been devoted to the writings Calistrat Hogaş Alexander Vlach and Sadoveanu.

E. The Dracula Castle Hotel from Piatra Fantanele. 

 

· In this wonderful area, the hotel opened in 1983 in the style of a medieval house stood at the borders between the counties Suceava and Bistrita-Nasaud, located at an altitude of 1116 m close to DN 17. Dracula Castle hotel-wide panorama of mountains is the ideal place for nature lovers. Medieval castle architecture and interior court impresses with its originality. Tihuta area, is an attraction and meeting point for lovers of the mountain. The area offers excellent conditions for winter sports and is a true Eden of peace, health and recreation.

F. The traditional painted houses from Ciocanesti. 

 

· Village houses are decorated with traditional motifs that are found on aprons, shirts and other objects of Romanian costumes.

G. The Rarau mountain. 

 

· Rarau-Giumalau Mountains dominate, with a crown of rocks and beautiful lands in audacity forms, harmony of colors and shapes wrapped in the cloak of Bucovina.

· As a huge dark and gothic cathedral of nature is shaped by Stones Lady of Bucovina sky reflected in the famous blue Voronet, as one of the most typical landscapes of the Romanian Carpathians and also photogenic.

H. Vatra Dornei resort. 

 

· Vatra Dornei is known as a resort for all ages, addressing both to those who want to strengthen their body through mountain climbing or winter sports and for those who want to rest in a stimulant tonic bioclimate, with positive influence on the nervous system.

There are a lot of touristical objectives on our schedule and we assure our customers that they will have a wonderful time. Carpontica Rustic will certainly become an unforgetable experience. In conlusion you will feel that Romania, indeed is A Wonderful Surprise!

3. Carpontica Rustic SCHEDULE

Stockholm – Skavsta Airport – 21:40 (local time).

Budapest - Ferihegy 1 Airport – 23:45 (local time).

Day 1

Cluj-Napoca - 8:00 o'clock (local time) - accommodation and breakfast.

To visit:

· the Old Center of Cluj-Napoca,

· the Botanical Garden of Cluj-Napoca.

Lunch on board and then visit:

· Turda Salt Mine (situated at a distance of 30 km. from Cluj-Napoca),

· Turda Gorge (situated at a distance of 29 km. from Cluj-Napoca).

Dinner and 1^st night of accommodation in Cluj-Napoca.

Day 2

Departure from Cluj-Napoca at 9:00 o' clock (local time), the next day after breakfast.

Sighetu Marmatiei - 12:00 o' clock (local time) accommodation and lunch on board.

To visit:

· The Romanian Village Museum from Sighetu Marmatiei,

· Budesti-Susani Church situated at a distance of 25 km. from Sighetu Marmatiei),

· Barsana Monastery (situated at a distance of 23 km. from Sighetu Marmatiei).

Dinner and party with Maramuresan folk music and Maramuresan cuisine delicacies - 2^nd night of accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Day 3

Departure from Sighetu Marmatiei at 9:00 o' clock (local time), the next day after breakfast.

To visit:

· The Merry Cemetery of Sapanta (situated at a distance of 19 km. from Sighetu Marmatiei).

Lunch on board at 13:00 o'clock (local time) in Sighetu Marmatiei.

In the afternoon we visit:

· The Wooden Church of Ieud (situated at a distance of 43 km. from Sighetu Marmatiei).

Dinner and 3^rd night of accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Day 4

Departure from Sighetu Marmatiei at 9:00 o' clock (local time), the next day after breakfast.

To visit:

· Sighet Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Romania

Stana Parva (1700 m. altitude in the Rodnei Mountains) - 14:30 (local time) - accommodation and lunch with organic products.

The possibility for tourists to experience the Romanian cuisine delights (organic products).

Dinner and party with Romanian organic products. Tourists can see "live" as cheese and organic milk is produced in high quality sanitary conditions.

