Day 01: Arrive Chisinau.
Arrival at Chisinau meet and assist at the Airport and transferred to hotel. After settling in you can have a walk through downtown and explore the city centre on your own.
Overnight in Hotel.

Day 02: Visit of Fetesti Nature Reserve often named the “Little Switzerland of Moldova”
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be transferred to Trinca village and you will take part in a pleasant and easy morning hike following the itinerary Trinca – Fetesti (~ 9 km). You will discover Fetesti Nature Reserve, often named the “Little Switzerland of Moldova” because the surroundings that give the illusion of being in a mountainous region, when in fact, there are no actual mountains. You will be amazed by the uniqueness of Northern Moldova’s nature characterized by steep cliffs and imposing rock formations around the Prut River. You can be assured that while climbing your way up some of those cliffs and taking a look at the impressive views, your adrenaline levels will skyrocket.

In Fetesti village, you will visit the violin and cello factory and enjoy the lunch at a local guesthouse.

After lunch, you will visit the Limestone Extraction Mine in Fetesti village, which is rich in limestone deposits, denoting the greatness of the force of nature that created enchanting landscapes.

Next, you will be transferred to Edinet where you will check in at the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day on your own.
Overnight in hotel.

Day 03: Discovery of La Castel Landscape Reserve including the Cretaceous rock named the “Dragon’s tooth”
In the morning, you will be transferred to Gordinest village from where you will follow the hiking itinerary: Gordinesti – Brinzeni (~ 16 km). You will walk towards La Castel Landscape Reserve that will offer you a breath-taking view of the Racovat river, Gordinesti village and the solitary Cretaceous rock named the “Dragon’s tooth” by the locals. Not too far from Brinzeni village, you will see Brinzeni gorge that is 100 meters deep and 150 meters wide. It’s a very picturesque site. In Brinzeni, you will also visit the War Memorial.

Next, you will be transferred to Zabriceni village, where you will have an excursion and lunch at Zabriceni Monastery.

After lunch, you will be transferred to Glodeni, where you will check in at “Butoias” guesthouse and have some free time.
Overnight in Hotel.

Day 04: Hiking at Suta de Movile Landscape Reserve, Cheile Butesti gorge and Padurea Domneasca Nature Reserve
The day will begin with a transfer to Suta de Movile (A Hundred Mounds) Landscape Reserve, a unique geological phenomenon in the space between Prut and Dniester rivers. The mounds are much more than 100, as there are over 3500. Their heights range between 1.5 m and 30.5 m. Dimitrie Cantemir, who named in his book “Descriptio Moldoviae” this geological phenomenon as “Centum Monticulli”, completed its first documentary attestation in 1716.

Later you will be transferred to Butesti village where another hike awaits you from Cheile Butesti to Cobani village (~8 km). Cheile Butesti gorge is dug by the Camenca River in a reef with a length of over 2 km and a width of 125 m, located in the south of Butesti village, Glodeni district. The coral limestone reef was formed 15-20 million years ago from corals, mollusks, clams, algae, cattle and marine organisms that populated the warm waters of the Sarmatian and Tortonian seas covering northern Moldova at that time.

After having witnessed the remains of the coral reef, you will be able to connect with the locals in the Cobani village while having a lunch break.

Next, you will enjoy a hike from Cobani to Camenca Lake (~10 km), from where you will be transferred to Moara Domneasca village.

Right next to the village, the biggest nature reserve of scientific interest in Moldova named Padurea Domneasca (The Royal Forest) is located on the meadowlands of the middle Prut river. Along the river Prut, covering a vast area, a meadow forest extends with its characteristic species for this type of environment: willow-trees, oaks, poplars, beeches, etc. During the excursion at Padurea Domneasca you will also visit the Bisons’ refuge.

After the excursion, you will be transferred to “Butoias” guesthouse.
Overnight in Hotel.

