Head into the wild and see Carpathian brown bears up close on this 3-hour tour from Brașov. Meet your guide in the city at sunset, then journey into the Carpathian Mountains, where you'll join up with a ranger. Trek into the forest in search of a hide, then wait quietly in hope of spotting the bears that inhabit the region. You might also see deer, wild boar, lynx and other native wildlife. Numbers are limited to twelve on this small-group tour.

3-hour bear-watching experience from Brașov
Travel to the forests of the Carpathian Mountains to see Carpathian brown bears in the wild
Watch for bears and cubs in the woodlands from a secure hide
Spot other wildlife, such as deer, lynx, wild boar and game birds
Be escorted to and from your hide by an experienced forest ranger

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

A naturalist guide increases your chances of seeing wild brown bears in the wild twofold.

What's Included

Professional driver-guide
Round-trip transport by air-conditioned car or minivan
Forest ranger escort in forest
Hotel (only from Brasov city) drop-off

Food and drinks
Photography tax if photos for professional use
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Biblioteca Județeană "George Barițiu"
Bulevardul Eroilor 33-35, Brașov 500036, Romania
In front of Biblioteca Județeană "George Barițiu", Bulevardul Eroilor 33-35.

Start time

04:30 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Biblioteca Județeană "George Barițiu"

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Dress warmly: sturdy, waterproof footwear and warm clothing recommended
Do NOT dress in bright colors
Do NOT use any perfume
Do NOT bring any food with you
Minimum booking numbers apply (2 pax). If you would like to join as 1 person please note that the price for 2 is be applicable. In case we have other tourists, we refund the difference you paid as solo traveler, after the tour.
Minimum age allowed: 12 years old.
Not wheelchair accessible

Near public transportation
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
At the end of the tour we can drop you off at your location in Brasov. Please inform the driver about it.
We cannot guarantee 100% that you will be able to see any of the wildlife listed above. Do not forget that wildlife have their own way of living and we, humans, try to approach them as much as possible in their natural habitat.
The starting time is between 16:00 - 18:00, depending of the month! We inform you about the exact pick up time from Biblioteca Județeană "George Barițiu", Bulevardul Eroilor 33-35 with 2-3 days before! Extra charges apply if you are staying in Poiana Brasov resort!
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jasmin_W

Thank you soo much for such a great afternoon. The guide was really nice, competent and shared a lot of knowledge with us. We were very lucky and got to see one female bear. We would take this tour again at any time!

Reviews

5.0

209 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 209 reviews

Brasov Brown Bears

JUNE_S, Jun 2023

Seeing a female bear 1st up followed shortly after by a male bear then both of them out of the forest together.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, June!

Simply awesome :)

Jasmin_W, May 2023

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Jasmine!

Awesome experience with a great guide

Eloi_d, Apr 2023

We saw bears, deer and listened to a lot of birds. Alex is an awesome guide and even with the rain and mud and snow from recent days that make bears confused we had success and saw bears in secomds upon our arrivallm

Response from Host, Apr 2023

We thank you so much for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Eloi!

Authentic experience

Alexandra_M, Oct 2022

A real nature experience - amazing forest, being quiet and waiting patiently for the bears. And seeing the animals as they were unaware of being observed - very special indeed.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

We thank you a lot for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Alex!

Great tour

Rebecca_D, Sep 2022

We had a great trip. There was a bear already at the area before we event got into the hide which was amazing!! The guide was lovely and knowledgeable.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Thank you so much for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Rebecca!

A great experience

Sarah_J, Sep 2022

Our ranger, Tiberius, was extremely knowledgeable and clearly loved the bears. We only saw one, but he knew exactly which bear it was, how old she was, and all about her personality. We learnt a lot about bear habits, how their lips make them different to many mammals, and how to keep safe.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

We thank you so much for your detailed review for our guide and our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Sarah! And thank you for understanding the product! It means a lot for us!

A wonderful experience with the bears

Lewis_C, Jul 2022

We saw six brown bears over the course of the evening - was very special. The guide was excellent and very knowledgeable about the bears and their habitats etc. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in seeing bears in Romania.

Great experience, highly recommended

Robert_P, Jun 2022

Had a really good evening out in a beautiful bit of countryside with a knowledgeable guide. Be prepared to be patient- the bears come on their own timetable

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you so much for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Robert!

This was really an...

Ivan_T, Jun 2022

This was really an amazing experience . Under the conditions of controlled risk we have experienced the real adrenaline of seeing bears life in their real environment . To see their habits , behavior and relationships in the wild . Something you can never see in the zoo . And our guide Kalin was absolute professional , controlling the group and the situation in a perfect way . He transferred his calmness and confidence to everyone .

