THE LONGEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR GORGE IN ROMANIA
There are few places that, if you see them once,they become not only unforgettable, but they urge your vivid desire to see them again. On its way from its source, under the Gozna Peak of the Semenic Mountains till the meandering in the Danube (131 km), Nera gives birth to the longest (22 km) and the most beautiful gorges in Romania: between Şopotul Nou and Sasca Română: The Nera Gorges. They have three unparalleled valences in a single image that conquers all the tourists: the tenderness of the Turda Gorges, the grandeur of the Bicaz Gorges, and the wilderness of the Caraş Gorges. Search the proposed routes on the Google map and start your trip.
There are 4 access ways for reaching the Nera Gorges: from Almăjului Country through Şopotul Nou, from Oraviţa through Sasca Montană and Sasca Română or through Ciclova Română – Ilidia – Socolari – Potoc and from Bufeni area through Cărbunari. You can go by car to every “gate”, then you have to continue the trip on foot in a group.
The Nera Gorges has three distinct sectors:
• Sopotul Nou – Devil’s Lake (S1: 6 km, 2 hours);
• Devil’s Lake – Bei Bridge (S2: 13 km, 4 hours);
• Bei Bridge – Sasca Romana (S3: 3 km, 1 hour).
From the Bei Bridge we see to the right the opening of the sector Bei Bridge – Bei’s Eye Lake (S4: 6 km, 2 hours), and continues with the sector Bei’s Eye Lake – Beuşniţei Waterfalls (S5: 1 km, 0.5 hours).
From Cărbunari down the Nera Gorges to the Devil’s Lake (S6: 12 km, 4 hours), and from Sasca Montană you can take a hike to Şuşara Waterfalls (S7).
In order to see the whole spectacle offered by the Nera Gorges, 3 hiking trails are proposed, one from each main access gate:
The hiking trail: The Nera Gorges (22 km, 9 hours of walking and one hour rest)
Sopotul Nou (km 0) – Devil’s Lake (km 6) – The Bei Bridge (19 km) – Sasca Romana (22 km)
The entrance to the Nera Gorges is made at Sopotul Nou, where the river makes its “great bend” from Buceaua in order to carve the wonderful gorges. In the first sector, the red-marked path along the Nera’s right bank crosses a wide U-shaped valley, furrowed at times by the locals’ crop fields. The valley are getting narrower and narrower, the limestone replaces the granite, and the rocky walls are squeezing more and more the waters of the river, while the human traces get rarer and rarer. After 4.5 km (1.5 – hour walk), the scenery seems to be tamed and you reach a charming clearing, The Meliug Glade. Here you encounter one of the landmarks of the tourists who visit the gorges, Trifu’s shelter, hence the second name of the place, Trifu’s Glade, as the locals call it. The most beautiful and powerful echo in the world is heard at the entrance to the glade, reverberated by the Meliug Carsia to the left of Nera. It is the largest glade of the gorges, almost 1 km long, at the end of which you can see Utan’s mill, “sister of the Rudaria mills”. At the exit of the clearing, you cross the river on a beam deck to the Nera’s left bank. After only half a kilometre you reach the Devil’s Lake (6 km from Şopotul Nou, a 2-hour walk), hidden by the Nera river 20-30 m above.
Beware! There is a risk of passing by it unless we see the banner showing the path towards it.
The Devil’s Lake is a waterhole of mysterious beauty that enters a stone funnel with a rock vault above. It was formed on the day when the cave ceiling encompassing the lake (initially underground) collapsed. From the high and rocky shores we look down to the lake like in a bottomless well. The lake has an ovoid shape (35 x 18 m) with an area of 700 m2 and a volume of 3197 m3 of water. Although it is said that its depth is 9.3 m, according to the villagers “the lake has no bottom”, because the Nera waters feed the lake through a drowned gallery of the cave.
Diving cave explorers have discovered that at 25 m under the water there is a beautiful room where white and washed limestone alternates with black layers of silex, with strange forms of life possible only in the underwater environment.