Day 05: Glodeni – Pociumbeni – Horodiste – Varatic – Butuceni
In and around Butuceni
after breakfast check out of the guest house and transferred to Pociumbeni, a small yet charming village documentary attested in 1672. Here, you will have a short tour of the village, during which you will see the monument “The Cross of the Witnesses of Hunger 1946-1947”, as well as the cemetery of boyar and poet Teodor Varnav.

Next, you will have a pleasant hike of about 5 km, from Pociubeni to Horodiste, at the end of which you will visit a very nice church.

Later on, another little hike awaits you. From Horodiste, you’ll hike to Varatic (~4 km) where you will have lunch. Then you’ll be transferred to the Varatic bridge, from where you will hike to a beautiful waterfall and to Moldova’s Fjords. This later attraction, the Moldovan “mountains”, are not made of stone, as you’d think, but of remains of living creatures from the prehistoric era, when the Tortonian and Sarmatian Seas used to cover these lands.

A few hours later you will be transferred to Butuceni, check in at the guesthouse and have some free time.
Overnight in Hotel.

Day 06: Butuceni – Furceni – Trebujeni – Butuceni – Cricova – Chisinau
In and around Cricova
In the morning, you will be transferred to Furceni, where you will start the first hike of the day following the itinerary: Furceni – Trebujeni – Butuceni (~16 km). While hiking you will visit stone caves where remnants of the first human settlements where found, dating from tens of thousands of year ago. On your way up a rocky hill you will find the ruins of a strong Geto-Dacian fortification, Moldovan ancestors described by Herodotus as being “the bravest of the Thracians” in his historic writings from the 5th century B.C. They where also mentioned by Sophocles, Strabo and many other historians and philosophers from ancient Greece. The originality of Orheiul Vechi’s landscape is due to the defile of the Raut river, dug under the form of a canyon in the limestone layers of the former Sarmatian sea, about 14 million years ago.

In the afternoon, you will have lunch in Butuceni at a local guesthouse (not included in the price).

Next, you will enjoy an excursion and wine tasting at Cricova, one of the most impressive underground wine cellars in the country and in the world. Covering nearly 120 km, this truly mesmerizing wine gallery will blow your mind with its 70 underground streets, that bear the names of famous wine types such as Sauvignon, Cabernet, etc. The jewel of the underground treasure is the National Collection, including over 600 types of wine totaling about 1 million bottles. Here you can admire the oldest bottle of wine – “Jewish Easter Wine”, dating from 1902. While at Cricova, you will have the chance of participating in an amazing wine tasting experience in one of the many tasting halls of the underground “city”.

In the evening, you will be transferred to Chisinau.
Overnight in Hotel.

Day 07: Depart Chisinau
After breakfast departure transfer to Airport to catch the flight for onward journey.

Day 01: Start Chisinau.
Fly to Chisinau, transfer to hotel.

Day 02: Walking tour of Chisinau. Visit Ohrei Monastery.     B-L
This morning we set out on foot from our hotel for a walking tour of the Moldovan capital. Although the city dates back to 1420, a huge earthquake in 1940 destroyed most of the historic centre, while WWII accounted for most of what was left. Chisinau was then rebuilt in a Soviet-style, leaving a city dominated by Brutalist buildings, but there are some quirky gems including the now abandoned Winter Circus, Triumphal Arch and the bell tower of the Nativity Cathedral. The central market is another highlight. First opened in 1825, it has been the centre of life in the city ever since. It’s worth braving the crowds for lovely fresh fruit, nuts and wine.

Heading out of the city we stop for a traditional home-cooked lunch in a small farmstead. From here we visit the beautiful, isolated hilltop Orhei Monastery dating back to the 14th century. Our final stop before returning to Chisinau is the Milestii Mici Winery, home to the largest wine cellar in the world. Here we will drive down into the cellar in the tour bus, past hundreds of barrels of the ‘holy drink’ as it’s known locally. We will try several varieties of wine and learn about the fascinating history of oenology in this far corner of Europe.