4^th night of accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Day 5

Departure to Vatra Dornei at 9:00 o' clock (local time), the next day after breakfast.

Ciocanesti - 11:30 (local time)

To visit:

· The Painted House Museum and

· The Painted Houses in the village, which are decorated with traditional motifs that are found on aprons, shirts and other objects of Romanian costumes.

Vatra Dornei - accommodation and lunch at 14:00 (local time).

Excursion on the Dealu Negru.

View over the entire chain of the Eastern Carpathians. Younger people can practice river rafting or ride horses, on Bistrita Valley, just 20 km. from the town of Vatra Dornei.

Dinner and 5^th night of accommodation.

Day 6

Departure from Vatra Dornei at 9:00 o' clock (local time) the next day after breakfast.

Chalet Rarau – 10:00 o'clock (local time) – situated at 40 km. distance from Vatra Dornei, at an altitude of 1651 m. (can go by minibus to the chalet)

To visit:

· the Lady Rocks. – a beautiful natural view over the mountain of Rarau.

Lunch at the Rarau Chalet.

To visit:

· Stone Hawk. – a fantastic view over Bucovina.

Dinner and party in Vatra Dornei - 6^th night of accommodation.

Day 7

Departure from Vatra Dornei at 9:00 o' clock (local time) the next day after breakfast.

Durau resort - 11:00 o'clock (local time) - accommodation and lunch on board.

To visit:

· Chalet Dochia - 17:00 o'clock (local time) - the forest road to the Chalet is 3 ½ hours long. After ascending to the Chalet we will visit Peak Toaca (1907 m).

Dinner , Romanian party in Durau and the 7^th night of accommodation.

Day 8

Departure from Durau at 9:00 o'clock (local time) the next day after breakfast.

Bicazului Gorge – 10 o'clock (local time) – we visit them for 2 hours

After that we visit the famous Bucovina Monasteries:

· Agapia Monastery,

· Secu Monastery,

· Sihastria Monastery,

· Sihla Monastery,

· Varatec Monastery.

Lunch at one of the monasteries with traditional food (there are no meat products in the menu due to fasting).

Dinner and Romanian party with cuisine delicacies and traditional folk music in

Durau – 8^th night of accomodation.

Day 9

Departure from Durau at 9:00 o'clock (local time) the next day after breakfast.

To visit:

· Moldovita Monastery – 11:00 o'clock (local time),

· Putna Monastery – 13:00 o'clock (local time),

· Sucevita Monastery – 15:00 o'clock (local time).

Moldovita, Putna, Sucevita, Sihla, Sihastria, Secu, Varatec and Agapia monasteries are the most famous Romanian orthodox monasteries and they are painted in Byzantine style.

Lunch at one of the monasteries with traditional food (there are no meat products in the menu due to fasting).

The Dracula Castle Hotel, Piatra Fantanele – 21:00 o'clock (local time).

Dinner and 9^th night of accommodation at The Dracula Castle Hotel, Piatra Fantanele .

Day 10

Departure from The Dracula Castle Hotel, Piatra Fantanele at 9:00 o'clock (local time) the next day after breakfast.

Budapest Ferihegy 1 – 17:00 o'clock (local time) – The plane takes off at 19:00 o'clock (local time) to Stockholm.

Stockholm – 21:15 (local time).

4. Program details

Carpontica Travel offers you a relaxing and pleasent holiday for your family and friends, while you will get the opportunity to experience immaculate services and facilities that our company has for offer.

The offer is available for groups of 15+ people and it could be a great experience for company employees, who seek team buildings and want to strenghten work relations, while traveling in one of the most impresive Eastern European countries, Romania.

Prices vary depending on the number of applicants

Hopefully we have sparked your interest in our offer and welcome you to visit our home page for more details: http://www.corporatetravels.ro/. For enquiries please contact us at: office@corporatetravels.ro. The price for our offer can be negotiated depending on the number of tourists.

ROMANIA – A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!