-
Blog Post
2021 Trip to Transylvania (Adults)
Donations VT Gala VT FAQ VT Donors
Get ready to embark on your trip to Transylvania. On this page, you will learn everything you need to know about the Via Transilvanica trip, taking place July 2nd-12th, 2020.
Via Transilvanica is a 1,000 km hiking trail that will reposition Romania on the world tourism map. Together we will discover the backcountry of Transylvania.
Stay in touch: Join our Whatsapp group.
Trip Organizers:
This trip is organized by Mihai Lehene in collaboration with Alin Useriu of Tasuleasa Social, the nonprofit behind Via Transilvanica.
Trip Cost:
The trip is expected to cost roughly $3,000 per person (assuming an airfare cost of about $1,000).
Trip Route:
Cluj, Gura Humorului, Vatra Dornei, Tasuleasa, Cluj.
Hiking Route:
The Vatra Dornei to Tasuleasa component is a 3-day hiking route, that will take you through the heart of Transylvania, and end at the Tasuleasa Social camping ground, where you will learn more about the wonderful organization that made everything possible.
Other points of interest in the area: Sibiu, Biertan, Sighisoara, Cund, Lacul Rosu, Cheile Bistritei, Valea Bistritei Aurii.
Join the Group:
We meet in Cluj on July 2nd, at 10 am, then we travel to Gura Humorului.
Alternatively, you can join the group from Vatra Dornei, on July 4th!, at 10 am.
Stay in touch: Join our Whatsapp group.
Confirmed participants:
Locations: Cluj, Gura Humorului, Vatra Dornei, Tasuleasa, Cluj
- July 2nd: Meeting in Cluj
- July 2nd: Travel to Gura Humorului
- July 2rd: Gura Humorului Overnight Accommodation
- July 3rd: Visits to Monasteries
- July 3rd: Gura Humorului Overnight Accommodation
- July 4th: Drive from Gura Humorului to Vatra Dornei
- July 4th: Meetup in Vatra Dornei
- July 4th: Start hiking (hike day #1)
- July 4th: Poiana Negri Overnight Accommodation
- July 5th: Start hiking (hike day #2)
- July 5th: Lunca Ilvei Overnight Accommodation
- July 6th: Start hiking (hike day #3)
- July 6th: Arrive at Tasuleasa Social
- July 6th: Tasuleasa Overnight Accommodation
- July 7th: Tasuleasa Program
- July 7th: Tasuleasa Overnight Accommodation
- July 8th: Travel from Tasuleasa to Cluj (morning)
- July 8th: Arrive in Cluj (noon)
Count 13 13 15 15 15 18 18 19 23 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 Claudia & Mihai Lehene x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Monica & Claude Radu x x x x x x x x x x x x x Ioana & Ionut Guset x x x x x x x x x x Monica & Calin Moigradan x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Mihai Bora x x x x x x x x x x x x x Anca & Cristian Pop x x x x x x x x x Keith Kirkland x x x x x x x x x x x Ligia & Radu Apostoaia x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Ioana & Sebastian Savos x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Laura & Chisu x x x x x x x x x x Andreea & Norbert Nagy x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Liviu and Anamaria Olos x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Iulian Portasa x x x x x x x x x Videos and Photos
Beautiful markers sculpted by over 200 artists from all over the country mark each kilometer of Via Transilvanica.
-
Blog Post
Rediscover Romania: Summer Camps for 10-18 yr-olds
Registration is now: CLOSED
Click here to signup, and we will update you when we start our next camp.
While we are in the midst of this pandemic, we hope to be able to fulfill our promise and send 30 kids to camp this summer. We are making progress on formalizing this program. We have 25+ requests (with deposits) for what we think will be a 30 kids camp. You can sign up using the link above.
We are also close to finalizing sponsorship to send one child to camp (in Romania) for free (YeeeeY!). Details to follow.
Location: Ighiu, Alba Iulia, Romania
Dates:
- July 1st - July 13th* (two weeks)
- July 1st - July 6th (one week)
- July 7th - July 13th (one week)
Learn more: Camp Hapy Faces on "Tabara Mea", or visit
Cost of the camp: $260/week (does not include transportation)
Most kids have already been in this camp in the prior years and they absolutely LOOOVED it. Every one of the kids who've been there before requested a double session, so all the kids who signed up already are going July 1st - July 13th.
Imagine your kids visiting Romania, in an organized camp, organized by parents with the support of a community organization (RUF). Your thoughts and feedback are welcome. Please visit us on Facebook and let's chat.
* This option is most widely preferred currently
-
-
Blog Post
Via Transilvanica Campaign $106,000+
VT Gala VT FAQ Travel to Transylvania
Buy a Milestone Find your Milestone
Materials from the gala
We invite you to take a few moments to watch our video to learn more about our event.
We are thankful for the support of Via Transilvanica Ambassadors, Andreea Esca, who helped us raise awareness in our community.
What is VIA Transilvanica?
Inspired by hike trails around the world, Tășuleasa Social planned to create one in Romania, to go from Bucovina, through Transylvania, to finally reach Drobeta Turnu Severin in the Banat region.
In 2017, the organisation laid the first brick at Putna Monastery - the resting place of Ștefan cel Mare. Up until the end of 2019, Via Transilvanica has expanded to encompass a finished hiking trail 398km long. Tășuleasa Social hopes that by the end of 2022, they will finish building it, expanding it to reach its projected length of 950km.
Initially the hiking trail was meant to be a grassroots project, funded by the people and for the people. Throughout its evolution, the organisation had to work with local and regional governments, in order to ensure the maintenance of the path and its relationship to the communities it passes through. Additionally, along the way, multinational corporations such as Raiffeisen Bank, E-On, Coca Colba HBC, E EGGER and many others have joined the collective effort and donate funds to facilitate the construction of more than 600km combined.
2020 Progress
Starting from July until August, Via Transilvanica was frequented by more than 1.500 people, either by foot, by horse or by bicycle. The old roads are now constantly visited by hikers who raise awareness about them. The newly-inaugarated 685 kilometres are permanently being trespassed by tourists.
This year, Tășuleasa Social, started a new strategy of taking care of the existent marked roads: parts of the path were being offered to adoption to a variety of individuals, organisations, etc. The part of the road in Bistrița-Năsăud enjoys adoptive parents almost in its entirety, and we were also managed to find some for the other counties: Mureș, Brașov, Harghita.
What is left for 2020?
- The development of 287km and opening up to the public the already-marked paths throughout the year.
- Creating a traveller's guide for the existent paths and translating it in English and German.
- Organising some sculpture camps, so that the milestones on the path can incorporate a cultural part.
- Refurbishing the milestones where those were deteriorated or destroyed.
- Maintaining and improving the website of Via Transilvanica and adding the web-pages in English; as well as sharing with the public the mobile app Via Transilvanica.
- Creating promotional activities.
Romanians from Chicago coming to help
Motivated by the values that stand behind Via Transilvanica - access to nature, aid to local communities - Romanian United Fund organised in 2019 a gala at Chicago aimed at raising funds for the project. 300 donors, came together, to raise over 100.000$ which were used to help build between 50 - 100km of the hiking trail.
In an interview, Mihai Lehene, said in an interview that every dollar donated to Via Transilvanica will generate back to the local communities and to its inhabitants, somewhere between 20 - 50 dollars. Thus, the $100,000 contribution coming from RUF could bring to the communities well over $2,000,000.
