Perhaps Bucegi massif owns the most known mountain landmarks of Romania:
- The weird rocks sculpted by wind called the Old Ladies (Babele) and the Sphynx.
- The high cross of Caraiman which guards from high above the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley and which was raised during the inter-wars period for commemorating the loss of lives in the first one of these.
- Its highest peak, Omu, which at 2507m altitude stands as one of the highest peaks of Romania.
Aside of these Bucegi hides less known paths which hid some of the most beautiful landscapes in Romania.
- One of this is the spectacular vertical canyon dug by the river of Horoaba.
This is right in the heart of Bucegi. This mountain is shaped as a giant horse shoe, with the outer heights being the shoe that surrounds the inner unexpectedly large valley of Ialomita river.
Somewhere from this valley starts this canyon which in a couple of hours gets you through enchanted landscape: waterfalls, exposed paths, natural tunnels, tight river bed strangled by high walls, vertical iron stairs.
The role of this tour is then to take you to dive you in the know trails of Bucegi as well as on the hidden gems of this mountain.
Additionally this tour includes a visit to the beautiful cave of Ialomita with its unique entrance. The big hole in the mountain is closed by the human made wall of a monastery. Actually, the church is inside the cave and the monks are managing the tourist flow.
DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Bucharest | ||
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Individual equipment needed |
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INCLUDED | Transport from and to Bucharest by car
1 night accommodation 2 Dinners, 1 Breakfast and 1 Lunch Professional Mountain Guide |
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NOT INCLUDED | Other meals
Pieces of individual equipment Insurance |
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Other good to know issues:
- Water is not a problem along the route.
- This tour is available also for the winter months but implies a higher level of difficulty and specific winter mountaineering equipment.
Day 1
We start early from Bucharest so as to avoid the morning traffic jam and to be as much as possible in the outdoors and not in the city. At 9.30 we will be in the middle of Bucegi Mountains, at Padina hut, where we leave the car and start the hike.
First, before it gets crowded, we pay a visit to the Ialomita cave which should take us about an hour. The cave first amazes us not by its corridors but by its entrance. A monastery wall closes the entrance making for an artificial-natural rarely seen combination. Passing the church inside, we go through the narrow corridors and get into the big halls of the cave.
In less than half an hour we will be climbing directly towards the canyon while seeing its guarding walls. The trail gets proportionally steeper and more beautiful. It will take us about two hours to pass the canyon. But we won’t be in hurry because this tour is all about lingering and enjoying the moment: waterfalls, exposed paths, natural tunnels, tight river bed strangled by high walls, vertical iron stairs.
We will return to Padina hut by a different route which now opens up the wide landscape of Bucegi for us. There we will have our dinner and sink into the atmosphere of a Romanian mountain hut.
Day 2
We start on our route at 8.30 the latest following the beautiful valley of Ialomita River. The hike is relaxing and all around we are surrounded by high walls and big boulders which tell us an important geological lesson.
Suddenly the valley closes and a more taxing hike is waiting for us. But we manage it and reach the final section which leads us to our target for the day, the Omu Peak (2507m), probably the most visited peak of Romania. We need it three hours. On top of the peak stands a large boulder. Sticking to it is the mountain hut where we will have our lunch and tea.
The view there is gorgeous: four big glaciated valleys sided by terrific walls start from around the peak, the high red-white shape TV tower from Costila Peak gets our full attention and the walls of Moraru and Costila are impressive.
After having our tea, we turn round but this time we take the plateau trail which gets us to the most known mountain landmarks of Romania:
- The weird rocks sculpted by wind called the Old Ladies (Babele) and the Sphynx.
- The high cross of Caraiman which guards from high above the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley and which was raised during the inter-wars period for commemorating the loss of lives in the first one of these.
From Babele in around one hour we are back at the car(s). We have our dinner at Bolboci hut on the banks of the blue dam lake and then head for Bucharest.