Paths followed in Romania

Transfagarasan route

Transfagarasan route stretches over a length of almost 90 km on two lanes. Suitable for traveling over its direction with the car is from south to north, due to the steep northern slope of the Fagaras Mountains. The route is particularly due landscapes encountered many dangerous curves, big differences of level, cliffs and steep ravines and waterfalls.

The landscape is very beautiful and wild while having acelais cliff side on an area of ​​9 km. Because the route is located in the tallest of the country, it can be crossed only in summer.

Transfagarasan make connection between Muntenia and Transylvania that also connect Sibiu and Arges county.

The route presents a great attraction for tourists due to the fascinating landscape created by glacial landscape. Here we meet Vidraru lakes, The Goat, cottages, resort and cable "Cumpana Balea" waterfall and Lake Balea.

Transfagarasan begins Arefu common in Arges county, at kilometer 61 of DN7C and ends in the village Cartisoara (Sibiu), at the junction with DN1. It has about 90 kilometers long and two lanes. It's an uphill road with many switchbacks.

It has more tunnels and viaducts at "Balea Lake" passes through the longest road tunnel in Romania (887 m) Balea Tunnel. In the tunnel there is only one lane that has 6 meters wide and one meter wide sidewalk. The tunnel is artificial lighting. Road traffic is closed from late October until June because of snowy road. During the winter transfer from "Balea Waterfall" to "Balea Lake" can be done with cable over a distance of 3800 m.

"Capra-Balea Lake" road tunnel crosses mount Paltinul between 2,025 and 2,042 meters shares. With a length of 887 meters, is the longest road tunnel in Romania and the tallest building designed to transport the car in Romania. Gallery has four and a half meters, and flow is for a single lane in both directions. The tunnel is not lit and has natural ventilation. "Balea" glacial lake formed in a cirque and lies between Olt Defile and "Piatra Craiului". Located at 2,000 meters, the lake has an area of ​​over 360 square meters, and the deepest place reaching 11 meters. In 1932 the entire surface of the lake and about 200 acres around it were declared scientific reserve. Nearby was built, in 2006, the first ice hotel in Eastern Europe.

Balea Waterfall, located at 1,200 meters altitude, is one of the most popular in Romania. Water flows over rocks from a height of 68 meters and thrill lovers can ski down right next winter waterfall. In summer you can get here by car, and after the road closes on November 1, visitors can ascend by cable car from the chalet Balea Cascada.

Lake Vidraru, with a height of 166 m and a length of 307 m, stretches for a distance of about 10 km in the form of a circular arc, an important element in the landscape of the Transfagarasan. Construction on the Arges River ended in 1966, ranking it at the time one of the largest dams in Europe and the world. Lately appeared more and more hostels and cabins around the lake, some of the recreational opportunities to attract tourists.

Winter Hiking in the valley Secu

Secu Valley is a place that every year attracts increasingly more tourists. Gorgeous scenery and the large number of monasteries built in this area make a dedicated Secu valley hiking and outdoors. Views of the natural landscape is very beautiful and can be enjoyed in peace away from the noise of the city.

A special route for hikers is the way the thread Secu a road about 4 km uphill slowly, along the cliffs and old forests that leads to Secu Monastery first place where you can make a stop and you can warm up time you visit the place of worship. From here, the road heading south through sandstone cliffs and alder bushes until the valley becomes narrower and lonely. After another 3 km traversed the forest environment and Secu appears in all its beauty, serene and solitary Hermitage Monastery. Here, in the shade of old trees laden with snow and monastery cemetery is the final resting place of the Fathers Cleopas Ilie, Olaru and Ioanichie Paisie Balan. In addition to Cloister start two roads leading to the three hermitages in the woods: Hermitage "Holy Cross" and Hermitage Sihla Daniil the Hermit.

Saltworks "Slanic" Prahova

Known as being the largest salt mine in Europe, the resort Slanic is today one of the most important spas in Romania, located between the Prahova valleys Teleajenului, about 44 km from Ploiesti and at an altitude of 400 m.

Salt Mountain unique in the world, „Bride’s Cave”, „Green Bath”,” Shepherd's Bath” and  „Salt Union” are just some of the attractions of the resort which, according to the documents, more than 300 years was an important mining of salt.

