Summer is definitely for high altitudes. And the Făgăraș Mountains are so close by, that for us, a few days off from work, a good weather forecast and a couple of friends easily turn into a nice hike up on the ridge.
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That we love Sibiu is no longer a secret. Neither is that we love the whole county of Sibiu, with all its history, culture and diversity. And what’s not to love about it – beautiful landscapes, traditions that are still being kept, houses with old and well preserved architecture, villages with so many stories to be told around the fire, rich and diverse cuisine, rural life at its best. In a world that’s going too global, these villages keep to their local diversity.
Hiking the Făgăraș Mountains ridge is, let’s say, one of the main goals of any true hiker and mountains passionate from Romania (although nowadays you meet mostly foreigners on the peaks). The Făgăraș Mountains are the highest in Romania, with heights reaching 2500m and the ridge is the longest in the country – about 90 kilometers.
Steve Sutcliffe takes on the famous Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania in the Ford Mustang Fastback 5.0 V8, one of the most spectacular roads available to drive in the world. In chapter one of our Great European Driving Roads series, Steve embraces the challenge and shows that if you are a true driving enthusiast, the Transfăgărășan […]
We left the house on the Sunday morning planning to go up to the Bâlea Lake with the cable car. Is was winter and quite a heavy weather down in Sibiu and we tought that for sure there will be no one planning to do the same thing as us. But we were very wrong, the line for the cable car was incredibly long…so we had to give up our plans and just have a nice walk to the Bâlea Waterfalls. Nothing to fancy about it, but mountains with snow are just amazingly beautiful. 
We were planning this trip since last year, but somehow it didn’t find its place in none of the available weekends we had last summer. But, as we had a longer weekend this August, we decided to have this 4 days trip in the Făgăraș mountains (again!) to reach the highest peak of the Romanian Carpathians, the Moldoveanu Peak (2544m). It was not as easy to get there as I imagined in the first place, but looking back now, I feel a great accomplishment that we succeeded (with some effort, both mental and physical, but we did it). In the end, that’s what makes a hiking trip so intense and memorable…mountains are always unpredictable, but they do offer an immense satisfaction to someone who is capable of appreciating beautiful and simple things (or places).
Stan’s Valley is an adventure. And a beauty. And unbelievable landscapes. And recently new ladders and climbing props have been added all over the valley so we had to do it. The red circle path 
starts somewhere on the Transfagarasan road, close to the Vidraru dam. It takes you about 4 hours to go through the valley from one part to the other and also a bit of attention. But what you will see once starting your journey is just worth every effort.
If ever in Sibiu and you have a spare day, the best option is to have a trip to the Balea Lake and Balea Waterfall and also drive on one of the most impressive roads of Romania, the Transfăgărășan.
The Chocolates Of Life 