🌿 Why Bike Touring?
🚴♂️ Bike touring is the coolest and most eco-friendly way to explore a tourist destination! Enjoy bike touring! And if we take it one step further by adding some MTB, the mix of adrenaline, relaxation, and discovery becomes a truly complete experience!
We invite you to spend three days on an MTB adventure with a nature-loving guide, passionate about rural areas! We will traverse spectacular natural landscapes, pedal through Europe’s last living traditional villages, taste locally produced organic food, discover ancient customs and traditions, and interact with the locals.
📍 Location & Transport
- 🚐 Pick-up: Cluj-Napoca or another location in the country.
- 🚲 Transport: We provide transport for both people and bikes from the meeting point and back.
🏛️ Visited Attractions
- ⛪ Wooden Church “Saint Nicholas” – Budești, Josani (UNESCO Heritage)
- ⛪ Wooden Church “Saint Paraskeva” – Poienile Izei (UNESCO Heritage)
- 💦 Runcu Dam on the Mara River
- 🏰 Bârsana Monastery Complex
- 🌲 Tinovul Tăurile Chendroaiei Natural Reserve
✨ Unique Experiences
- 🏞️ Discover Europe’s last living villages: Budești, Sârbi, Văleni, Slătioara, Poienile Izei
- 🚵♂️ Cross the Gutâi and Igniș Mountains, biking through forests, valleys, and rolling hills
- 🗺️ Visit UNESCO historical and architectural monuments
- 🍴 Savor local organic cuisine produced in-house
- 👨🌾 Meet the locals and experience their simple way of life
- 🧵 Discover ancient customs and traditions (like water-powered archaic installations for wool processing, mills, or workshops for making opinci – traditional peasant shoes, hats, wood carving, or embroidered folk shirts)
📖 Trip Description
We meet at the prearranged location, where you and your bike will board our vehicle (we offer E-bike rental if desired) and head to Budești in Voievodal Maramureș, the starting point of our MTB adventure.
Day 1: The MTB route (gravel forest road) begins in Pasul Neteda and runs under the spectacular peaks of Gutâiul Mic and Gutâiul Mare, passing by the Tinovul Tăul Chendroaiei swamp, where the volcanic Creasta Cocoșului (Rooster’s Crest) is reflected in the water. After 13 km, we reach Pasul Gutâi and start descending on asphalt toward the village of Mara. From there, we take a gently ascending scenic route toward Runcu Dam, which gleams in the sun like an Aztec pyramid. Leaving Runcu Dam, we follow grassy paths and cart roads through truly sublime landscapes, reaching an altitude of around 1000 m. From there, a thrilling 8-km descent—losing 600 m in elevation—brings us to Sat Șugatag, where we’ll have dinner and stay overnight. The bikes will rest until morning after a job well done!
Day 2: After breakfast, we set out on another day of exploring this story-like land. We’ll pedal over hills and through majestic beech and spruce forests. We arrive in Ocna Șugatag, where, weather permitting, you can enjoy a dip in the saltwater pools or lake. Next, we bike along the Cosău Valley, then switch to riding upstream on the Iza Valley—two of the best-known ethnographic areas of Maramureș, where traditions have been exceptionally well preserved. We’ll stop at the Bârsana Monastery Complex to admire the harmony of the site and the beauty of traditional Maramureș wooden architecture. By evening, we reach Poienile Izei, one of the most authentic Maramureș villages, where we’ll stay at an agro-tourism guesthouse and discover why Maramureș hospitality is so renowned.
Day 3: We start the day with a visit to the UNESCO wooden church in Poienile Izei—one of the oldest churches in Maramureș—then stop by the local “borcut” (mineral water spring) for a taste of the famous mineral water. From there, we continue off-road, climbing the hills while enjoying magnificent views and fresh mountain air. On the way down, we arrive back in Budești, where we’ll visit the UNESCO wooden church and attend a short demonstrative workshop led by a local craftsman.
You’ll definitely be impressed by the tall wooden gates carved with traditional motifs—some of them pre-Christian—testimony to the steadfastness of Maramureș locals in these parts.
Finally, we return to our starting location…but a few questions might keep echoing in your mind: Which was the most picturesque area you cycled through? Was it the Gutâi Mountains with Creasta Cocoșului or the Igniș Mountains with Cheile Tătarului, or maybe the Maramureș Depression with its iconic haystacks? Which was the most charming village? Slătioara, Poienile Izei…or maybe Budești? Which was your favorite local dish? Polenta with cheese, grilled bacon on a stick…or perhaps the horincă (local brandy) made from plums or pears?
✅ Included
- 🚐 Transport for bicycles and people from the designated location and back
- 👨🏫 Guidance by an authorized tour guide
- 🗺️ Organization and planning of the tour on verified routes
- 🏠 Two nights’ accommodation in traditional guesthouses
- 🍽️ Meals: two dinners, two breakfasts, and a country brunch (grilled bacon, seasonal vegetables, cheese)
- 💧 Water on the route and horincă in the evening
- 🎫 Entry to the mentioned tourist attractions
❌ Not Included
- 🚲 Bike rental cost (if needed)
- 🥤 Other meals and drinks
💰 Participation Fee
- 👤 1 person: 2000 RON
- 👥 2-4 people: 1600 RON / person
- 👥 5-8 people: 1400 RON / person
- 👥 8+ people: 1200 RON / person
⚙️ Technical Information
- 🗓️ Day 1: ~60 km (mostly off-road), total ascent of 1000 m
- 🗓️ Day 2: ~36 km (mostly paved), total ascent of 850 m
- 🗓️ Day 3: ~30 km (mostly off-road), total ascent of 700 m
Participation in our bike-touring trips requires at least a medium fitness level. We strongly encourage using electric bikes for a more pleasant experience on the route and to keep the group more uniform.
