TOURISM

The Tarnava Mare Tourism Association has been set up as part of the Local Action Group for the European LEADER programme, and will promote the development of sustainable tourism in the area, supporting local communities and promoting quality experiences for visitors.

www.DiscoverTarnavaMare.org

This new web site is currently being developed. Until it is live, you can register your interest in the area by contacting Gavin Bell or Lenke Balint at tourism@fundatia-adept.org

A new brochure “Tarnava Mare - A Taste of Transylvania” promoting the area was launched at the World Travel Market event held in London from 10th to 13th November and is now available to download as a pdf file by clicking on the link.

Click on this link for the itinerary of the fully guided 2009 food, culture and walking tours on offer.

Otherwise contact the Tourist Information Centre at tourism@fundatia-adept.org to discus the options.

Fundatia ADEPT have opened a Tourist Information Centre in Saschiz, close to the church tower and square. There is plenty of parking. Information is provided for tourists on how to get to the Tarnava Mare area from the main cities, railway stations and airports, where to stay, what to do, what and where to eat etc. A brochure describing Saschiz can also be downloaded from this link.

Local produce including jams, honey, baskets and other crafts are on sale. Postcards and other gifts are also available

The key to the church is now kept at the Tourist Information Centre and guided tours can be arranged.

There are now wide range  of food & culture activities and walking trails for tourists visiting the Tarnava Mare area and these are described in a new booklet (clicking on this link will download the food and culture tours booklet as a 1.76mb pdf file). These activities are available to both independent travelers and organised tour groups as individual activities or grouped together into a programme. Copies of the food and culture booklet can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre and other tourist outlets in the Tarnava Mare area.

Walking routes are being developed and for each a leaflet is available with 1:25,000 map and route description. A 1:50,000 tourist map is also available for the whole Tarnava Mare area. The walking brochure and some sample route descriptions can be downloaded as pdf files.

The routes will join up to form a long distance east west footpath linking the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Biertan, Saschiz and Viscri. It is way marked with a red vertical stripe bordered by two white stripes. Secondary paths will be marked in blue and circular routes in yellow. See the route by visiting our on-line map which is under development and is still not complete or fully functional.

	Suppliers	Unit	Price / Unit - RON
Activities
Food & Culture	Charcoal making, blacksmith, courtyard visit	per person / visit	3
	Church	per person / visit	4
	Bread making, barrel maker, sheep stana	per person / visit	7
	Lunch in courtyard or picnic	per person	30
Meet the Bees	Includes use of full bee suit supplied by the Tourist Information Centre	per person plus local guide for 2 hours (see Services below)	20
Horse & cart	Maximum of four people per cart	per cart - half day per cart - full day	50 70
Accommodation
Village Bed & Breakfast	Check availability and book with the Tourist Information Centre	per person per night	from 35
Services (charges per group or first tourist)
Local guide or translator	Supplied by the Tourist Information Centre	per day plus any accommodation & meals at cost	170
Local guide or translator	Supplied by the Tourist Information Centre	per hour plus any meals at cost	35
Airport transfers	Depends on airport and number of passengers	per km	quotes available on request
Station transfers	Depends on station and number of passengers	per km	quotes available on request
Minibus /1	including driver	per km	1.70
People carrier /1	including driver	per km	1.20
Administration
Booking fee		10% of package purchased
Community Fund	Voluntary donation	10% of package purchased
Exchange Rate: March 2008 - €1 = RON 3.73

Note /1: Both vehicles are fully licensed to carry passengers.

The full price for each activity is passed to the supplier. The Tourist Information Centre charge a small booking fee and add a voluntary contribution to the community fund. Note some of the prices may change during the season.

The Tourist Information Centre accept payment by cash or credit card.

In order to become sustainable beyond the initial funding being provided by Fundatia ADEPT, the Tourist Information Centre must, in addition to providing free information to tourists, develop sales on an increasing range of products, activities and services in order to cover their operating costs. Please support this initiative, use the Tourist Information Centre and discover the secrets of the Tarnava Mare area.

In 2007 and 2008, the Tourist Information Centre organised a series of incentive travel weekends for staff from Orange. These team building exercises will be repeated in 2009 and will again involve a range of community activities such as clearing the river banks, creating and way-marking footpaths and erecting signage. Similar weekends can be organised for other clients - contact the Tourist Information Centre for further information.

Lenke Balint - E-mail: lenke@fundatia-adept.org - speaks Romanian, Hungarian and English

Anca Calugar - E-mail: anca@fundatia-adept.org - speaks Romanian, French and English

Charlie Dalmasso - E-mail: charlie@fundatia-adept.org - speaks French, Romanian and English

Johann Schaaser - E-mail: johann@fundatia-adept.org - speaks Romanian, German and English 

Diana Schuster-Costea - E-mail: diana@fundatia-adept.org - speaks Romanian and English

Tourist Information Centre, Str. Principal nr. 166, Saschiz Mures 547510, Romania

Opening hours:

1st May to 31st October: every day 0900 to 1800

1st November to 30th April: every day 0900 to 1630

Tel: +40 (265) 711 635

Fax: +40 (365) 814 076

E-mail: tourism@fundatia-adept.org

For train times from Bucharest to Sighisoara visit these web sites:

www.infofer.ro or www.bahn.de - both sites have an English version

Search for trains from Bucuresti, Gara de Nord to Sighisoara via Brasov

HRH The Prince of Wales has purchased a house in the Saxon village of Viscri, recently restored as a high-quality guesthouse to help promote sustainable tourism in Transylvania. This traditional Saxon house is managed by Count Tibor Kalnoky, who was asked to furnish and prepare the house based on his experience in restoring his own family estates. Fundatia ADEPT can offer visitors to the house a range of activities and guided tours, so that they can discover the magic of Transylvania.

