Travel in time in the Land of Moti
- the Apuseni in Transylvania

THE ITINERARY

    In the western part of the legendary Transylvania province there is a branch of the Carpathian Mountains called Apuseni (Western) Mountains. In the "heart" of these mountains is situated Ţara Moţilor - The Land of Moţi, crossed by Arieş river.
Moţi is the name given to the inhabitants of this region said to be descended from the Celts.They live in scattered villages at altitudes up to about 1,300m, higher than any fixed settlements in Romania.
Visit their villages and their traditions, as well as a fairy-tale castle and a very rare Bison!

Here in the Land of Moţi you will see a famous festival called "Girls' Fair" .
According to the tradition, the girls wishing to get married come here to meet their would-be husbands. Nowadays the fair is a folk festival for the people in the Apuseni Mountains and for those coming from other Romanian counties.

Girls' Fair on the top of Găina Mountain

You will have time to walk in the mountains and be delighted by very spectacular caves and waterfalls, watch the wild animals or admire the unique flora from the natural reservation of Şesul Craiului or Scărişoara-Belioara Mountain, the wild lilac - Syrynga Josikala - from the Bihor Mountains - you can find it only here! - edelweiss at only 560m altitude- being the lowest altitude in Europe where you can find this flower.
You will also have the opportunity to see one of only a very few European Bison. This impressive beast , with a huge head and short horns became virtually extinct by the end of the 18th century, due to irrational hunting. Since 1958, it has been recolonised in a few regions of Romania.

Traditional thatched house

It's a fiery land! It has warmly hospitable people and authentic rural tradition. In the country areas you will be visiting you will discover that life is little changed from the 19th century.
You will be fascinated by the timeless villages, still keeping some century-old traditions, as well as by their inhabitants and their way of living. The fact they have been living in isolation made them keep their traditions unaltered, so that even today they are using hand-made household goods and tools. You will discover particular skills such as the manual exploitation and processing of wood (wood-carving), leather processing, black-smith work, miller's trade, the manual combing and spinning of the wool.

You can see ingeniously built houses on steep slopes, but also other kinds of buildings; enclosures, stables, sheds. By visiting some churches of the area, you can get acquainted with the imagery of the orthodox rite, as well as its specific architecture.

But the fact that will impress you the most is the people's spirit, characterized by the love of the land and warm hospitality.

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