The play of colours and the reflection of the forest above the mirror of the lake water rewards all the effort made to get here. Creepers and vines descend to the water, embracing the walls. The clear waterhole always changes its colour from the edge to the centre of the funnel, from the green-blue reflexes to the dark blue-greenish ones. Lie down on the ferns bed and watch quietly how the fish swim lively in this miracle of nature with unique value. The legend of the lake alone can awaken you emotions and shivers.
The legend of the”Devil’s Lake”
It is said that once upon a time, on a day from the murky undergrowth of time past, a witty old man was grazing his goats in the meadow by the lake, listening to the ripple of the Nergana waters yawning out at the roots of alders and the old beeches from the tree line. Suddenly a man with a fish in his hand appeared before him as if emerging from the ground. After greeting him, the little man told him to fry his fish on embers on dry brushwood, making sure its tail would not crook. The old man thinks for a moment and agrees joyfully, provided that the little man would fry in his turn a goat’s head without it “grinning”. The deal having been made, the old man started his work and passing the fish through a “spear”, he fried it without curving its tail. His guest, who was none other than the devil, was struggling, but in vain, tying the goat’s snout with bark rope (rope of lime tree bark or willow tree bark); the embers burnt the lime tree and the snout unfolded showing clearly its teeth.
Angry that the old man tricked him, the devil threw itself into the lake. The old man flinched, saying, “Well, I reckon this might have been the devil itself!”
And so its name has remained “The Devil’s Lake” ever since…
Virgil Birou said that “anyone who dares to descend to the Devil’s Lake will have such emotions, as only once can a man have in his lifetime.“ [Birou V., 1982].
From Devil’s Lake, you return to the point called “On the Chairs“, from where you continue your trip on the red-marked route to the left side of the Nera River.
You enter the second sector of the gorges, the longest (13 km) but also the most spectacular one, up to the Bei Bridge, where the junction towards Bei’s Eye and Beusnita Waterfalls is.
Throughout this area, you will meet many karst shapes of unique beauty on both sides of Nera: caves, potholes and “dragon ribs” (hogbacks) cutting the mountain’s edge. Immediately downstream of the Devil’s Lake, Nera makes two large meanders: the Long Covei and the Short Covei. Following the trail still on the left side, the two river bends can be avoided. Shortly, it passes through the path bounded by Jordan Leg (on the left) and Albinii Leg (on the right) and it reaches the strongest and shortest sector of the gorges, Jordan’s spring. The waters of the spring squirt heavily from the base of the rock and flow into Nera a few meters away. The place is wonderful for rest and for quenching your thirst.
From here, the Hazelnuts Glade (Vogiun) begins, extended to the right side of Nera’s course. Beyond the river, you can see Vogiun’s shelter where you can buy milk, eggs, honey or flour.
Beware! In order to get to the shelter, you have to be looking for a passage through water and NOT on the suspended deck which is not in good condition.
After the glade, downstream, the gorges become wilder and more spectacular, with ramps, caves, potholes, docks, and young water meadows, and the trail continues along the path carved in rocks by the toil of man and passes through two tunnels.
After the Carsia Praying Cross, in front of the La Cârlige Cleant, with towers like a fortress, you pass through the riverbed to the right bank of the Nera River. The trail goes along the shore first, and then climbs in serpentines to a superb belvedere spot, located on a travertine cone. It is the junction place between Nera and Evil Valley, where the Nera Gorges can be admired in all its splendour. In the Rea Valley you can see waterfalls and marmites of a rare beauty. The trail continues along the rock trail and after the confluence of the Padina Seaca and Nera Streams one can see on the other bank the entrance holes of the most beautiful caves on the Nera Gorges: the Pig Cave and the Dubova Cave. They are only accessible to experienced tourists, equipped with specific gear.
Admiring from the path the Beg’s Big Tower, the guard of the gorges located on the other bank of the Nera River, you reach the Damian Canton (after 9 km of walking on the section).
