In the fourth annual Goodmans adventure, we got together with a team of ten clients to hike almost 60km across the lush wilderness of Transylvania in the heart of Romania. Here’s why we did it and how it went.
About the Goodmans adventures
Rather than going the extra mile to engage with clients, we go up to 40!
Since 2022, Goodmans has invited clients each year to join some of our team on a hiking adventure in an outstanding landscape in Europe. The very first saw us walking the lunar landscapes of Iceland. In 2023, we drove across Europe in convoy to reach the majestic mountains of Italy’s Dolomites. For 2024, we hiked the lush levada trails of Madeira. This year, ten clients and five team members headed east to explore Transylvania.
Why? These shared experiences are a great way of fostering the Goodmans community and getting to know clients in a way you can’t achieve within four office walls. This makes them an excellent training tool for our young Financial Planners, providing valuable insights into our mostly Gen-X clients and their priorities.
Another key driver behind our adventures is showcasing what you can do with an active retirement unlocked by good financial planning.
And, of course, the adventures are also a lot of fun for us!
Hiking Transylvania
Here's an overview of our 56km/35-miles hiking through the forests, valleys, plateaus and meadows of the Southern Carpathian Mountains over five days in June 2025.
The Romania adventure team with our local guides, Andreea and Claudiu, on the right
Hike 1 – Piatra Craiului National Park
Our first outing was a 15km/9-mile hike through an area of outstanding natural beauty with deep gorges, lush alpine meadows and dense swathes of forest. The land here is dominated by an impressive knife-edge ridge towering at over 2,200 metres high. Our two local guides did an amazing job of educating us on the local landscapes and wildlife, which includes brown bears, wolves, lynx and hundreds of species of birds. It was a challenging hike with lots of steep ascents and a thunderstorm to add a bit of extra spice!
Hike 2 – Bran to Magura
A taste of rural Transylvania with rolling hills, lazy livestock and wildflower meadows on a 12.5km/8-mile hike in glorious sunshine. Stretching out along a broad ridge, the charming village of Magura offered fine views of the mountains we’d seen the day before. Insights into traditional village life included farmers with scythes and Orthodox Pentecost celebrations in a picturesque local church. To round up a fantastic day, we were thrilled to see eight wild bears and a fox in our evening bear-watching from a forest hide!
Hike 3 – Bran Castle, The Bucegi Mountains & Caraiman Cross
A bit of culture to start the day, with a tour of Bran Castle, the supposed inspiration for 'Castle Dracula' and former home of Queen Marie of Romania (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter). A 4.3km cable car ride then whisked us to the Bucegi Plateau over 2,200m up in the Southern Carpathians. Our 7.5km/4.6-mile hike among the clouds brought a completely different landscape, with tongues of snow, quirky rock formations and the world’s highest summit cross.
Hike 4 – The Ciucaş Mountains
This was a misty, cooler day hiking 15km/9 miles in another area of the Carpathians, among sculpted limestone formations and blooming pink rhododendrons. Taking shelter in a remote mountain hut, we sampled local dishes like papanași (cheese doughnuts with blueberries) and finished the day at our new base – the beautiful old city of Brașov.
Last day – Braşov & Harman Fortified Church
For our final day, some of the group opted for a relaxing morning to explore Braşov; the rest took on a 7.5km/4.6-mile hike to the top of Mount Tâmpa overlooking the city. Then it was a pit stop to a fortified medieval church which had sheltered villagers from invaders from the Ottoman Empire and other threats over the centuries, before heading to the airport for the evening flight home.
Reflections on our Romania adventure
Once again, the Goodmans adventure hit its mark, providing breathtaking landscapes, challenging trails and great company. It was our largest group yet at 15 people, ranging in age from 20 to 71, a mix of first timers and regulars, all experiencing Romania for the first time.
As with our other adventures, it was an exhilarating, challenging, rewarding and enjoyable experience. But this was the first time bears were part of the adventure! We found Romania to be a wonderful place to visit, rich in culture, with welcoming people, a fascinating history and, of course, beautiful natural landscapes.
Thank you to the clients who joined us to make this yet another amazing adventure. We can’t wait to see where the next one takes us!
If you want some help to unleash an active retirement, get in touch.
Thanks to everyone who joined us to make this trip so special and to Karen Thornton from the Travel Counsellors for helping us make it a reality.
Our clients will be able to read more about our Romania adventure in the Autumn 2025 issue of the Goodmans community magazine, Unleashed.
