A Trip to the Bucegi Mountains
The Bucegi Massif in Romanias Southern Carpathians is considered to be the hotspot of the countrys mountaineering activities, thanks to its numerous marked routes.
Daniel Onea, 04.07.2013, 15:29
The Bucegi Natural Park, stretching across the entire massif is one of the country’s most sought after tourist destinations, second only to the Danube Delta. That’s why we invite all mountain lovers to accompany us on a trip to the Bucegi Mountains, to discover their attractions, routes, flora and fauna.
The Bucegi Natural Park, which marks the boundary of the Southern Carpathians in central Romania covers an area of 32 thousand hectares. Those who dare climb the mountain discover not only breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, but also a very lively place. The chamois is the Bucegi Mountains’ icon. Additionally, if you’re lucky enough to be in the company of a specialized guide, you can also see the Carpathian bear, the stag or the mountain rooster. As for the flora, you should not miss the well-known edelweiss, which has been declared a monument of nature. Winter sports, summer sports and outings, all these can make your vacation truly special, if you choose to spend it in the Bucegi Mountains.
There are also quite a few people who are bold enough to take up horse riding. With details on that, here is mountain ranger Horia Iancu, the head of the Bucegi Natural Park: ”The state-owned stud farms in the area carry out mainly horse riding activities and are also testing the quality of the horses we breed. Just like every year, we have an eventful competition agenda, since until late July there are around 20 contests to run, with 10 more others to go in the national stage. We have steeple chase, resistance tests, carriage events, testing the value of the horses we breed. Some 150 horses are usually used in the tourist activities we carry out in the forest. Some of them belong to our stud farms, while several others can be found on the premises of other national and natural park administrations. People want to ride horses when they decide to spend some time outdoors.”
There is a big flow of tourists, there are also lots of routes for them while people’s safety and nature preservation are among the priorities of the Bucegi Natural Park Administration. “We took all precautions we considered appropriate, to cope with the flow of tourists who can come to our protected natural area. We revamped boards, signs, theme routes and jointly with our mates from the Mountain Rescue Services we retraced the tourist routes. Thanks to European funds, we tried to provide an extra number of six theme routes, and we’re still during the bidding period for the setting up of a visiting centre in Busteni. A relatively large building, covering around 1,200 square meters, will be made available to visitors. They will be informed on the park’s natural heritage as well as on the park’s visiting rules.“
There are no less than 42 monuments of nature in the Bucegi Mountains, best known being “Babele” (the Crones) and the Sphinx. The most abrupt steep in the country is Caraiman, in the same area. You have two lakes there to admire, Bolboci and Scropoasa, making for a great scenery, and, if you happen there in winter, you can see migratory birds which nest there in winter. Your best choice is to go to the local park management to ask about your opportunities in the area.
Horia Iuncu, head of the Bucegi Natural Park, has further details: “As part of the project that optimizes the tourist infrastructure in Bucegi, we have available seven theme circuits. The purpose is to provide tourists information about the special scenery here, and to make sure that visitors have the least negative impact on the environment. At this point we have a circuit of around 400 meters around the highest altitude peat bog in Romania, which until now was inaccessible to tourists because it was too messy to walk around. We also have a circuit for the Urlatoarea waterfall, which is open summer and winter, and our regular tourists know that, and come at all times of the year. Another circuit is the Seven Springs — Rasnov circuit, and some other high altitude rails around Dambovita.”
Urlatoarea waterfall is 15 meters high. It consists of a main waterfall and several smaller ones. The name, which translates into Romanian as Screamer, comes from the sound made by the waterfall after abundant rains.
The Bucegi Natural Park is the first protected area in Romania which boasts a legally approved management plan, under a government ordinance. Horia Iuncu: “The park has a special chapter in the law on tourism, regarding the rules for visiting and the emergence of alternative forms of tourism meant to better protect the environment. For instance, hunting was turned into green tourism, replacing the shooting of guns with the shooting of photographs. Tourists enjoy that, and they love tracking animals in the wild to take pictures. We obviously preserve fauna that way, and we produce the least negative impact we can, all things considered.”
If you head out to Bucegi, you mustn’t miss the Peles and Pelisor mansion museums. You can also see the string of resorts on Prahova Valley, on the edges of the park. You will definitely relish in the image of the monumental cross dedicated to the heroes of the First World War, 2,291 meters in altitude, unique in Europe by its placement and size. It is 28 meters high, with side beams seven meters each. In the hope that we have piqued your interest, we eagerly await your proposals for our next destination.
