On Padis Plateau, the heart of Apuseni NaturePark, hikers begin each day with a fresh approach to life, getting ready for a new challenge, while campers proudly display their hammocks for what promises to be another lazy day in the shade. At Cornel’s “terrace”, everybody greets each other with a familiar ‘Neata!’ (‘Mornin!’). La ‘belle vie’ of Padis, that wonderful, natural pace of life, surrounds the foggy glades. We invite you to experience it with us, from the greatness of Cetatile Ponorului karst phenomena to the textured karst relief of Sesul Padis. Walk through the labyrinth of the Lost World Plateau and explore the story of the water that creates it. Pair a bottle of ice-cold beer with a Romanian sausage grilled on the campfire, along with some baked potatoes, in the sound of a guitar played by one of the regular visitors of the area: the simple pleasures of life!

Trip details:

Start/end: Oradea or Cluj NapocaTrip length: 7 days/6 nights Activity level: moderate Availability for 2018: April 14th; 28th; May 12th; 26th; June 9th; 23th; July 7th; 21th; August 4th; 18th ; September 8th; 22nd; October 6th Group size: min 2 - max 8Price: from 930 euros/personBeyond hiking: easy caving, traditional way of life, mountain culture.

Responsible Travel in Romania

www.apuseniexperience.ro contact@apuseniexperience.roOradea 410068 -Romania, 1 Decembrie Square 4-6, room 8 Tel./fax: +4 0359 410556

Apuseni Experience is a trademark of EcoTransilvania Ltd.

The price includes:local transportation by car including•transfer from and back to airport3 meals per day (starting with lunch on•first day and ending with breakfast ondeparture day).accommodation 6 nights in mountain•cabin ranked with 3*** (daisies, accordingto Romanian legislation for rural tourism); rooms have 2, 3, 4 beds with ensuite or shared bathrooms. More information about the mountain cabin in which you’ll stay can be found at: http://www. padis.ro/e_accomodation.htmlguidance and all expenses related with the•guide – English speakingcosts related to trip preparation•

HIKING IN THE HEART OF APUSENI MOUNTAINSWhat the price does not include: personal drinks and refreshments, insurance, souvenirs.

Note: We are always receptive to our tourists’ demands and needs. Therefore, the itinerary described above can be adjusted accordingly in what regards the period, number of days and the activities included. Please contact us for more details.

Contact persons: Mihai (Mike) Olenici / Mobile: +4 0747 962 482Paul Iacobas / Mobile: +4 0745 602 301 E: contact@apuseniexperience.roApuseni Experience Responsible Travel Programme

ITINERARYDay 1: Arrival and warm-upArrival at the airport. Group meets the guide and then will be transfered by car to Apuseni Mountains. Arrival at Cetatile Ponorului mountain cabin, check-in, rest and warm lunch. If time allows, we will start our first day in the mountains with a warm-up stroll to Caput Cave, for a first contact with karstic landscape. Return to the cabin. Rest and evening programme. Dinner and accommodation at the cabin.

Day 2: Padis plainToday we will take a day long (6-7 hours round tour) hike to the Padis karst plateau. Onour way we will pass though Glavoi (also known as La Grajduri) Glade and the Balileasa Depression.Balileasa represents a long plain situated in the Western part of Padis, non-forested and pierced by sinkholes. The plain resembles a valley with a wide floodplain, but without a water course flowing through it.Glavoi (La Grajduri) is the main camping place in the Padis area, being very close to the most important tourist attractions: Cetatile Ponorului (Ponor Fortresses), Focul Viu( Living Fire) Ice Cave, Piatra Galbenei.

Once arrived in Padis we will visit the Padis Visitor Centre of Apuseni Nature Park- a place where visitors will get information about caves and karst, flora and fauna of the area and the need for conservation of these natural features of the area. A self-guiding interpretive trail nearby the building, gives visitors the opportunity to discover and better understand the karst formations in the area. The panels displayed on the route will complete the information about the area. Within the centre there is also a presentation room where multi-media projections or other presentations related to the Apuseni Nature Park are be held. After enjoying our packed lunch, we will return to Cetatile Ponorului cabin, on a different trail.

Day 3: Lost World Karst PlateauOn the first part of the day we will hike to Lumea Pierduta (Lost World) karstic plateau (3-3,5 hours round trip).The plateau hides a huge underground network of active galleries, revealed at the surface by vegetated sinkholes. Two of these are gateways to the underground through potholes with spectacular vertical walls, some of the most impressive of the Romanian karst patrimony. Here we will visit the entrances in Avenul Negru (Black Pothole), Avenul Gemanata (Twinned Pothole), Avenul Acoperit (Covered Pothole). In the afternoon we will head on towards Poiana Ponor (Ponor Glade) on a 4 hours round trip.. On the way we will admire, from a height, the wonderful landscape (a polje) revealed by this glade and will visit Ponor karstic spring and the strainers.Ponor Glade – a typical karst glade, is a closed depression surrounded by partly afforested slopes. The glade, covered by tiny grass, climbs the neighboring slopes to the adjacent catchments. The most remarkable feature of this glade is the way the waters are absorbed by the ground. The waters disappear in the waterbed through narrow holes, covered by sand called strainers.