Day 03: Full day excursion to Transnistria; transfer to Odessa. B
Our destination for today is one of Eastern Europe’s strangest. Transnistria is a self-declared republic occupying a narrow strip of land in the east of Moldova. A microstate, it is officially only recognised by the people who live there. Yet they have their own currency, postal service and border force. The region harks back to the days of the USSR and is staunchly pro-Russian, although it gets little financial support in return. There are photo-worthy busts of Lenin all over the city. No trip to Moldova is complete without seeing Transnistria.

In the late afternoon we transfer to Odessa on Ukraine’s Black Sea Coast. Journey time is about 2 hours however the border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine may take some time.

Day 04: Full day in Odessa; morning city tour.       B
This morning we wake up in Odessa, Ukraine’s third largest city, on the Black Sea coast. A warm water port, Odessa has had a short but turbulent history. When founded in the 18th century Russia’s Catherine the Great invited immigrants from across Europe to come and make their fortune in Odessa, thus creating a thriving multicultural city of Jews, Turks, Armenians, Italians, Germans and Poles. With the outbreak of WWII this population diversity would sadly be its downfall. In more recent times the city has had its problems especially during the 2014 revolution, but now the city is booming once again. Its beautiful tree-lined avenues and seaside boulevards are a perfect place to relax and see a different side to Ukraine. The ornate opera house and Potemkin Steps are architectural must-sees.

After a city tour, we enjoy free time, before boarding the overnight sleeper train to Lviv.

Day 05: Arrive Lviv, guided walking tour.      B
We arrive early into Ukraine’s cultural capital Lviv, stopping at our hotel for breakfast and to store our luggage. We will try to secure a number of of day rooms so you can freshen up but please note this is not always possible. We then head out for a morning walking tour of this beautiful city, before enjoying free time in the afternoon. We recommend climbing the clock tower of the town hall for a panoramic view of the old town.

Lviv’s UNESCO listed old town easily competes with the likes of Krakow and Vilnius in terms of charm and history. It’s full of colourful townhouses, fine churches, cobbled streets and cosy cafés. Ukrainian cultural identity is stronger here than anywhere else in the country, but with a wonderful mix of Polish, Jewish, Hungarian and even Armenian history thrown into the mix. Lviv really is a delight and surprisingly untouched by mass tourism.

Day 06: Transfer to Kyiv by train; free evening.      B
This morning we board the train to Kyiv (journey time 8hrs approx.), Ukraine’s mighty capital city and home to over 2.5 million people. The Ukrainian capital seems to have hardly left the news in recent years, sadly for all the wrong reasons, but its citizens are made of strong stuff and are keen to show their beautiful city to the world.
There will be some free time in the evening to enjoy the city or take dinner on the capital’s most famous street, Khreshchatyk.

Day 07: Morning tour of Kyiv; free time in the afternoon.      B
This morning we enjoy a walking tour of Kyiv’s main sights, including Maiden Square, the site of the revolutions of 2004 and 2013. As well as St. Sofia Cathedral and the Monastery of St. Michael Archangel.

The afternoon is free for you to enjoy this fascinating city at your leisure. You may choose to visit the Pechersk Lavra Monastery with its complex of caves housing mummified nuns. While the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War gives you a macabre, Soviet perspective, it also offers great views of the city.

Ukraine Hotel or similar

Day 08: End Kyiv / Optional day tour to Chernobyl. B
Our tour ends after breakfast. Alternatively, you may choose to stay another day for a guided tour of Chernobyl and the abandoned town of Pripyat.

One of the most well-known events in Soviet history occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 130km north of Kyiv in April 1986. Here reactor No.4 exploded, spreading lethal radiation, first over the town of Pripyat and later large swathes of Europe. Many see this event as the beginning of the end of support for the USSR in Ukraine.

This tour takes you to the heart of the exclusion zone; you will see the power station and the abandoned town of Pripyat, frozen in time, like a scene from an apocalyptic future. Our expert guide will lead you safely through the area and tell the story of one of recent history’s most notorious disasters. This is a long day leaving the hotel at about 08:30 and returning to Kyiv at about 20:30, but certainly worth staying in Ukraine another day for.