As natural factors of treatment should remember the old salt mine (Union), transformed into a sanatorium, to a depth of 210 m, for the treatment of pulmonary diseases in a microclimate of salt air, able to make hot mineral water baths in tubs, cold baths in the lake, hot mud applications for gynecological treatments and electrotherapy; springs mineral water (with calcium compounds, chlorine, sodium, sulfur) and „Shepherd’s Bath”,”Red Bath”,” Pigs Bath”, „Green Bath” with high concentration the salt used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The possibilities of accommodation are multiple  from spa resort places to villas, hostels and housing in private homes.

„Bride’s Cave”

The onlyin in the country and  Europe by size the saltworks  consists 14 rooms, trapezoid shaped, with an opening at the base of 32 meters, the tray 10 meters and a height of 45 meters. The total area is 78,000 square meters and excavated area is 2.9 million cubic meters of salt.

Access to the mine is done with two elevators that carries visitors between underground and surface vertically. Elevation difference is 208 meters and the road is covered with lift in about 3 minutes. Ventilation: is naturally, the temperature of 12 degrees Celsius is constant throughout the year and the composition of air in the mine is rich in sodium ions and prophylactic improved effects in the whole range deficiencies and respiratory diseases. The sanatorium from here has 50 seats and a treatment for two weeks is sufficient for patients with lung problems. Also, mine are arranged playgrounds, a sports field, a room with pool tables and a buffet.

Tourists can admire the statues of Decebal and Traian carved in salt by artist Justin Nastase.

Bears Cave

Known as one of the spectacular touristic objectives of Apuseni Mountains, Bears Cave lies in the vicinity of the location called Chiscau, in Pietroasa Commune, Bihor District, at an altitude of 482 meters.

The name of the cave is due to the numerous bear fossils, which were found there, so therefore it represented a favorable place for shelter for the animals that used to live there 15000 years ago. Owing to the falling of a huge rock, the mouth of the cave was blocked and more than 140 bears were trapped inside. Being hungry, the bears attacked one another until they all died.

The cave was discovered in 1975 during the limestone exploitation works in the quarry from Chiscau. Until 17th September 1975 the cave was closed and in this time the subterranean pit was artificially opened through the dynamiting of the entrance gate.

The first man who went down the open pit was the miner Traian Curte from the same location. The way that he covered was from the access gallery to the Great Hall. At 20th September 1975, a group of amateur speleologists called "Speodora” accomplished the first exploitation of the cave and five years later the cave entered the touristic circuit of the country, being considered the first subterranean cavity arranged after the level of the world technique.

At the entrance of the cave, one may see a pavilion which consists of a waiting hall, a booking office, a speleological museum and a counter with artisan items. Being more than 1500m long, the cave presents galleries situated on two levels: the upper gallery is 488 meters long and is intended to tourists and the lower gallery (521m in length) is destined to the scientific research.

In this cave there are three galleries and four halls: The Candles Hall, The Spaghetti Hall, Emil Racovita Hall and The Bones Hall.

One may visit this cave starting from The Bears Gallery (called The Bones Gallery as well), where 1500 items, 140 skulls and numerous shelters for the cave bear can be seen. On the walls of the gallery, one may notice scratches left by the paws of the bears.

 In the second gallery, called Emil Racovita, one may see a bear skeleton exposed just in the position the bear died and besides that, the fossils of other animals which disappeared hundreds of years ago: a black goat species, the cave lion and cave hyena. The distance between the walls of the cave is somewhere between 10-15 meters and its vault is at 10 meters height, being adorned with numerous stalagmites, domes, water basins and stalactites.

Bears Cave

Lights Gallery – Bears Cave.

The last gallery, The Lights Gallery, welcomes us with its exciting stalagmites and stalactites which created some true statuettes ("The Mastodon”, "The Curtains from The Bears Gallery”, "The Portal”, "The Pagodas”, "The Lake With White Lilies”), statuettes that look familiar to the ones of wax, revealing a pure white that gives freedom to any visitor’s imagination. The gallery ends with a 16 meters long artificial tunnel, which is less accessible to the tourists, but it finally leads the way to surface.