Day 4: Cetatile Ponorului karst phenomenaThis day is planned to be a relaxed one, and a lazy morning and a slow breakfast are just the perfect start for this. Today we will hike to Cetatile Ponorului (Ponorului Fortresses) karstic complex (4-4,5 hours round trip)Considered to be the most impressive karst phenomena in Eastern Europe this is worth to visit not just for the 3 gorgeous sinkholes and the surrounding wild forest but also because here is one of the biodiversity hotspot of Apuseni Nature Park. In the Southern part, the route climbs on the steep slope of a torrential valley towards 4 view points (two above Sinkhole III, and two above Sinkhole II) which allows the contemplation of the impressive karst system of the The Fortress of Ponor, from high above.

Day 5: Galbena GorgesThis day is dedicated to the impressive Valea si Cheile Galbenei (Galbena Valley and Gorges), 8 hours round trip, moderate to difficult hike. On our way to Galbena we will pass by the spectacular Avenul Bortig (Bortig Pothole) with its 35 m diameter entrance. At the basis of the vertical entrance (of -38 m deep), there is a large block of permanent ice. The pothole has a total length of 150 m and a depth of 54 m obtained due to a short gallery which gives access to a large

hall. The pothole is situated above the subterranean route of Cetatile Ponorului underground river, but the access is blocked by the ice. The ice block is estimated to have about 30 000 m3 in volume, being the second largest in the country, after the one in Scarisoara Ice Cave, also situated in Apuseni Nature Park.

We will now descend to Galbena Valley, which acts like a drainage path for the majority of waters coming from Padis Karstic Plateau. Galbena karst spring resembles a lake of 7 m in diameter, situated at the base of a stone wall. Downstream, the water coming from the spring creates numerous small waterfalls. On its way, the valley has formed narrow gorges throughout its length, with vertical walls and steep slopes and with many waterfalls. The upstream sector is the most spectacular, between Galbena Karst Spring and the confluence with Luncsoara Valley, resulting in a narrow canyon with over 100 m vertical walls.Caught in a narrow canyon, Galbena Valley creates grooves and inaccessible swirl holes flowing down a 100 m dis-levelment on approximately 700 m aerial distance. A cave entrance opens on the valley where the water enters tumultuously. It’s the beginning of the underground tunnel from Galbena Gorges, over 100 m long. On the other side, the tunnel ends in a beautiful 7 m high, fan-like waterfall which flows into a lake. An equipped tourist trail passes through Galbena Gorges, consisting of steel cables and support chains.

On our way back, we will return through the Flowers’ Glade.Located on the slope which descends from below the Stone of Galbena to Galbena Valley, the Flowers’ Glade consists, in fact, of a group of glades lying like isles on the beech sea. Fully deserving its name, the Flowers’ Glade is Heaven on Earth in summer time: hundreds of many-coloured flowers decorate the sunny slopes delighting the eye and the heart. The hay fields are very rich hereabouts and local people make hay twice a summer.

Day 6: Living Fire Ice Cave & The Barsa PitOur first hiking tour today will be to Focul Viu (Living Fire) Ice Cave, Piatra Galbenei (Galbena Rock) panoramic viewpoint and Groapa de la Barsa (The Barsa Pit), 6 hours round trip.The Focul Viu (Living Fire) Ice Cave cave contains the third largest permanent underground fossil ice block in the country (all of them situated in the Apuseni Nature Park), having a volume of approximately 25.000 m3. It is a small cave, comprised of two halls, of which the first is larger and shelters the ice block. Its ceiling is pierced by a large window through which logs, leaves and snow from the outside fell into the cave in large quantities and accumulated in the center of the hall. Enough light penetrates through the window to reveal the groups of ice stalagmites that formed on the opposite side of the cave entrance. Around noon, the sunlight enters directly through the ceiling window creating an amazing setting. Piatra Galbenei (Galbena Rock) is a rocky peak from where, on a clear day, one can admire the southern part of Apuseni Mountains, including their highest peak – Bihorul Peak (1848 m).

From here, we will return through Groapa de la Barsa (The Barsa Pit). The trail will take us through an area that is renowned for its wilderness in the Apuseni Mountains, with a wet climate which favoured the development of dense herbaceous vegetation resembling a swamp. Nearby, the thick forest, the blueberry bushes, the blind valleys and the lack of sighting points transform the Barsa trail into a true adventure.There are a lot of extremely interesting karst phenomena, such as: a collapsed sink hole, now covered with grass, another one with a natural bridge, Taul Negru (The Black Pond) – a lake with dark waters entrapped in a suspended sinkhole and several caves. The largest of them is Pestera Zapodie (Zapodie Cave system) including the Zapodie sector, which is very difficult and the Neagra sector which has a 4 km development and is also recommended only for experienced cavers. The two caves communicate through a siphon and thus the Zapodie – Neagra cave system reaches a development of up to 12 km. Another important cave is Ghetarul de la Barsa (Barsa Ice Cave). It has only a 3.010 m development and is part of the same underground drainage system with the previous two, but a junction has not yet been physically done. The entrance is accessible and has a block of ice, its size varying throughout the year.

Day 7: Departure and farewell