The Damian Canton is a landmark and a halting place for any tourist in the Nera Gorges. Here’s a great camping place for tents. From here, the alpinists head for the limestone pyramid of the Beg Tower where they climb the high wall of over 200 m. The Beg’s Big Tower is continued by the Beg’s Small Tower downstream of the forest canton.
From the Damian Canton, downstream, the mark follows the forest road passing under the Carsia Rolului, imposing through its stone towers with a height of 270 m, situated in the top. At the base of the abrupt is the Cave of the Roll (20 m above Nera’s water), where the Caras outlaws refugiated from the Turkish and Austrian police. The cave is known as the place of refuge of Adam Duma, called Adam Neamţu, the last great Banat outlaw, and according to the legend, his treasures were also hidden in this cave.
The forest road passes next to the ruins of the former medieval fortification “Alibeg’s big tower”, to which it is related “the legend of a young Banat girl kidnapped by the Turkish Bei and locked in the tower. But one night the girl ran away, descending the cliff with a rope she braided from her own dress. Grief-stricken, because he was in love with the beautiful girl, Ali Beg had cried so much that his tears formed the Bei River. “[Bizera M., 1971].
Indeed, after 4 km from the Damian Canton, you reach the point where the Bei River flows into the Nera River, at the Bei Bridge.
The third and last section of the Nera Gorges follows, from the Bei Bridge to Sasca Romana, on a distance of approximately 3 km away. Passing the Bei Bridge you leave the forest road leading to Potoc and you continue on the trail carved into the cliff descending from the bridge. It passes through the 7 tunnels carved in the rock, from which the last one, namely Cârşia Fueroaga, is also the longest, of 40 m.
Then you continue on a “prism” located 15 m above Nera River, also on the right bank of the river. From the limestone-carved path, under a certain angle, “you can see a rock with the profile of a man’s head with a crooked nose and an open mouth, called the Sphinx of Nera.” [Neagu V., 2011].
Finally, the trail leads to the cable-suspended bridge passing on the right bank of the Nera River. The valley widens and on the paved road you reach Sasca Română, where the route ends alongside the Nera Gorges Guesthouse.
Hiking trail: Beusnita Waterfalls
Turn: (10 km, 3.5 hours of walking and 1/2 hour rest)
Sasca Romana (km 0) – Bei Bridge (km 3) – Beiului Valley Cabin (km 7)
– Bei’s Eye Lake (km 9) – Beusnita Waterfalls (km 10)
Return: (11 km, 3.5 hours walking with 1/2 hour rest)
Beusnita Waterfalls (km 0) – Bei Bridge (km 7) – Potoc (km 11)
– Socolari (km 14) – Ilidia (km 21) – Oraviţa (km 30)
Once you arrive in Oraviţa, for continuing the road you have to continue you trip by car or by bus to Sasca Montană on DN 57 through Răcăşdia until the intersection with the county road DJ 571, from where you go to the left to Ciuchici – Macovişte – Slatina Nera – Sasca Montana – Sasca Romana.
You leave the car at Sasca Română and you start in full excitement on the route from Nera Gorges Guesthouse from the north of the village. You cross the Nera River on the suspended bridge and continue to the right bank of the river.
We are in the Nera Gorges – Beusniţa National Park, on the section 3 of the Nera Gorges, from Sasca Romana to the Bei Bridge. The red stripped marked route continues on the “Prism”, situated on 15 m above the Nera’s waters, on the right side of the river. From the path you can watch the sky and look for the rock called the Nera’Sphinx. Then you cross the “7 tunnels” on the trail carved in the rock, the first encountered is also the longest, namely 40 m long.
After an hour of walking you reach the Bei Bridge, the place where the Bei River flows in Nera. Here is the crossroad between the Bei’s Valley and the two sections of the gorges.
