Walk No. 40 - Gyimes Valley - where time stands still
You arrive to Cluj Napoca airport. You will have a FREE transfer from the airport. Depending on your flight hours, the same day or on the next day transfer to the Gyimes Valley, where the actual hike starts from.
Gyimes is a traditional region of Szeklerland, where the Hungarian Csángós live. The whole region is a maze of valleys and gentle mountains between 1400 1500 meters, a very spetacular corner of the Eastern Carpathians. Due to the isolation of the area, traditional ways of life still exist here, from cheese making to local dances and habits. The area is a paradise for walkers: there is a whole network of hiking routes criss-crossing the valleys and slopes. We take you an easy one to start with. We visit the local cheese maker and a mountain hut where traditional summer grazing happens. We start from the village in the vally and simply climb up the hillside. Once we reach the top, we realize that these hills are all interconnected and you can walk and walk endlessly on the gently billowing hills. After visiting the traditional hut, where our local host shows us some ancient tricks of cheese-making – you can also have a nice traditional lunch here – we set out and climb the highest point arount the house: the 1334 high Barackos peak. Great panoramic views in all directions. From here we descend back to the village.
(Easy hike. Length: 7-8 km. Height difference: 400 m up, 400 m down. Duration: 5-6 hours.)