+40 722 568 720 | office@outdooractivities.ro

Outdoor Activities in Romania
  • About Us
  • Plan your tour
  • All tours
    • Family
    • Country break
    • Walking & Rural & Cultural
    • Adventure
  • Romania
    • About Romania
    • Main attractions in Romania
    • Useful information about Romania
  • Review us
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Plan your tour
  • All tours
    • Family
    • Country break
    • Walking & Rural & Cultural
    • Adventure
  • Romania
    • About Romania
    • Main attractions in Romania
    • Useful information about Romania
  • Review us
  • Blog
  • Contact
October 8, 2019  |  By Dan Chitila In Photography, Travel

Meet the locals in the countryside near Sibiu

Ride with the horse and cart

Meet the locals in the countryside. Always great. Why? They can take you on a virtual tour of the village, tell you stories and legends about the places. They can even take you to the local pub, where the gossip yes.

For example, one thing I always do on a tour, is go to a local pub. Usually in the evening, when my guests go to rest; or, sometimes, with them as well, since they want to experience the rural life.

Every time I did this it was a success. The locals are spontaneous, sometimes shy. Well, shy until they have a shot of plum brandy and then their faces light up :).

One gentleman I want to tell you about in this post is Ion. Ion is a jolly good fellow I meet in a village near Sibiu.

We did not meet at the pub though. I was in this village, not far from Sibiu, and I was roaming around, looking for cool things to see and visit. I came across some nice guesthouses, took some notes for my future tours, asked the locals about the best places to eat, and so on.

But the puzzle was not complete yet. So I had the best places to eat, the nice guesthouses, but I needed something extra. What could be interesting for foreigners who visit the rural Romania? A ride with the horse and cart, of course.

Enjoy a ride with the horse and cart on this tour!

Someone from a guesthouse had told me about a nice man, Ion. We called Ion and then went to meet him. I am talking about a guy in his mid 50’s, blue eyes, grey hair, tall but not the tallest, and talkative. Aaaand…he enjoys a good drink, plum brandy usually, every once in a while.

I asked him about the possibilities of doing a tour with the horse and cart with my guests, around the village. But I told him that I do not want a tour on the normal road, on asphalt. I want to go on the fields, smell the trees, pick fruits from the trees, and enjoy the fresh air.

Next time I was in the village I called Ion. It is better to call in advance because during the day, like all the locals, he is busy working on the crops.

I was there with a couple from the US, really nice people. Ion met us with a big smile on his face, dressed up in a traditional costume, with a nice hat on top.

You can tell he loves his horse a lot. The horse is well treated and cared for.

He invited us inside and offered us a shot of home made plum brandy; Molotov cocktail, to be honest, but it kills all the germs ;).

Then, we enjoyed a ride with the horse and cart, through the fields, in Ion’s home village, we picked pears from the trees, we enjoyed the bumpy roads. It was great to see the locals greeting each other, and talking about the crops, about the weather, and other daily aspects.

Ion pulled over to his parent’s house. What a treat! His mother (who is in great shape, and by the way..she is 75 but looks like she is in her 60’s!!) offered us some home made pie and a few shots of brandy! Needless to say we were on cloud nine (literally, from the brandy) and could barely speak. But we had such a good time interacting with Ion’s family, that we swore we could stay there forever!

After one hour of visiting the village, talking to the locals, eating and drinking, we went back to the guesthouse. We spent a quite night there and on the next day went to Sibiu.

And, if you are in Sibiu, you must visit the Big Square and The Lesser Square, The Bridge of lies, and walk on the narrow streets. You will love it! It is absolutely charming!

countryside guided tour in transylvania private tour romania rural sibiu travel romania Travel sibiu
Previous StoryLocals and crafts in Romania
Next StoryCraftsmen in Maramures: the lady who makes traditional shirts

Related Articles

  • Hiking in the Carpathians in Romania
    Romania, a travel destination for 2021
  • Hiking in Transylvania
    A day hike in Transylvania

Leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Categories

Hidden gems horse back riding Multi day tours ideas Photography Travel

Are you looking for?

activities with children romania autumn biking brasov cities Ciucas countryside culture family activities romania family tours family tours romania Family travel romania glacial lakes guided hiking tour romania guided tour in transylvania guided tour romania Guided tours romania guide hiking romania guide romania hiking hiking fagaras Hiking guide hiking romania Iezer Papusa LANDSCAPES Maramures mountains national park nature october photography Piatra Craiului Private guided tour romania private guide romania private tour romania Retezat romania rural sightseeing tours Transylvania travel travel romania village winter tours romania
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions

© Copyright Outdoor Activities Romania | Icons made by Freepik.

