Located
\nin Transylvania, western Romania, Apuseni Mountains stand out not just through
\ntheir altitude, but the plethora of opportunities for leisure activities they
\noffer. Here, the beauty and rarity of karst formations, one of the rarest in
\nEurope, have led to the creation of a protected area over a surface of 76
\nthousand hectares. Alin Mo\u0219 is the director of the Apuseni Mountains
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
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It’s
\nan easy-to-access area, since its alpine sections rarely exceed 1,800 meters.
\nThere are ridge areas without big differences in terms of altitude, and the
\ntrails aren’t that difficult so as to require any special training. Apuseni
\nNature Reserve has been an appealing place ever since the early 19th
\ncentury. A number of visitation programs have been developed here over the
\nyears. The onset of the 20th century saw the first tourist circuits,
\nespecially in certain sections where ladders and railings could be set up. The first
\nbalconies in birds’ eye’s view spots were created over 100 years ago. At the
\ntime, Apuseni was less accessible to the wider public, more savage and less touched
\nby civilization. Today, the central part of our reserve preserves its appeal
\nparticularly for that reason. <\/p>\n
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Apuseni
\nis the third-largest nature reserve in Romania, Alin Mo\u0219, the director of the
\nApuseni Nature Reserve administration told us. <\/p>\n
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We
\ncontinue to protect and preserve everything pertaining to long-term interactions
\nbetween man and nature. We have large human settlements in the reserve, over
\n10,000 people living in three counties: Bihor, Cluj and Alba. Much of the
\nreserve’s surface is the historical region called\u021aara Mo\u021bilor. In
\nthat respect, the local culture and traditions are the main attraction in the
\narea. <\/p>\n
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Karst
\nformations are one of the highlights of Apuseni. These are structures resulting
\nin the formation of caves, sinkholes or gorges. A site of international
\nimportance is the Sc\u0103ri\u0219oara glacier cave. Alin Mo\u0219 told us more. <\/p>\n
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It
\nis world famous, particularly after 2009, when a series of studies made a new
\nmeasurement of the ice within the cave, which is estimated at over 130,000
\ncubic meters, making Sc\u0103ri\u0219oara the largest underground ice cave in the world.
\nIt’s also one of the oldest in Europe, over 4,000 years old. The Sc\u0103ri\u0219oara Glacier
\nCave features unique ice stalactites and stalagmites, creating a particular
\nappeal for visitors. Starting 2021, sections of the cave will undergo
\nrehabilitation works, so as to improve tourists’ safety and comfort. <\/p>\n
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The
\nPonor natural citadel is another important tourist objective and an emblem of
\nApuseni. Alin Mo\u0219 with the details: <\/p>\n
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It’s
\na karst formation of special importance. It’s basically the junction of three
\nsinkholes, measuring one kilometer in diameter, which make up a cave. There’s a
\n70-meter-high portal by its entrance. The first thing that fascinates tourists
\nis the grandeur of this natural monument, surrounded by spruce old-growth
\nforests. The landscape in itself is breathtaking, making for a unique visiting
\nexperience. <\/p>\n
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The
\nApuseni Nature Reserve is actually home to over 1,500 caves. Many of them run
\nvery deep. Until recently, Apuseni had the deepest cave on national record,
\nsecond only to a cave in Piatra Craiului. Most of them are close to visitation,
\nalthough others are open. One of them is the famous Bears’ Cave. Right now, it
\nhas one of the most developed infrastructures in Romania, hosting as many as
\n100 thousand guests every year. Most people who come here also stop by to visit
\none of these caves, Alin Mo\u0219, the director of the Apuseni Nature Reserve told
\nus. <\/p>\n
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Our
\noffice focuses on developing new visitation experiences. In 2009, the European
\nCommission designated Apuseni as a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN).
\nSubsequently, we got involved in many projects aimed at supporting local
\ncommunities and entrepreneurs in the development of eco-friendly businesses,
\nincluding in the field of tourism, accommodation units and local products. Many
\nof these got certified with the reserve’s logo. When someone buys such a
\nproduct and sees the Apuseni Reserve logo, they know the product is 100%
\nnatural. <\/p>\n
\n
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As
\nyou can see, Apuseni makes for an ideal destination for the entire family,
\nparticularly in the summer season. (V.P.)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Apuseni Mountains are famous for their beautiful landscape and numerous natural objectives<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":150076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43423],"tags":[44011,44254,44041],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-150433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travellers-guide","tag-apuseni-mountains","tag-karst-formations","tag-nature-reserve"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n