General Tour Information
ENTERING HUNGARY: United States citizens will need a valid passport. A visa is not required for visits of less than 90 days. Citizens of other nations should contact the nearest Hungarian embassy or consulate for entry requirements.
ENTERING ROMANIA: A valid passport is required. For US citizens, tourist visas for stays of up to thirty days are not required. As a general rule, your passport should be valid for more than six months after your planned departure from Romania.
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Romania and Hungary here and here respectively. You can review the U.S. State Department background notes on Hungary and Romania here and here respectively.
CLIMATE: The weather can be variable in September. It is possible that we may encounter some rain but the area is one of the driest in Europe, receiving a very low annual rainfall. On most days it is likely to be warm and sunny but we may experience cloudy conditions. Temperatures normally vary from 15°C to 25°C (59-77°F), cooling down to 0°C to 5°C (32-41°F) at nights..
PACE OF TOUR / DAILY ROUTINE: Although the days are full, there are plenty of opportunities for opting out (we stay four nights at our second hotel) so in general the tour will follow a gentle but lively pace. Our walks will be quite short (between half mile and two miles) and mostly on the level. Some longer and more strenous walks (though still not more than two miles) may be necessary for a chance of Capercaillie. Breakfast is usually at 07.00. An exception is if we opt to visit the Capercaillie lek. This will be something of an adventure. We’ll leave our hotel at 03:00 and drive for two hours then walk for 1½ hours up a mountain track to arrive before dawn. Under a starry sky or a full moon this is exhilarating with the sounds of rutting Red Deer all around us-the real Transylvanian experience. We’ll walk back to our vehicle to enjoy a packed breakfast at 09:15. We usually have some sit-down restaurant lunches but also some picnics (to allow for more birding time). Evening meals are usually between 19.00-20.00. On returning to the hotel after our birding activities we allow enough time for everyone to shower and change (unless the group decision is to enjoy even more birding).
Although most of the main roads are good, some minor country roads are full of potholes and mountain tracks can be quite rough. Our driver is exceptionally careful and considerate but jolting is sometimes inevitable.
HEALTH: There are no specific health requirements in Hungary or Romania. No vaccinations are required. Tap water is generally safe to drink but bottled water is available. Mosquitoes can be a problem in some of the woods and fish ponds that we visit so plenty of insect repellent is advised. It may be impossible to obtain any special medication during the tour, so bring all you are likely to need.
Although most of the main roads are good, some minor roads are full of potholes and mountain tracks can be quite rough. Our driver is exceptionally careful and considerate but jolting is sometimes inevitable.
ACCOMMODATION: Our hotels are clean, comfortable and have modern bedrooms with private bathroom facilities. The food is good and the staff are friendly. Vegetarians can usually be well catered for. Fish is usually widely available and we often have a good selection of vegetarian soups.
DRESS: Will be informal throughout the tour both.
TRANSPORT: During the tour we will be travelling in a small bus with a local driver. . We will rotate the seating each day.
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicle or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If smoking in the field please stand down-wind of the group so as to avoid your smoke blowing into the faces of other participants.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour. Please note that except as noted in the tour descriptions, meals are not included in the cost of our tours in the United States and Canada.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Transylvania will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel address, etc. and your air tickets will be sent to you about three weeks before the tour starts. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions about any aspect of the tour, please contact us.
Updated: October 2007