With support from Rewilding Europe Capital, a new boutique guesthouse has opened in Romania’s Southern Carpathians, strengthening nature-based tourism in the region. The beautiful new accommodation offers guests the chance to reconnect with nature and witness the positive impact of rewilding first-hand.
Strengthening nature-based tourism
A 40,000-euro loan from Rewilding Europe Capital — Rewilding Europe’s enterprise loan facility — has enabled Romanian entrepreneur Bianca-Oana Ceraceanu to open the doors of Retezat 83, a beautiful new guesthouse nestled in the Southern Carpathian mountains.
By investing in small-scale tourism, Rewilding Europe Capital is supporting both local livelihoods and the rewilding of the landscape. The growth of nature-based tourism here can help people and nature thrive together.
Immersing guests in nature
Retezat 83 is located close to Retezat National Park in the village of Râu de Mori, within the Southern Carpathians rewilding landscape. It has two beautifully furnished tiny homes — named “Serenity” and “Sunshine” — which have bathrooms and kitchens and can each accommodate two adults. The Rewilding Europe Capital loan, which was disbursed at the beginning of 2025, was used to purchase the wooden homes from a company in northeast Romania, build them, and develop the site where they are located.
“We are offering cosy, authentic, high-quality accommodation in a beautiful part of the Romanian countryside,” says Bianca-Oana, who also worked on the interior design of the homes. “Guests who stay with us are perfectly placed to explore the rich natural and cultural heritage of the area and to deepen their connection with nature. My partner and I are on hand to meet guests, to help them explore, and to promote rewilding and the efforts of the Rewilding Romania team.”
The bigger picture: supporting local businesses
Between 2014 and 2024, Rewilding Europe and WWF-Romania translocated nearly 100 European bison to Romania’s Țarcu Mountains – a part of the Southern Carpathians rewilding landscape where no wild bison had roamed free for at least 250 years. Thanks to the ongoing work of Rewilding Romania and WWF-Romania, this population has now grown to over 200 individuals. Partnership agreements signed by Rewilding Romania with both Retezat National Park and Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park mean the growing bison herds can safely increase their geographical range, with the partners exploring opportunities for scaling up wildlife comeback beyond bison.
To help nature and people flourish alongside each other, the Rewilding Romania team are now supporting the growth of high-quality, sustainable nature-based tourism across the landscape. An informal network of local nature-based businesses — including many related to tourism — has been established, with many benefitting from a series of in-person workshops organised in 2024 and 2025. This is how the Rewilding Romania team met Bianca-Oana and led her to apply for the Rewilding Europe Capital loan.
In 2025, as part of this workshop programme, 96 people from local communities have received training in how to open small restaurants serving authentic local food. With Rewilding Romania on hand to provide continued support, those restaurants that do open will prioritise the use of ingredients from farmers in areas where bison frequently roam and graze. Some people have reached out for more information about applying for a Rewilding Europe Capital loan as a means of taking their business plans forwards.
A window onto rewilding
Retezat 83 offers more than a place to stay. Guests can use bicycles and stand-up paddle boards to explore the surrounding landscape and join birdwatching and hiking trips into Retezat National Park. Bianca-Oana Ceraceanu wants her guesthouse to become one of the main boutique accommodations in the Retezat National Park area — and a window onto the rewilding of the Southern Carpathian mountains.
“Our guests have enjoyed bison trekking in the Armeniș area, which is a 90-minute drive to the southwest,” she says. “This is not only a memorable experience in its own right, but also deepens their understanding of the work the Rewilding Romania team are doing to support nature recovery.”
Moving forwards, Bianca-Oana will collaborate with a local restaurant serving authentic Romanian food and may add another two tiny homes and a small camping site.
Retezat: huge growth potential
Romania’s nature tourism market is now growing strongly. The Făgăraș Mountains, for example, which are located in the centre of the country and also part of the Southern Carpathian chain, are already a well-know European wildlife destination. Retezat National Park, which is the oldest national park in Romania, has enormous potential for sustainable nature tourism, yet is currently underdeveloped, offering visitors a very limited selection of accommodation, campsites, restaurants, and nature guides.
“Retezat National Park could follow a similar pathway to the Făgăraș Mountains,” says Daniel Veríssimo, Rewilding Europe’s Conservation Finance Expert. “But the area needs more high-quality accommodation, restaurants, and other tourism offerings. Rewilding Europe Capital and the Rewilding Romania team have been very happy to support Retezat 83, because this is the perfect example of a business that can help realise the potential of the area.”
Calling all nature-based entrepreneurs
As a specialist financing division of Rewilding Europe, Rewilding Europe Capital has been providing commercial loans and business development advice to nature-positive businesses located in and around our rewilding landscapes since 2014. The overall goal is to grow rewilding impact, support the development of nature-based economies, and pilot new ways of doing new business that are good for both nature and people.
Rewilding Europe Capital has disbursed loans with a cumulative value of around 2.4 million euros to more than 20 European partners since 2014. The facility is aiming to disburse around 10 new loans every year — worth a maximum value of 100,000 euros — through till 2030. The growth of nature-based business networks in many of Rewilding Europe’s rewilding landscapes, such as the one being developed by Rewilding Romania, is supporting this ambition.
“We want to invest in both new and existing enterprises that can enhance rewilding impact across Europe – both on land and in the sea,” says Daniel Veríssimo. “If you own or know of a business that you believe would benefit from a partnership with Rewilding Europe Capital, or if you’d like further information, please contact me.”
Book your stay at Retezat 83
Retezat 83 can be booked through Instagram and Airbnb. It will shortly be available to book on Wilder Places, Rewilding Europe’s tourism booking platform, which launched in July.