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Prejmer fortified church, European Bison & the Screaming Waterfall
A UNESCO fortress, a herd of European bison, and a waterfall you can walk on — all within an hour of Brașov.
550 RON (~110 EUR) / person
Small-group day trip from Brașov. Maximum 4 guests. Hybrid vehicle.
About this tour
You will be collected from your hotel in Brașov and travel by eco-friendly hybrid vehicle eastward through the Țara Bârsei plain, with the Bucegi and Ciucaș massifs marking the horizon ahead.
Your first stop is Prejmer, just 17 kilometres from Brașov — and one of the most remarkable things you can see this close to the city. The fortified church here is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest of its kind in southeastern Europe: a Gothic structure begun by the Teutonic Knights in 1218, ringed by circular walls that reach nearly 12 metres high and up to 5 metres thick. Inside, you will explore a maze of over 270 rooms on four levels — shelters and storage spaces where entire Saxon families took refuge during the repeated Ottoman raids that swept through the region between the 13th and 17th centuries. The village of Prejmer was destroyed more than 50 times during that period; the fortress was almost never taken. Your guide will bring this history to life as you walk the corridors, climb to the battlements, and step inside the Gothic church, whose gilded altarpiece — the oldest triptych in Transylvania, dating to around 1450 — remains remarkably intact. Prejmer is also the only fortified church in Transylvania to earn three stars in the Michelin Green Guide.
From Prejmer you continue southeast along the Buzău valley toward Vama Buzăului, where the landscape opens into forested hills beneath the Ciucaș Massif. Here, at the Valea Zimbrilor reserve, you will come face to face with the European bison — the heaviest land mammal on the continent, once extinct in the wild and now the subject of an active Carpathian rewilding programme. The reserve has grown steadily since its founding in 2008, with bison brought from Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France; a herd of over 30 now roams its meadows and woodland. You will walk the perimeter path at an unhurried pace, observing the herd — and the deer, reindeer and mouflon that share the reserve — with your guide providing context on the conservation effort and the animals themselves.
A short drive from the reserve brings you to the Urlătoarea Waterfall — locally known as the Screaming Waterfall, named for the sound the water makes as it spills from the mountain. This is one of Romania's most unusual natural phenomena: rather than a single cascade, dozens of linear springs seep directly out of the reddish limestone face and spread across its surface in a constant, unbroken film of water. The flow has remained unchanged for centuries. A 10-15 minute walk through mixed forest along the stream brings you to the foot of the falls, where you can step onto the rock face itself and, with the right footwear, walk on water. Wooden benches and tables line the path — a natural place to stop and take in the quiet of the Ciucaș foothills before the drive back to Brașov.
If you would like to make an afternoon of it, a traditional lunch at a local gastronomic point in Vama Buzăului can be arranged between the reserve and the waterfall. The village is known for its certified organic produce and farm-to-table cooking — expect hearty Transylvanian dishes made from ingredients grown and raised in the surrounding hills. Each guest settles their own bill directly.
Includes
- Comfortable hybrid vehicle transport from/to Brașov
- Hotel or agreed-point pickup and drop-off
- Small-group experience (maximum 4 guests)
- English-speaking local guide throughout
- Entry ticket to Prejmer Fortified Church
- Entry ticket to Valea Zimbrilor Bison Reserve
Excludes
- Meals and drinks (optional lunch available — guests pay individually)
- Personal expenses
Important information
- The Prejmer church involves stairways and uneven surfaces — sturdy, closed-toe footwear is recommended.
- Not suitable for people with significant mobility impairments (Prejmer's wall rooms and corridors involve steep wooden staircases).
- Waterproof footwear is strongly recommended if you wish to walk on the cascade face itself; trail shoes are fine for the forest path.
- The bison are wild animals with freedom to roam a large enclosure — sightings are excellent but not guaranteed at close range.
- Visitors must follow reserve rules at all times: Animal feeding permitted only with food bought on-site, no climbing fences.
- The group is limited to a maximum of 4 guests in the vehicle.
- Note: Prejmer Fortified Church opens at 11:00 on Sundays — Sunday departures will be scheduled accordingly.