If you continue further, you will cross the second section of the Nera Gorges, through the Damian Canton clearing, reaching the “At the Chains“, where the trail is lost for a few hundred yards and you can only hold on the cables anchored on the wall from 3 to 3 metres. Near the anchor points everything is fully secured, but in the middle, the cables not being perfectly stretched, they make a curve, “a stomach”, driving you away from the cliff, being “suspended” 15 m above the water.
Beware! The cable cuts the hands. After the “hooks” you cross through water to the left bank of the Nera River and from here begins the first section of the Nera Gorges till Sopotul Nou.
If you choose going on the section towards the Beusnita Waterfall, after crossing the Bei Bridge, you have to take the left on the Bei Valley.
After one hour you can reach the Bei Bridge, the place where the Bei River flows into Nera. The place is marked with yellow tape. The entire forest road is very beautiful, with joined tree branches over it, forming a green and shady tunnel, while the Bei River can be seen on the right side.
After 1.5 km from the bridge, a prime natural tourist attraction can be seen on the right of the road, namely the “La Vaioaga” Waterfalls. To reach the waterfall (215 m), the road descends 15 m on a rather steep path, but it is worth it. The falling of the water is really spectacular, of a special charm. Gathered in pools with travertine edges, the water falls with a loud noise from a height of 6 m.
Returning to the road, the route continues, and after another 2.5 km of walking, you reach the Bei Valley’ Forest Lodge, with parking lot and a trout farm nearby.
The nearly 2 km distance existing from here to the Bei’s Eye Lake is covered in 45 minutes.
Bei’s Eye Lake. It lies at an altitude of 310 m at the angle formed by the confluence of Beuşniţa with the Bei Sec brook. From here is the name Bei given to the river, just as the denomination of the distance from the springs to the first escarpment, where it disappears in the underground, is called Racajdian. Bei’s Eye Lake has the shape of an oval crater with a diameter of 20 m, an area of 284 m2 and a water volume of 313 m3. It is continually fed by a spring whose water comes out of the lake’s northern section and after flowing along a short river bed, it flows into Bei. The spring always freshens up the water of the lake and confers it a constant temperature of 5-6 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, so the lake never freezes. The wild ducks, the gray herons and other migratory birds spend their winter here, remaining here, on the lake, instead of continuing their journey to the warm countries.
The water of the lake is of an unreal blue and so clear that you cannot believe it has a maximum depth of 3.6 m. Blue-greenish shades of water let the rocky bottom to be seen, from which water is spouting, pushing up powerfully fine particles of sand, that are always climbing and descending, like in a charming dance. You almost feel like going into the water and swim along the trout. At the edge of the lake there is a rush belt and a moss carpet.
The lake is the mirror of the sky and the surrounding fir forest, resembling to a large blue-greenish eye. Admire it for a few moments. Only in this way will you touch the heavenly vault, will you feel the comfort of the sun’s rays and breathe the greatness of the forest. The mirror of the lake changes its colour depending on the weather, altering many times during the day, from light blue to dark greenish – blue. The place is just how nature can paint it:
“It takes only a moment to see your face in the clear water of the lake to understand that the tranquillity and beauty that you are seeking so much is only a few steps away from you.” [Curiţa N., 2008].
Pieces of heaven, splatters of sun and shadows of legend are mirrored in the most beautiful natural karst lake of Mountainous Banat. Take 3-5 walking tours on the lake shore to see the shadows of the famous “fairies” that come here to bathe. If you do not meet them, go up towards the Beuşniţa waterfall, because the legend of the lake is complemented by the story told by the rustle of the leaves ironed on the way to Beușnița Waterfalls.
You will see several mini-waterfalls on the slope, but do not stop, go ahead because you will arrive to a much more beautiful waterfall.
The Beușnița Waterfall. The first waterfall is a very special one; different from all the others you have seen till the Beușnița Glade, it is a true monument of nature. A spectacular waterfall of 15 m, which you can approach using the footbridge that crosses it very closely near the place the water falls. And if you embrace the waterfall, the water vapours gambolling in the air will totally lavish you.