Response from Host, Jun 2022

We appreciate your detailed review about our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Ivan! Thank you for booking with us!

Thrilling experience to watch

Alain_M, Jun 2022

Great guide, well executed. Great experience and must be done. Everyone should book this if coming to Brasov

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you so much for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Alain!

Awesome!

Emma_P, Jun 2022

We had an amazing time on this tour. Our guide Calin was very knowledgable and made us feel safe. After being picked up from Brasov, we drove about an hour, then had a short walk to the hide. We sat in the hide and after a while heard twigs snapping and bear growls. Then we saw a young bear and later a bigger bear. It was a magical experience. Calin apologised that we didnt see more bears, but we were over the moon with the ones we saw. He believed that the growls we could hear were two big bears trying to mate which was scaring away more bears. It was awesome. Communication from Active Travel was superb, would definitely recommend, and a great fair price too.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

We thank you a lot for your detailed review for our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Emma!

Great experience with Drops Of fear

Stefan_S, May 2022

The total number of Bears in Romania and the underestimatet Number published by gov.The very secialised skills of this species.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for reviewing our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Stefan!

Good Bear Sightings With Patience

Betty_C, May 2022

We were picked a short ways from where we stayed in Brasov and drove to the meeting point about half an hour away. Our group was small, the ranger and four of us. He spoke clearly and explained what we needed to know well, as well as answered weird questions from the group members. We did manage to see a few bears in the hut, which is a distance away. We tracked through some mud and hilly areas, so hiking shoes or trail runners would be ideal. It got chilly by the time we left, which was 8:30 PM. What could have been better was if the ranger didn't put his hands on me, literally, showing me where the bear was and then again later asking if I was cold. In this day and age, that could easily have gotten him into trouble.

Response from Host, May 2022

We really appreciate your detailed review of our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Betty!

We are going on a bear hunt……

Andrew_H, May 2022

Obviously seeing the bears was what it was all about and we saw three young bear of varying ages interact with each other abs hang around for a considerable time. We also saw a fox and fleeting view of a badger as a bonus. Any lover of brown bears will get a lot out of this excursion provided of course they turn up! As the hide is quite distant do take binoculars and a camera with a decent telephoto if you have one. The hide is pretty basic with no heating so take plenty of layers outside the summer months. And be patient! We waited well over an hour to see bears. The guide was knowledgable and good on safety precautions. Thoroughly recommended

Response from Host, May 2022

Andrew, we appreciate your detailed review for our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov!

If you want to see wild bears go on this

Angela_G, Apr 2022

We saw two individual bears , one at the start and one just as we were about to leave. Great experience and very well run. Felt totally safe .

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you for your review about our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Angela!

Nice guide, No bears

RyanMorgan, Oct 2021

Unfortunately we did not see any bears. It is a risk you take when waiting for nature. But the guide was friendly and helpful.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Thank you so much for understanding the experience of Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Ryan!

Thrilling

Marc, Aug 2021

Nice experience. The guide was very late to pick us up at the hotel and the traffic (rush hour) was not factored in… When we arrived, there was already one bear at the feeding place. But i think because of the rain the bear didn‘t recognize us when we get into the hide. Later there came another one. When we went back there was a thrilling moment, because a bear stood directly in the middle of our way. The guide made some noises and it walked into the forest. The guide had some pepper spray with him but didn‘t had to use it. in the car he told a friend on phone that this was the first time something like that happens to him (friend of me understood some romanian ;) ). But for that he reacted very calm and competend. I would book it again!!! P.S.: the windows of the hide should be cleaned a bit… for better photos ;)

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you so much for your detailed review for our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Marc! We are very sorry for the late pick up issue.

Amazing experience to see the bears in their natural habitat

Bianca_S, Aug 2021

Really amazing experience to be able to see the bears in the wild, in their natural habitat. When we arrived we immediately saw 3 male bears, it was interesting to see how they behaved in relation to the alpha. Later we saw 2 more bears, a younger one and an 8 y old adult alpha. The ranger was very nice, explaining a lot of interesting facts about the bears’ behaviour. I would really recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Bianca, thank you so much for booking with us this amazing experience - Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov! We really appreciate your detailed review! It helps a lot the future tourists to make the right decision.

Brasov bears

Pawel_S, Aug 2021

Very nice trip lasting approx. 4 hours, the guide spoke fluently English. Unfortunately, we've seen only 2 bears.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you for your review for our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Pawel!

