Why hiking in Piatra Craiului?
Last time I went to see my parents we also did some hiking in Piatra Craiului. Usually I try to combine seeing my family with some vacation. And since the summer tends to be really hot we thought that heading for the mountains made sense!
It is no hardship at all to see them because the Romanian mountains are spectacular! Of course I can not be objective! 🙂 But I honestly think that they are worth a trip.
After a bit of thinking (because I like to have all my ducks in the row and everybody to enjoy the vacation) I decided that the best option for us would be Brasov region. It is a tourist destination but since my husband doesn’t like big crowds we stayed out of the path of big groups. Meaning that we booked a guesthouse in a village. They are quite popular in Romania and cheap.
Piatra Craiului and a fondness for hiking
I can not claim To be an expert in hiking. More like a “beginner amateur” if there is such a thing. But since I moved to Czechia the first time and I acquired a Czech boyfriend I had to adapt. 🙂 And now I can say that I like it but I will never be one of the persons who travel for days with just a backpack. However a day trip is right up my alley. Nothing too heavy! 🙂
And although the National Park Piatra Craiului is quite big you can choose to hike based on your abilities and strength.
Our starting point
We asked our host for recommendations because the locals know their region the best! When he heard that we enjoy the nature and basically we wanted to see something of it he recommended we start with Plaiul Foii and continue with hiking in Piatra Craiului.
Cabana Plaiul Foii is a chalet that offers accommodation and restaurant. The road from Zarnesti to Plaiul Foii is a bit rustic so you need to have this in mind but we understood that you can start the hiking directly from Zarnesti using another route. There is an information center for National Park in Zarnesti and they can provide also good information depending on your needs.
We went by car to Plaiul Foii and there we left the car and my parents. 🙂 Bear in mind that you need to buy a ticket if you want to access National Park Piatra Craiului.
Hiking in Piatra Craiului at a slow pace
So we left my parents to enjoy the view, the weather and a cold drink and we started our hiking with a baby. We didn’t leave little F behind. We didn’t plan anything very straining, just working on a very good appetite. 🙂
In the valley we noticed quite a few people who had everything they needed for camping. There were young and old couples and even whole families.
The first part of hiking in Piatra Craiului is quite easy. The path is large enough, the view is great and it is not crowded. Or at least it wasn’t when we did the hiking. Once in a while we met somebody that we greated.
We had F in manduca and we switched him between us when we felt we needed a break. Of course we carried some small snacks for him too. The fresh air made him hungry. 🙂
We hiked quite a bit and when we felt that we needed to turn back we just did. Probably without F we would have continued a little longer but we were happy with our achievement anyway.
Back to Plaiul Foii
We used the same path to return to Plaiul Foii. It was easier and faster. By the time we reached the chalet we were quite hungry. But it was totally worth it!
Then we relaxed and enjoyed the view and the food. FK had to order mici again because he absolutely loves them.
So if you like hiking and you want to explore new places than I recommend you Piatra Craiului. I am not a hiking expert but even in my book the place is great. You can opt for different paths and different levels of difficulty. If you want to reach the top you will need better equipment and have in mind to have plenty of water !
Enjoy your hiking!
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