To learn more about the Prince’s house in Viscri, and to make reservations, visit www.transylvaniancastle.com

FARA’S OAT FARM

The OAT (Organic, Agricultural, Training) Farm started in 2003 by FARA, at the suggestion of FARA’s Royal Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales, whose enthusiasm for organic farming is well known.

The guesthouse is situated in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in North Eastern Romania.  Whilst relaxing at the guesthouse you can enjoy traditional Romanian food (cooked using the OAT Farm organic produce), sample the excellent Romanian wine, have a look around the farm and simply absorb the beautiful unspoilt surrounding countryside.

You will never be short of things to do – there are the unique 15^th Century famous medieval monasteries, horse drawn trips to medieval villages, fishing trips, guided walks, visits to the famous underground salt mine, the museums and castles of Suceava and the vineyards at Cotnari.

For further information and bookings, please visit our website www.oatfarm.com or call Ionut Pastrav (who speaks fluent English) direct on +40 230 536 602

In September 2007 ADEPT hosted Lucy Meyhew, journalist and Claire Delaney, photographer. Their article was published in the travel section of the Mail on Sunday on 16th December 2007 and can be viewed by clicking on the following link:

A prominent French ornithologist visiting the area in July 2007 was so impressed with the birds he recorded that he wrote the attached as a guide for future visitors.

The tour in June 2007 was such a great success that one of the participants wrote the attached article ‘Slow in the Saxon Villages of Transylvania’ which was published in the Slow Food UK magazine in June 2008. This tour was based on the Marriott, Bucharest, Casa Wagner, Sighisoara and farmhouse accommodation in the Saxon Villages.

ADEPT is a member of the Association of Ecotourism in Romania (AER) and works with other AER members to offer multi destination packages. The following is a testimonial from the leader of a group of Scottish hill walkers who added a week in the Tarnava Mare to their time in Carpathians, August 2006.

“Firstly, thank you (ADEPT) very much for making our trip to Romania so interesting and varied. It became much more than the mountain holiday I expected. It was also stimulating intellectually because of the mixed professions of the group - conservationists, community development, social work, medicine and Neil who has opinions about everything. This generated numerous heated debates about the best ways forward for Romania. As you know debates on mountain holidays are normally about food and where the next pint will be found. Finally, the honey! Absolutely delicious. Unfortunately consumed within a few days of returning. I should have brought back 20 jars.” William McAllan, Scotland

The first guided group was in September 2005 when 12 food tourists (mainly from Slow Food Oxfordshire) spent six days in Transylvania . The first two nights were at the Casa cu Cerb, Sighisoara, followed by two nights in Viscri with the final night in Bucharest.

Food writer, Philippa Davenport visited Transylvania in early June and her article “Something to get your teeth into” was published on the 25th June 2005 in the Financial Times Weekend Food & Drink section.

“This book introduces the remote Saxon Villages district of southern Transylvania in Romania. One of Europe’s least known cultural treasures, the countryside presents a remarkable survival of medieval landscape: fortified churches, unspoilt villages, non intensive mixed farming in ecological balance with nature and wildlife, set amongst old-growth woodland and wildflower-rich hay-meadows. Such natural beauty and richness is no mere assemblage of fragments, but an intact integral whole - of inestimable scientific, cultural and human value.” says author John Akeroyd

The book contains over 120 high quality photographs and is available in English and Romanian and on sale at the ADEPT Tourist Information Centre, Saschiz for €10 per copy and by mail order direct from Fundatia ADEPT Ltd, 32 Oakley Road, Chinnor, Oxon, OX39 4HB, England for £12 per copy including postage. Please order by sending payment (sterling cheques only) with your name and full postal address. Alternatively buy on-line from www.amazon.co.uk.

ADEPT have published the first in a series of tourist maps:

1:50,000 map of the Tarnava Mara area (sheet numbers 1 & 2 - double sided)

1:25,000 map of the Ţara Branului area including trails recorded with GPS (sheet number 3)

Both are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Saschiz, by mail order direct from Fundatia ADEPT Ltd, 32 Oakley Road, Chinnor, Oxon, OX39 4HB, England for £3.50 per copy including postage. Please order by sending payment (sterling cheques only) with your name and full postal address. Alternatively buy the Tarnava Mare map on-line from www.amazon.co.uk

Oxford Brookes University has prepared a sustainable tourism development strategy which is currently (2008) being used in a consultation process with the communities of the Tarnava Mare area.