Wildlife Tracking and Conservation in Romania
Spend 12 days in the awe-inspiring Carpathian Mountains. This project gives you an immersive, hands-on insight into wildlife monitoring, forest conservation and restoration, and wilderness survival. With plenty of time for hiking, tracking and foraging, his expedition is the perfect balance of education, adventure, and pure nature immersion.
Embark on an epic 12-day adventure to explore one of Europe’s largest mountain ranges. Plus, you’ll further your knowledge on the Sustainable Development Goals that align with this project, as well as gain a deeper understanding of your own social and environmental impact.
Immerse yourself in stunning landscapes on this awesome 12-day adventure, learning about biodiversity restoration, wildlife tracking and reintroduction.
Camping under the open sky in the Făgăraș Mountains, exploring ancient beech forests, and encountering wild mountain goats provide unforgettable moments of awe and inspiration.
This expedition is about opportunities, working on your personal development as you challenge yourself to tackle a unique environment. Unlock your inner explorer as you discover stunning landscapes and adaptive communities that utilise the world around them. It’s a jam-packed few days that won’t be forgotten!
ITINERARY OVERVIEW:
Day 1: Arrive and transfer into Brasov
Day 2: Education centre and hike to camp
Days 3-6: Wildlife monitoring, invasive species, orientation and survival skills
Day 7: Two-day trek and wild camp
Day 8: Beaver tracking
Day 9: Rest and bison reintroduction
Day 10: Piatra Craiului National Park hike
Day 11: Transfer to Brasov
Day 12: Depart
About your adventure
Exploring the geographical features of Romania will introduce you to some of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. Gain insight into cutting-edge conservation efforts, including the bison reintroduction program and invasive species removal initiatives.
Take part in wildlife monitoring techniques such as camera trapping, drone photography, eDNA and bioacoustic monitoring, and gain invaluable scientific knowledge and practical experience that will enhance both your academic and personal growth. Spend your evenings around the campfire under the stars, breathing some of the freshest air in the world.
Our trips are designed to help you develop a wide range of life skills and a deeper understanding of how you can help us work towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Learn more ⟶
Wildlife and Conservation Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive into Bucharest and transfer to Brasov
Fly into Bucharest and transfer to the beautiful city of Brasov for your first night. Head to a local restaurant for a traditional meal and prepare for your awesome adventure ahead.
Meals: D
Day 2
Education centre and hike to camp
Transfer to the educational centre for introductions and orientation, before preparing for your first hike. Take a wide mountain path through the beautiful landscape to the wilderness camp, and settle in for your first dinner and campsite under the stars.
Meals: B, L, D
Days 3-6
Wildlife monitoring, invasive species, survival skills
Your first few days are all about monitoring wildlife, managing the land and surviving in the wilderness. These mountains are home to numerous large carnivores including brown bears (Ursus arctos), Carpathian lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus), wolves (Canis lupus), European wildcat (Felis silvestris) as well as countless more species of birds, insects, reptiles and small mammals. Many of these are elusive - tracking, eDNA collection and camera trapping are effective ways to confirm their presence.
In addition, you will take part in invasive species removal to protect local biodiversity, orienteering games to understand how to navigate the landscape, and a wilderness survival workshop to learn essential survival skills.
Each night will be spent eating dinner around a campfire and camping under the stars - an incredible sight in this area of limited light pollution.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 7
Two-day trek and wild camp
Head out of camp and prepare for a two-day hiking excursion in the Făgăraș Mountains through ancient beech forests, and spend the night bivouacking under the open sky. This is an authentic experience in the Carpathians, as it is one of the last mountain ranges in Europe where you can camp in the wild.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 8
Replanted forest and beaver tracking
Wake up in the fresh air and eat breakfast, before packing up camp. Hike back down to the education centre, heading through a replanted area of the forest. Today you will learn all about beaver ecology and even get a chance to see the beaver dams. Take a dip in the river (downstream to avoid disturbing the beavers) before heading back to the wilderness camp for another camp fire dinner.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 9
Rest and bison reintroduction
Take a well-earned rest after a busy first week. Relax around camp and take in some of the beautiful views, reflecting on all you have learnt over your time in Romania. In the afternoon, learn all about European bison (Bison bonasus), the most successful reintroduction programme in Europe. You may even be lucky enough to see them around camp during your time there.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 10
Piatra Craiului National Park
Today, take another hike over mountain peaks, pasts rivers and villages, towards Piatra Craiului National Park. This area (complete with mountain goats!) is famous for its rolling valleys and biodiverse meadows of beautiful wildflowers - one species, Dianthus callizonus, cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Head back to camp for another beautiful evening under the stars, and prepare for your last full day in the Carpathian mountains.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 11
Final data collection and transfer to Brasov
Head back out to the landscapes surrounding camp and see if you can recognise any wildlife tracks, as you collect all the camera traps and DNA probes you put out the week before. Take a look at the data you’ve collected and prepare a presentation to show all the amazing things you have found, piecing together the puzzle of biodiversity that exists in these amazing remote landscapes. Hike back down the mountain to the education centre, and transfer back to Brasov for a final meal and night in the city.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 12
Present and depart
Spend the morning reflecting on everything you have learnt over the past 2 weeks, and all the incredible memories you have made. Head back to Bucharest airport with incredible memories and a wealth of new knowledge.
Meals: B
What’s included
NOTE:
The itinerary may change from day to day due to numbers and weather but we’ll do our best to ensure that everyone gets to take part in all the activities that they want to. Personal expenditure and any other services not listed above are not included.
Important notes
Once you’ve secured your deposit (£150), make sure to check out the kit list and field notes below to make sure you have everything you need for your trip. You will also receive further information about the adventure itself and the daily activities as well as further detail around what you can expect to learn. This includes your pre-departure conservation and sustainability workshops, as well as your impact surveys and reports. If you have any questions about the trip please get in touch. If you have any questions about Flooglebinder’s educational adventures please take a look at our FAQs page.
VACCINATIONS
For this particular trip, please see details below.
Please check with your local GP to find out which vaccinations you require for any adventure that you decide to book. These are a guide; a full consultation is necessary to establish individual risk and suitability of vaccines. There may be instances where more than one appointment is required to assess whether a vaccine can be offered.
Recommended vaccinations:
• None but please check with your GP
Vaccinations to be considered:
• Tetanus, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B
INSURANCE
Please check if your school/college provides insurance and if not we will require your policy number and details 8 weeks before departure. Flooglebinder has public liability cover of £5million but participants must arrange their own travel insurance for all other levels of cover (e.g. cancellation, curtailment, loss of personal belongings etc.). Please feel free to contact us for any advice or recommendations.
Your safety is our number one priority on all of our educational adventures. All of your finances are protected through Financial Failure Insurance and each programme adheres to British Standards (BS8848). If you have any questions about our safety and security measures, please do get in touch.
See what life is like on tour