Dan

 

My name is Dan, full-time tour and mountain guide and owner of Outdoor Activities in Romania.
A long time ago I heard that if you really want something and you strongly believe in this, the whole Universe starts to conspire in your favour. My dream was to become a guide and have the privilege of showing other people the beautiful places that I’ve seen in Romania.
Now, I do what I like and I like what I do. For me, this is as good as it gets.
The plan for Outdoor Activities in Romania started in 2012, as an idea meant to bring memorable travel experiences to the people who want to discover the authentic Romania. The idea turned into a spark, and the spark turned into a flame.
I started my story with an old backpack, too small for the dreams and plans I wanted to fulfill, and with a pair of mountain boots too tired for the trips I had in mind.
Over the next three years, my backpack changed a few times and my mountain boots took different sizes. Some things though, remained the same, and those are my passion for hiking, climbing, photography, visiting and discovering the traditional Romanian villages, meeting new people and having a drink at the local pub.
In 2015, I founded Outdoor Activities in Romania, a company that offers guided tours in Romania….with an active twist! Before that, I guided groups around the country, advocating for the varied and stunning landscapes my country has to offer.
I met and served tourists from the UK, USA, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Holland, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Jordan, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia.

I am Cristina and I own a degree in French and German Philology. I consider myself a good communicator, so I quickly realized that languages are a means of exchanging ideas and knowledge with people visiting Romania. I love my country so that’s why I invested time and energy in studying art, history and geography. Ever since I was little, I would interact with foreign visitors in my hometown or just friends who came from other places, and I took a lot of pleasure in showing them around and telling them stories and legends about the region.
Later on, I understood I had to put all these passions in practice and building something more valuable so I completed two courses – one four a tour guide and one for a mountain guide. I have always believed that travelling around the world helps you understand life and people better and become more empathetic. During my studies and previous work, I had a lot of contact with foreigners so whenever I accompany them to visit my country, it fills me up with joy to see how much they enjoy it and the fact that they discover us from a new perspective. Romania is beautiful in many ways, and I am not saying you should visit it just because it’s my country; I strongly believe that whatever your interests and curiosities are, – mountains, birds, waters, fish, wine, monasteries, villages off the beaten track, craft art – you will find it here.
I can’t wait to meet you and show all that!

Jessica

 

I’m an adventurer at heart. It doesn’t matter if you drop me in a forest, jungle, mountain or at the beach. When I’m surrounded by nature I’m the best version of myself. Originally I’m from the Netherlands, but I feel more like a world citizen since I lived in a lot of other countries as well. I studied journalism and since 2014 I work as a content creator, mainly in the travel and leisure industry. I’m capturing stories with interviews, writing, photography and video – or a combination of that all!

 

 

Alexandra

 

Passionate about beautifulness, the internet and communities. I have been on-line for 20 years. We will do beautiful things together, and everything will run like clock-work!

Carmina

 

With an experience of over 14 years in tourism field, Carmina worked in different travel agencies and in the last 7 years she has dedicated her time to work with various travel companies(travel agencies, accommodation units, equitation centres and tour companies) on developing business and marketing strategies as well as organizing different events for them. 

Besides her work as a consultant for travel companies, Carmina is a travel writer, has a travel blog – TravelwithaSmile.net – and works on marketing campaigns for promoting different countries like Romania, Austria and Thailand. Also you may find some of her work in National Geographic Traveler (Romania) magazine.

Manu

 

When I’m not in the mountains with the tourists you can find me teaching yoga, running marathons, doing fitness and basically…living healthy. Till the age of 27, I have traveled over 50 countries and visited more than 250 cities/places all over the world. It is part of my professional culture to be very close to the tourist and pay attention to details. I am always looking forward to adapt the tours for an unforgettable experience.  

Romania is a very beautiful country. By working in collaboration with Outdoor Activities, I have the chance to discover and promote the hidden treasures.  

Looking forward to meeting you on our tours!