College student goes missing near Dracula’s castle during solo hike
Bran Castle, known as Dracula’s Castle, illuminated at twilight, with a village in the foreground and forested mountains behind, in Transylvania, Romania. kanuman – stock.adobe.com
A British teenager has gone missing while hiking alone near Romania’s Bran Castle — famously linked to the Dracula legend — after calling emergency services to report hypothermia and exhaustion.
George Smyth, 18, a University of Bristol student, was last heard from on November 23 while trekking through the dense forests of the Bucegi Mountains toward the village of Bran, the Times reported.
During his solo hike, Smyth called Romanian mountain rescue, telling operators he was exhausted, hypothermic, and unsure of his location. Despite days of intensive searching, rescuers have yet to locate him. His rucksack, containing supplies, was found near the area from which he made his distress call.
Smyth’s mother, Jo Smyth, described her son as “a sporty and strong young man” who frequently travels with family and friends, but said this trip was unusual.
“He left his university in the United Kingdom on Sunday, without telling us, to go hiking alone,” she told the Times. “His phone last had signal in a remote mountain area. He made a distressing call to 112 [Romania’s emergency line] on Sunday evening. I flew to Romania immediately, and we are trying to support the search teams as best we can.”
Authorities believe Smyth began his hike from the resort town of Poiana Brașov and reached roughly 10 to 15 miles away in the Tiganesti Valley when he called for help — the same location where his belongings were later found.
Poiana Brașov and Bran are linked by forest trails that climb sharply into alpine terrain, which can be particularly treacherous in cold conditions. Depending on his exact location, Smyth would have still needed to hike another 12 to 19 miles to reach Bran Castle.
Search efforts have been hindered by severe weather and heavy snowfall. The Zărnești Local Public Mountain Rescue Service warned on Facebook that the upcoming weather is unlikely to improve search conditions.
In some areas, snow accumulations exceed six feet, forcing rescue teams to deploy a Black Hawk helicopter, sniffer dogs, and a drone with thermal imaging to access remote terrain.
Winter in the Bucegi Mountains is notoriously hazardous, with sudden weather changes, deep snow, icy trails, and unstable snowpacks that can disorient hikers. Hidden cliffs and drop-offs in the region have also caused avalanches, according to Romania-Insider.
Temperatures in the mountains typically range from the low to high 30s Fahrenheit during winter. A University of Timișoara study found that between 2011 and 2020, the Bucegi Mountains received more than 800 rescue calls, resulting in 419 injuries and 21 deaths. In 260 of those incidents, hikers became lost due to exhaustion, panic, or disorientation.
The University of Bristol told the Times it is “deeply concerned” for Smyth and is maintaining close contact with his family.
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