You will most often encounter them on the Transfagarasan road, but increasingly in many other regions of Romania as well… the brown bears.
First of all, our BIG REQUEST:
DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!!
DO NOT ATTRACT THE BEARS!!
DO NOT stop and, ABOVE ALL, NEVER GET OUT OF THE CAR!!
BEARS are wild animals of the forest, not “tourist attractions.” Please respect this when driving and when encountering one or more bears! Enjoy the moment, but stay in your car and simply continue driving slowly.
In Romania, especially in the Carpathians, there are about 8,000 to 12,000 wild brown bears, and unfortunately more and more are drawn to roads and towns because they receive food from drivers or travelers. As a result, they keep returning, often with their cubs, to the roadside.
We understand, it is a special experience… but bears can also be very dangerous, especially a mother bear with her cubs. Mothers know: when it comes to the kids, the fun ends quickly, and things can become very dangerous. So once again… PLEASE SHOW RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPECT for these animals.
Feeding or attracting bears destroys their natural way of life… for just a moment of entertainment. So please, let the bears be bears, do not feed them and also do not stop when you see one or more on the roadside. Standing still only signals to the bear that food is coming. And getting out of the car to see a bear up close should NEVER happen. Thank you!
And for those who truly want to see bears up close, there are bear-watching stations (for example, here in Covasna County > https://medveles.hu/en/programs/tourist-bear-watching) where you can observe them safely, together with experienced guides.