A sunrise smiling at you, splashes of rainbow from the abundance of the waterfall, the forests’ emerald, and the laced pride of the cliffs. What more would you want?
The waterfall is surrounded by the centuries-old beech forest. From the distance, the forest looks like a veil that the time seems unable to touch. The crowns of the trees form a dome that seems to unite earth with heaven, and the rustle of the pressed leaves tells a story, that of the life that goes by too fast. Water sprawled across thousands of arms falls over cliffs like a diaphanous cloth, covering the small grottoes that can be seen behind the watercourses. The water falls into waves of dreams and every dream ends in reality. In the sunshine, the tears of the rocks seem to be some jewels caressed first by light:
“In sunny days when the sunrays plunge into the high tide of the river, the waterfall seems surrounded by scores of rainbows in colours of a unique tenderness.” [Bizera M., 1971].
It looks like a waterfall on a tropical island, as you can see only in the virtual world on the Internet.
On the left side, on some steps cut into the rock, we arrive at the second waterfall, but this one is rougher, branching out in two streams, less tall than the first, but beautifully developed in width. When there is drought, the waters overflow only through the “deep grooves”, and in places where the water does not flow, a natural moss carpet is formed in colours ranging from dark green to yellow and silver-red.
Higher, after a long climb through the woods, we reach the third waterfall, the wildest, divided into three streams.
“The water plunges from more than 10 m from a calcareous tuff threshold, slipping into numerous curtains and streaks among the moss pillows. When the debits are high, especially in spring, the sound effect is astonishing. “[Neagu V., 2011].
The waters of Beușnița are called by the locals “rising waters”, as all the waters of the Banat Mountains are considered to give birth to the calcareous tuff. It is formed by the process of deposition of calcium carbonate in the riverbed. All that is found in the riverbed, little by little becomes embedded: moss, branches and stones.
If the waterfalls above Beuşniţa Glade are vertical and very noisy by the fall of water from a height to deep drones, bordered by travertine dams, when you descend from the clearing you will see a string of prolonged water falls and a smooth flow of water through narrow gutters in the form of serpentines. That is why this waterfall has a unique beauty from the Beuşniţa’s flow into Bei. Stop again at the Bei’s EyeLake. It is a place full of legends and mysteries where on the night of Midsummer’s Eve the seven Fairies come to bathe in the Bei’s tears and to dance until the rooster crows.
Legend of the “Bei’s Eye Lake”
It is said that these places in Banat were dominated by an evil pasha. He had a son of rare beauty. He was said to have such blue and expressive eyes and that if you looked at him, you simply lost yourself. The young man used to go hunting in these secular forests. One day, he met a beautiful shepherd girl in the Flower Glade, who was taking her flock to pasture. As soon as their eyes met, they fell in love with each other. Youth and heart never take account of religion! When Pasha, the Bei’s father, found out that his son fell in love with a “Wallachian girl,” he sent an executioner to kill her. The young Bei finds the girl dead at the place where the Beusnita spring lies now and he fought with all his power with the executioner whom he finally killed at the cost of losing an eye. From the tears of the lost eye was the lake formed, bearing his name today. Grief-stricken, the Bei plunged his knife into his heart and jumped into the lake. It is said that the girl turned into a river – Beusnita, and from the tears and sacrifices of the Bei the blue and crystalline lake was formed, resembling his serene eyes and his soul.
Today, it is said that the sparkling waters of the waterfall are the very bridal veil of the shepherd girl, who always seeks to meet with the tears of the Bei in the immortality, with the faith in their love that the two youngsters used to have.
The versification of the legend was made by the poet Gheorghe Azap in his inimitable style in the poem called “The Legend of the Bei’s Eye Lake ” (Azap Gh., 1995), of which the following lyrics are unforgettable:
And it is said that from his fallen teardrop
The mirror of this strange lake was formed,
Which is kissed by a sweet waterfall
With the eternal love of the Banat lass.
