Info

Personal Equipment

The terrain, climate and diverse activities available here in Transylvania mean you need to travel with a wide range of clothing and equipment.  For example, in May you could find yourself swimming in a warm lake and sunbathing on its shores one day; then taking a trip above 2000m altitude the following day, where you will be up to your knees in snow.

To that end we recommend the following list as a minimum for any trip to Romania:

• Shorts and t-shirt
• Sturdy trousers (hiking/combats)
• Light shoes or sandals
• Sturdy shoes or light walking boots
• Hat (for sun shading)
• Hat (for cold)
• Fleece
• Water proof jacket/shell

• Sun cream
• Insect repellent
• Insect bite relief cream/gel
• Anti histamine tablets

• Mobile phone (emergency calls are available without roaming)
• Extra phone battery or power bank
• Download maps.me for your android or iPhone and download the Romanian offline map
• Paper map of Romania

If you find that you left something behind or are caught short with unexpected circumstances, we would like to recommend ProAlpin for all your personal outdoor equipment needs. With high quality products from Norway, ProAlpin provides excellent equipment for all seasons.

Vehicle Documentation

Before you even set out on your trip, make sure you have your vehicle documents in order.  Random police stops in Romania (and across Europe) are common and so long as you have your documents in order, uneventful.  The insurance green card is no longer compulsory in Europe but always handy to carry to aid a smooth road side stop.

When you cross into Romania you will need to but a “Rovigneta” (Road Tax), you can buy 7 days, 1 Month and 3 Months.  The cost is minimal (around £5 for 1 month) for a 4×4 and make sure you tell them your vehicle is “Autoturism” as they will chance their luck charging you for a larger vehicle category.  The penalty is up £70 if caught without paying it.

We recommend getting your insurance from Heritage Classic Car insurance to ensure the best level of cover for your modified 4×4.

Vehicle Equipment

If you are coming to Romania in your own 4X4, it is equally important to equip your vehicle appropriately.  The roads are very bumpy between small villages, and of course you will be driving offroad, so you may want to bring a box of spare parts, especially if you are driving a vehicle that is not so common in Romania. Suzuki, Dacia and Hyundai parts are generally readily available in Romania, but parts for any premium brand or model 4x4s  may take up to a week to order.

Our offroad tours are mainly on tracks due to restrictions of driving on private land and protected areas, but there is plenty of challenging terrain where you can enjoy the capabilities of your vehicle. We are not operating a “Winch Challenge” course (although we can give you heavy challenges if you desire); therefore it is possible, with careful driving, to complete a full 7 day tour without any damage to your vehicle other than very light scratches from pushing though thin tree branches in the forest.

However, it is recommended that you have the following basic offroad accessories:

• Steering Guard
• Diff Guard
• All terrain or mud terrain tyres

• Spare Air Filter
• Spare Fuel Filter

As a point of reference, all tour tracks have been completed by the modified Land Rover Defender and Discovery shown below.  It is possible for you to come in a lesser prepared vehicle such as a vehicle with all terrain tyres or no winch, as we will always have a well prepared vehicle on tour to ensure you can get through any difficult patches.

Vehicle Repair

Our partner, LR International SRL can supply many Land Rover Defender and Discovery 1 parts new and second hand, but it can take up to a week to get some less common parts shipped to Romania if they cannot be sourced in country.

We have the garage and tools of LR International at our disposal if you would like to do DIY repairs or maintenance on your vehicle.  The facilities are simple but with all the basics you need such as shelter, electricity and lighting, a pit, basic power tools, trolley jacks, compressor and small arc welder .

Should you need expert assistance, we have an arrangement with a private mechanic’s workshop in the nearest town to our HQ (Targu Secuiesc), where they will allow you to jump any queue of tasks in order to get your vehicle back on the road ASAP.

If you have problems with a more modern vehicle, such a Discovery 4 or similar, we can arrange for it to be repaired in an Insurance Approved garage at various locations.  We can also take your car to a Main Dealer should you wish such as the Land Rover dealer in Brasov.

Rescue

As LR International SRL (www.lriromania.com) is our parent company, we have at our disposal their full ability to perform rescue tasks anywhere in Romania (and beyond its borders should it be required).

LRI Rescue has a capability similar to the Romanian Mountain Rescue (Salvamont), with volunteer First Aiders, Medics, Nurses and Doctors available to deploy at a moment’s notice with the well equipped Land Rover Rescue/Ambulance vehicles.

LRI Rescue is a partner with Red Cross Romania and takes part in many emergency training exercises, where all of the rescue services such as SMURD, Salvamont, ISU Brasov and State Ambulance Service come together to practise disaster response in remote areas.

LRI Rescue can receive a call out alarm either from one of its partners/Romanian emergency services or directly by phone, GPS tracker or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).

All tours are equipped with satellite phones, tracking devices and a PLB but LR International SRL does offer hire of these devices to give you that peace of mind when walking or driving in the wilderness without us.