Hike Via Transilvanica Through Spectacular Scenery In Romania

Many people have hiked El Camino de Santiago in Spain, but Romania also offers an amazing hike through spectacular landscapes. In fact, Romania’s answer to El Camino de Santiago offers 1,400 km (870 miles) of gorgeous, rugged countryside. Meanwhile, along the way, quaint villages are just waiting to be explored.

Hike Via Transilvanica in Romania

Any hiker looking for their next challenge couldn’t go wrong with Via Transilvanica. Not only does it offer a different experience, but it also reveals beautiful and rugged countryside, with plenty of attractions along the way.

Via Transilvanica weaves its way through 1,400 km (870 miles) of rugged landscapes and was, in fact, inspired by Spain’s famous Camino. Meanwhile, the route crosses Romania from North to South, winding its way through 108 villages and towns.

How did the trail come about?

It was Alin Useriu who first came up with the idea of a new long-distance trekking route through Romania. He wanted to create something similar to the historic pilgrimage route to Santiago, of the American Pacific Crest Trail. However, Alin wanted the route to explore the beautiful wilds of his own country.

Speaking to Euronews about the route, he said his only goal was to revitalize rural areas in the country. Meanwhile, all the friends he talked to about it were excited about the new project. Meanwhile, it ended up with more than 10,000 people getting involved and making his dream come true. They volunteered to mark out a route through the Carpathians, heading through some of the most spectacular landscapes.

Via Transilvanica opens

It took four years for the mammoth task to be completed and Alin trekked the route himself to celebrate its opening. He spent around two months hiking from Putna in the north of the country all the way to the Via Transilvanica’s final stop in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, close to the border with Serbia.

However, not everyone has two months to spare to walk the entire route and for this reason, much like El Camino, it has been split into seven key regions. Moreover, each region offers its own unique culture and cuisine.

Meanwhile, each of the regions takes between six to 15 days to hike, perfect for a shorter break. Alternatively, the route is ideal for biking and according to one cyclist who has done it, it takes around 20 days to complete with only a few stops.

Transforming villages and towns

While Romania has gone through a period of economic growth, the country has also seen an exodus of young people from rural areas. Due to this, some of the country’s most beautiful areas are suffering from depopulation. The plan is to transform the villages through tourism, and setting up the necessary infrastructure along the way.

For example, in Sapartoc, one of the 108 villages on the route, Radu Moldovan has converted a deserted old home into a quaint and pretty guesthouse. Moldovan, a farmer with environmental training explained their methods. He said:

We wanted to put into practice all the beautiful theories we had learned at university and be a living example. I could not have dreamed of better for Sapartoc.

Now, Radu hopes that as the popularity of the Via grows with visitors, this will boost his tiny village, which currently has a population of only 22 residents.

Ecotourism in action

Meanwhile, the ecotourism the trail hopes to encourage will also help to preserve local architecture and traditions. However, Useriu doesn’t envisage any dangers of mass tourism, as experienced on Romania’s Black Sea beaches. In fact, he says they have set the maximum traffic on the route at 300,000 people per year. Meanwhile, he explained that they are far from reaching that limit. However, Alin’s dream of the route helping to revitalize mountain villages already seems to be coming true.

Find out more about Via Transilvanica in the video included below and on the official website for the hiking route.