Great experience

Esther_P, Aug 2021

Great experience. Friendly guide. Great service: collected at and brought back to the hotel. The bears were superb. We had a great view. Saw several bears among others we saw a mother and a young bear. I would definitely advise this trip.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

We thank you for your review for our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Esther! Indeed, tospot the brown bears from a hide, with a professional guide, represents a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A different experience

Cristina_R, Aug 2021

You need a lot of patience, but it pays off to see bears completely wild in their natural environment, we saw three on our tour. On a things to improve side, the chairs in the viewing hut were not comfortable to sit on for 2-3 hours. Our guide, while friendly and willing to answer all questions, could have prepared a bit more facts or interesting things to discuss on the journey there and back, it's quite a trip and I think we all expected a bit more info/interaction on the journey, which got tedious..

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you for your review and your observation about our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Cristina! We are so happy you have spotted 3 brown bears; so the experience was fulfilled! We have to keep in our mind we are going at a hide located in the nature to spot wildlife.

Great Bears and great Guide

Fabian_W, Jul 2021

Simply awesome! We saw 4 gorgeous bears. And lots of interesting scenes with the bears. Because of the tactic for attracting the bears, it is nearly guaranteed, that you gonna spot Bears. The guide was great and gave us lots of interesting informations and good entertainment :-) The group was only 6 people. All in all awesome experience! :-) Recommended 100%!

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thank you for booking with us an amazing Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Fabian! Indeed, it is a life in a once time experience, especially we run our tours as small groups (maximum 8).

Bear

nglseven2019, Nov 2019

Should have been picked up at 4pm. Were not picked up till after 7pm.. 1 bear seen from the hide,, not the experience we hoped for..

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Would you be so kind to send me more details about your reservation! Why? Because only once for this season we experienced an issue: instead of 6 pm (not 4pm, as you wrote, by mistake I hope) my guide arrived at 7pm (the minibus had a technical problem and we had to replace it). We apologized at that moment and the clients understood the situation (thank you a lot for this)!

Fabulous Experience

danrae, Oct 2019

An amazing opportunity to watch bears close up. Exceptionally well organised. Superb guide, Tiberius. The highlight of my trip to Romania. Worth every penny.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thank you for your review for Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, Dan! Would be easier for the future clients to make a decision for booking a tour.

Fantastic

Mark22don, Oct 2019

Our guide, Tiberias was brilliant. Knowledgeable, friendly, easy going. Time went quickly, saw a bear within 5 mins, foxes, then 3 more bears. Loved it. The rangers are doing a great job protecting the bear population.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov is one of our bestseller product! We really thank you for booking with us, Mark!

Amazing!

partytime7, Oct 2019

Everything was great! We went into the forest where we saw 4 bears and 1 fox! Surely reccomend it!!!

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thank you for your review for the Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov day trip.

Amazing experience & Value

N_S, Oct 2019

Definitely recommend, we saw 5 bears. Guide was great and very patient with us being unfit when climbing up to the hide! Thank you :)

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov is one of the best tour to do when you are in Brasov. Natalie, thank you for all!

Amazing!

David B, Sep 2019

We saw 4 bears, great, passionate guide Tiberius who speaks English well. The bear hide is also a comfortable place to stay for a few hours, not cold at all. Definitely advised if you want to watch wild bears from a safe distance but still close enough to photograph them.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thank you for your review for the Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov, David!

Sustainable, comfortable and informative

matthewandsarah2019, Sep 2019

Our guide (think his name was Tiberius) was very friendly and knowledgeable. Mostly out of luck, the two of us were the only ones on the tour, so we had a private experience. The pick up was on time, and the car was comfortable. Drive was about 30mins into the mountains, and we walked for about 15 minutes after that to get to the bear hide. The last part was up a relatively steep incline, so best for people who are relatively fit or have done average hikes before. The hide was comfortable (not sure about if touring in winter), with about 8 seats in front of the window. Depending on the size of the people, it might have been a squeeze if it was a full tour. You have to stay quiet and still for the whole time (1.5 - 2 hours) to not scare the bears, so maybe not best for young children. We saw local birds, bears, foxes, and an owl on the journey back. Feeding points are about 50m away, so binoculars are useful, but not vital. Throughout the watching, our guide told us a little bit about the bears and their activity, but not so much that we couldn't just quietly enjoy the bears. They monitor the bears diet as much as they can (but they are wild), and feed them a mix of their natural diet (berries, nuts, some meat etc). They are not just giving them as much nice food as possible to guarantee a sighting. We always felt safe on the tour, and our guide was happy to answer all our questions. We would definitely do this tour again if we came back!

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thank you so much for your detailed review about our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov! We thank you also for booking with Viator!

Fantastic

Roberto_M, Sep 2019

We saw 4 bears and a fox in ten minute.Tiberio was a great guide.He explained everything and involucreted in everything.We were only 3 people.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thahnk you for your review about our Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov.

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