Romania and its breath-taking mountain scenery

We're heading, today, to one of Romania's most spectacular mountain massifs, Piatra Craiului. It is the place where you can have the breath-taking glimpse of the chamois, officially declared nature monuments.The first step towards the protection of the area had officially been taken in 1938, when a nature reserve was founded in the region. Today we 're about to discover a wide range of tourist routes and natural attractions. All of them are accessible, since that mountain massif lies only 25 kilometers from the city of Brasov. Mircea Verghelet is the director of the park administration. 

Mircea Verghelet:

"It is one of Romania's 13 national parks. In terms of surface area, the park straddles the counties of Brasov and Arges, lying in the vicinity of the Rucar-Bran pass, a road with a very special scenery. You can see the Bucegi Mountains on one side, while the Piatra Craiului Mountains can be seen on the other side. To the west, we have two valleys, Brasov County's Barsa valley and the Dambovita river valley in Arges County. Practically, the Piatra Craiului National Park is surrounded by these two passes. The mountain is very spectacular. It is a limy ridge. It is Romania's only limestone area lying at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. It has a unique feature, meaning that the layers of limestone, a sedimental stone that was formed on the bottom of the sea, are vertically placed, as a result of the tectonic movements, mainly in the northern area. Normally, these limestone layers are found on a horizontal position. So, very spectacular forms of reliefs were thus formed, with steep areas, with vertical walls, with valleys and detritus areas."

In Piatra Craiului, quite unlike other regions across the country, since hunting has been officially banned for almost all species, the chamois are very friendly with the tourists. They even take pictures of the chamois with their cellphones, with no strong zoom-in objectives needed. Sometimes, the chamois are four, maybe five meters close to the tourists. For those who can climb all the way up to the ridge areas, mainly in the summer, running into the chamois can be a great joy, and the pictures become memories they take home with them. 

The director of the Piatra Craiului National Park Administration, Mircea Verghelet: 

"There are 44 tourists routes, marked and approved, with various degrees of difficulty. First, there are the routes surrounding the massif at its foot, in the forested areas, which are more accessible. Then I should like to mention the routes cutting across the gorges. We've got the limy canyons in the northern area, but also in the southern area. To the north we've got the Zarnesti precipice, an area famed because of its escalation opportunities as well. To the south, we've got the Dambovicioara Gorges, the Brusturet and the Dambovita Gorges. A forest road or public or communal roads cut across these gorges, just like in the southern area. The routes are more accessible down below. As we're approaching the ridge, especially on the western slope, which is steeper, the routes become more difficult. For the summer, tourists need to have the equipment required for climbing: boots, raincoat, a cell phone so that they can announce the Mountain Rescue Services if unpredictable events occur. Then it is very important that they have water. In Piatra Craiului, there are no water sources in the ridge area. However, for the winter season, we recommend those who want to take the usual hiking itineraries and do not have the skills required for climbing, to follow only the routes at the foot of the mountain. The trails in the ridge areas are off-limits for the lay public."

Before setting out on a hiking route, you should get info about the trail.  

Mircea Verghelet:

"You can visit our Internet page, at pcrai.ro, where you can search a map for the visiting itineraries. You can see them using Google Earth. Also, we have a printed copy of a tourist map you can purchase from us. Our visiting center is one of Romania's most modern such centers. Its layout is that of a tourist itinerary, to be taken if you want to get acquainted with the Piatra Craiului massif. We've got lots of interactive gadgets as well as a map of the massif, on which various images are screened, that including a 3D version of the tourist routes.

Also, all sorts of dioramas are available, structured according to various topics, flora, fauna, the history of the escalation in Piatra Craiului, other protected areas across Romania, insects, caves, detritus and suchlike. Every diorama is interactive as well and you can see a presentation and several photographs. Before the pandemic, we used to have roughly 7,000 visitors a year. We hope that, after tis period, we can return to the initial figure. A great many of them come in the summer, from Romania but also from abroad. They come to get info, also seeking advice if they want to visit the park."

At the moment, the Piatra Craiului National Park Administration has two projects, currently in their implementation stage, jointly carried with the other parks of the Carpathian arch belonging to the member countries of the Carpathian Convention.

Mircea Verghelet:

"One of them has to do with the carnivores' accessways between Piatra Craiului and Bucegi. As part of the project, we also had several monitoring cameras. We managed to film all species of carnivores, but also the other species in the park. All these takes can be accessed on our Facebook page, enjoying a great number of visitors. Also, right now we are going to initiate a project carried for the revision of the Piatra Craiului National Park's management plan. This should be the third management plan we've had. We also intend to focus on birds, in the future, since the area has also been declared important in this respect. We invite all those who would like to visit a mountain region in Romania to come to Piatra Craiului, since it is a one-of-a-kind such area. Many people say it is the most beautiful mountain in the country, and beyond that. We believe that our facilities, our shelters, our trails, the visiting center, all that can provide a unique experience. "

We have extended out invitation to all of you. Please make sure you visit us next week as well, when we're heading towards the south-western part of Romania. Our destination will be an area which is less promoted, but which is famous for its wild nature, the Jiu River Gorges National Park.

(EN)