Across the Carpathians… with a motorhome

A camper van versus Transfăgărășan. Does that sound bold? Drumul din nori was not built for tourists, but out of terror of russian attack following their invasion of Czechoslovakia. In desperate fear for Romania’s own survival, their dictator took action so megalomaniacal that it is rightfully called Ceaușescu madness. The result is the mountain road so inhospitable, that it is impassable for eight months of the year. Road through vast wilderness, where fog rolls in endless serpentines, where bears roam even along the road itself, and where weather seems as hostile as the surrounding nature. But by many also considered the best road of the world.

Driving through this rocky wasteland in a camper van is more than just a crazy idea. It is a clash between technology and ancient mountains that still retain their wild and inhospitable face. And this is where the story begins, unlike any other road trip. I don’t know what experience awaits me, but one thing is certain. My first journey will be the trial by fire.

When you look at the map, it seems innocent enough – a few turns, a few extra kilometers. But the elevation profile reveals the truth: the Carpathians are not hills. They are mountains that test what you and your car can endure. The steep climb is long, but manageable. The real challenge comes on the descent. Kilometers of endless serpentines, steep slopes, abysses without guardrails in heights over 2000m, and deep below you, endless forests where perhaps only wolves would find you. A motorhome is not built for mountain winding roads, but here you have no choice.

And it’s not just the brakes that could betray you. The narrow road doesn’t allow for mistakes – a truck carrying logs or a bus, which has the right of way because it has nowhere to swerve, could easily come hurtling towards you. In the fog, you can’t see more than a few meters ahead, in a storm the serpentine roads turn into a slide, and at night you are engulfed by pitch-black darkness amidst the terrifying bear’s growling and howling of wolf packs. All this is Transfăgărășan (and not less breathtaking Transalpina 😉).

Going there with a motorhome is perhaps a little too much crazy. But that’s exactly why it’s so appealing. Because when you stop at the top by the lake, get out, and see the raw, fog-covered peaks rising around you, you know you’ve conquered something unique.