(Gheorghe Azap – Legend of Bei’s Eye Lake)
Wherever you are, you will always feel “the call of the Bei,” as a young woman from the group of tourists coming from Strasbourg exclaimed: “If I could, I would live here.”
On your way back, after a halt to the trout farm to enjoy a fish prepared at the cottage, the road continues as far as the Bei Bridge – “the crossroads” to the Tunnels, The Devil’s Lake, Bei’s Eye and Potoc. At the crossroads there is a bench under a bower, where you can have another rest. From here, the coach can take the campers on the paved road to Potoc and they can arrive to Oraviţa either on DJ 571 C Potoc – Socolari – Ilidia – Oraviţa (18 km) or DJ 57 Potoc – Macovişte – Ciuchici – Oraviţa (37 ).
Hiking trail: Şuşara (14 km, 4 hours walk and 1 hour halt) Sasca Montană (km 0) – Şuşara Chalet (km 2) – Şuşara Waterfalls (km 4) – Cărbunari (km 6) – Devil’s Lake (km 14)
The proposed route is a unique and spectacular one, which allows visiting three touristic attractions located in the Nera Gorge -Beusnita National Park: the Şuşara Gorges, the Şuşara Waterfalls and the Devil’s Lake, the first two being included in the Şuşara Gorges Reserve, and the last one in the Nera Gorges – Beusnita Reservation. From Oraviţa you can continue by coach or car on the DN 57 until the intersection to Sasca Montană, then to DJ 571 Ciuchici – Macovişte – Slatina Nera – Sasca Montană (32 km).
Sasca Montană was a mountain resort through the Susara Valley compound and will become a climatic resort again. The mines of Sasca Montană have been famous for nearly 300 years for copper, lead and silver ores. In the village you must definitely visit the two churches: the Orthodox Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul (1770-1771), in the lower part of the village, and the St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church (1750-1751), located in the upper section of the village.
After admiring the Viennese Baroque style of the Roman Catholic Church, you start on the paved road that goes up the Mount Gheorghe to Știnăpari and Cărbunari. From the Osman Rock, after 1 km of walking, you leave the paved road and take the left on a rocky road to Șușara Gorges, on the blue cross marking.
The Șușara gorges are short, but authentic and with a special charm. The name of the gorges comes from the word “šuşară” and it means gorges with “forest of bush” or, in other words, with young forest (shrubs = young trees).
After 2 km of trail you reach Şuşara Chalet. It is the pearl of the Şuşara climatic resort, set at an altitude of 300 m. Here, until 1950, there were villas and huts where tourists were accommodated. Now the cottage is undergoing redevelopment in the middle of the pine and fir forest. Pleasant climate, pure and ozonized air, clear and good water, great scenery, bushes and glades full of flowers of all colours descending their fragrant petals, make Şuşara one of the most pleasant places of recreation and relaxation.
From Şuşara Cabin you cross to the left bank of the Şuşara River and continue the hike on a path, always following the water course and the blue cross marking.
The loftiest sector of the gorges follows with little “restrained or tamed” portions of landscape due to the shrub forests. After 2 km from the cabin you can reach the Şuşara Waterfalls.
The Şuşara waterfall is situated at an altitude of 380 m, upstream of the confluence between the Ungureanu brook and the Şuşara River. It is very charming, being in the shape of a “water slide”, on which the water flows down to the lake from a height of 15 m, in two steps, the upper one being 6 m high and the lower one 9 m high.
300 m upstream from the waterfall, the Sushara Gorges end. The route continues through the woods, first brisk, then smooth to Cărbunari. The two localities, Cărbunari and Ştinăpari, were founded by the German colonists and the “Bufeni (peasants)” from Oltenia.
