"... and all our clients came back with excellent experiences and a very positive image of Romania. Many of them would have never found the way to Romania, if it would not have been for the large carnivores. But once being there, they saw the beauty of Romania and the friendliness of the Romanians. So they keep coming back and are regular repeaters..."       (from a letter of a travel agency)
   Highlights:   
   Nature   
See the spectacular mountains of Piatra Craiului and Bucegi
Experience the wild ancient forests of Transylvania
Hike through deep canyons and see rare flowers and birds
   Wildlife   
Find signs of brown bears, wolves, lynx, red deer, and wild boar
Observe wild brown bears
See and experience our hand-raised wolves
   People   
Meet with shepherds and farmers
Go the old way with horses & carts
Enjoy a roasted lamb over a traditional campfire
   Subjects of the tours:   
   People in the Carpathians   
Livestock grazing and sheep farming
Hunting system
Forest management
   Large Carnivores in the Carpathians   
Ecology and behaviour of wolves, brown bears and lynx
Adaptation of brown bears, wolves, and lynx towards human presence
   Carpathian Large Carnivore Project   
Goals and results
Research techniques
Wildlife management
   The Programme   
In 1997, we decided to develop the eco-tourism programme "Wolves, Bears, and Lynx in Transylvania". This programme is based on organised group travel in co-operation with western travel agencies and local services. Between 1997 and 2003, over 3,000 visitors have visited the area through the programme. Currently, the offer consists of hiking and riding holidays, typically between one and two weeks. Groups are based in local, private, and clean guesthouses with double or single rooms, owned and ran by Zarnesti families. They serve local food and Romanian specialities. Specific wishes (e.g. vegetarian) are no problem. Groups are transported from and to Bucharest with new mini-busses, much of the local transport is done via horse-carts or with bikes from a local bike rental.
The travel agencies pay a donation for each visitor to the "Community Conservation and Development Fund". This Fund helps to improve the local infrastructure and financially assists conservation measures.