From Cărbunari, following now the blue stripe marking, you climb through the beech forest and after 2 km you reach La Logori Glade, a name that suggests it is a “campground”. The bend is a deceptive one, but it goes another 300 meters ahead and then descends down the forest road on Ogãşul Porcului. To the right there is the Poloamelor Glade, that is to say, the grubbing up areas. All the way through the woods you will see creepers, lilac bushes and a white-leaved carpet of … ramsons; the whole forest smells like wild garlic. You will encounter the salamander through wet places looking for piles of leaves, fallen logs and stones near the water to lay their eggs. The presence of salamander is a sign that the area is not polluted. After about 5 km you reach the place called At the Chairs, where the path intersects with the route through the Nerei Gorge. From this point it gradually descends and, after only 15 minutes, it reaches the hole of the cave that shelters the Devil’s Lake.
Following the water line you enter the main route of the “Nerei Gorges”, with red-bend marking, but the best “guide” is Nera which, as it flows downhill, becomes naughtier and naughtier. Try the water with your hand, not with your elbow, like with the children’s bath, and you will feel that it is not wet but cold and storming.
We suggest you to continue from the Devil’s Lake on the rafting route along the Nera Gorges on a distance of 16 km to Sasca Română, where the bus is waiting.
The rafting route along the Nera river
If you want to quench your thirst for adrenaline rush, you can do rafting on the Nera Gorges. It is an excellent means of relaxation, but also an unforgettable entertainment. For this kind of entertainment, you only have to make up a team of at least six friends and take 150 lei out of your pocket. The offer comes from Vertical Adventure. The most spectacular part of rafting from the entire route between Şopotul Nou and Sasca Română is from the Devil’s Lake to Sasca Română, with a length of 22 km. The average flow rate of the river is 7 m3 /s, and the best period of rafting on the Nera Gorges is between April – October. After snow melting and high storms, flash floods are produced with flow rates of up to 88 m3 /s and a 5 m water level increase, which makes it particularly dangerous to ride a boat on the Nera Gorge. However, special equipment such as a neoprene diving costumes, jacket and helmet, and a special boat are needed to reduce the danger of overturning and to resist to the impact of colliding with the logs in the water and the rocks.
Good to know:
1. The Nera Gorges have kept their beauty due to the long duration of the route through the gorges; for any route you must have a good physical condition and adequate equipment: boots, sandals, raincoat, flashlight, a water bottle, food for a day, stick, emergency mobile phone and the gorges’ map;
2. On the Nera Gorges the comfort of sleeping and the tableware are not important, it is more important to experience the hiking and the spell of the place where, if you come once, you cannot leave without remembering it every time;
3. Nerei Gorges are not accessible all year round. It is recommended to visit them only when the water level is low and never after the flood;
4. Replacement shoes are needed: high boots and water sandals to avoid calluses;
5. The Nera water is relatively easy to cross, the current has a certain force, but just enough to feel it at your feet, just look for places where the water is not too deep; it would be preferable to cross the river in sandals or barefoot; walking barefoot is harder because the stones on the bottom of the water massively massage your soles; then, it is not good to walk for a long time with wet shoes, it is painful;
6. Each of the three proposed routes takes a good day to complete; if you stay more than a day in the gorges, you should take tents with you; car parking will only be done in specially designed places;
7. Everyone will scare you to beware the vipers with or without horn. The horned viper is silver coloured and has black diamonds on the back. As long as the distance is kept there is no danger. If you see it in time, there’s no danger, but that’s just it: you cannot see it in time. That’s why it’s a good idea to test the land with the stick first. You have to pay attention at your feet, but you should take breaks too for looking up to the beauty of the Nera Gorges.
8. No field feasts are held in park reservations; sound pollution of any kind, music, cries and screams, horns and whistles are absolutely forbidden, and no trash is allowed to be thrown away on the routes;
9. It is prohibited to trap animals and rare birds; the flora may not be destroyed under the pretext of picking medicinal plants, forest fruits and snails, writing on trees, rocks or caves is completely forbidden; hunting poaching and fishing during prohibited periods are not allowed.
10. At the trout stream near the Bei’s cottage you can buy trout that tastes delicious fried on a stick on beech embers with polenta and garlic sauce; do not make grill fires near waterfalls or lakes.
You are always welcome to this magnetic pole of the Romanian tourism!