CURIOSITIES & UNIQUES

Glacier Scarisoara – a curiosity of our mountains, a true miracle of nature guarded by the famous cave Scarisoara at an altitude of 1200m, in the Apuseni Mountains and whose forming began about 3000 years ago. At the bottom of a stunning ravine, opens the great room of the cave, in the vaulted stone domes and fully flooring of a ice block of 50,000 cubic meters. In the underground chambers are sparkling and highly transparent ice columns as well as stalactites, stalagmites and stone columns.

On another peak of the Apuseni Mountains, the huge basaltic prisms from Detunata, 100 meters high, are bundled in an organ parallelism, form a monument of great architecture.

In the western part of the Banat in the Domogled Mountain near Herculane water resort, tourist meets at 1200 m. altitude, a real Mediterranean vegetation. In the thicket that stretches an area of hundreds of hectares, a growing number of plant types, among which the Spanish/sweet chestnut-tree. From the top of the mountain, the sight embraces the Danube county escaping from Cazane Straits. The place named Hollows where the water of the great river whirl and boil, crushed in a fantastic screwvise of the stony mountain, moves even the most unaffected traveler. In the reservation of this county grows a rare plant, Tulipa Orientalis subspecies Hungarica (Danube’s hollows tulip ) declared a natural monument.

Salt Mountain Resort in Slanic-Prahova, are among the most fantastic creations of natural architecture. In the core of the white mountain is the trace of a saline whose ceiling collapsed. The waters formed in the Cave a lake surrounded by green walls of salt tens of meters high, which combines Gothic ogive dressed up in crystals that reflect some light in dim sparklings, all creating an unforgettable impression.
Among the most interesting of our country’s lakes we mention: St. Ana Lake near the Tusnad climateric resort formed at an altitude of 951m, in the giant crater of an extinct volcano; the great heliothermal Ursu Lake, from Sovata balneary resort, located on a major prehistoric sea; Rosu Lake, a vast natural dam lake, whose smooth surface is pierced by the petrified fir trees trunks from a forest that has become bottom of the lake after a catastrophic landslide in 1837.
In the natural reservation of Bucegi mountains among the curiosities created by the nature are the rocks with a fantastic form, the Sphinx and Babele which seem indeed a group of old ladies standing at chat; as well as Ialomita cave with its underground lake.

The wide valley of Trotus river is crossed by a road coming from Transylvania by Ghimes Palanca Pass (at an altitude of 1006m.) and descending on Trotus and then ascending the Tazlau valley. The road is historicaly known as the road of salt, being used in the far off past to transport salt extracted from Tg. Ocna. The road follows the western bank of dam formed at the Tazlau mouth then follows the gutter of the Depression Tazlau Casin – the biggest depression in Moldavian Subcarpathians. From here the road that left the Valley of Tazlau heads towards NE, begins to climb through forests of beech and evergreen oaks of Pietricica, passes Pietricica summit and descends to the Siret Valley.

The five churches of northern Moldavia with facades covered entirely with paintings (Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita, Humor and Arbore) represent unique works in the universal history of art, works of great value that astonish by harmonious proportions of the architecture, coloring and the beauty of their frescoes that keeps their brilliance even after having suffered for 4 centuries of bad weather of a harsh climate. Besides the external Frescoes Voronet preserves valuable ensemble of the original interior paintings (from the XV-th century) among which is the founder painting.

A forest reminding of the equatorial thickets is the Hasmac forest near Letea, located right in the middle of Delta’s region. Here among Quercus Robur (pedunculate Oak) and Halotricha Fraxinus (shaggy ash tree) find conditions favorable for development the Greek Liana Perifolca and a variety of wild vine, whose lengths reach 30 m. and who twirls the trees just like in virgin forests. In this land were created refuges for nesting and halting place for migratory birds
Near Buzau city, are two of the most curious natural phenomena of our country – mine of mineral oil from Sarata Monteoru and the mud volcanoes near Piclele Mari, both declared monuments of nature. Mud volcanoes occur in the area of oil derrick of Berca, on the Buzau Valley. Here among the oilfields appears cones sometimes 6m high. By which’s craters the gas from the depths throw out mud, derived from the dissolution of clays and marls encountered by the water drawn to the surface by gas pressure. These, kettles as the locals call it occupy at Paclele Mari a surface of one hectareOn smaller surfaces we meet them at Paclele Mici, Plopeasa and Beciu.

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Dunes from Reci

From the crossroad connecting the city of Brasov to Targu Secuiesc and Sfantu Gheorghe to Covasna, the eyes may surprise the whole surface of the forest that covers the sand dunes from Reci. From above the road nor suspects their existence. If you have been informed sooner of their existance and you didn’t see them, you would expect to find here a small Saharan sector. A hundred years ago, it seemed like a real desert, where winds blew strongly carrying the sand from one side to another, so that it could even bury the sheep herds. It maybe have been like that once. But today is a charming region of a rare picturesqueness, a real natural park that lure to rest in any season but especially in the hot season when upon the lakes between the dunes bloom the white water lily. Throughout all Romanian Carpathians and the Transylvanian basin there are no recordings of the presence of such dunes covered by such a rich plant carpet.

The complex of dunes from Reci, is a periglacial Quaternary formation. The area covered by the dunes is about 17 square km. and extends mainly on the terraces of Negru River. Dunes are present today in the form of moviles oblonged about the direction of the dominant NE-SW wind with varying heights: in the western part 2 to 4m., in the central part 6 to7m. and in the eastern part 10-12m.

Dunes are partially covered with plantations of pine and birch. On top of them there are rye crops and potatoes. The dunes’ slopes are covered in many cases with alder trees that grow naturally.

The existence of dunes in this location is determined by a series of favorable conditions met, by the “narrow” from Reci, namely: the sands Pliocene – Quaternary deposit in place and those transported by rivers and torrents. The lack in the initial phase of a wood vegetation, which constitutes an obstacle in the spreading of sand, had an important role.

Sand of which the dunes were built was taken first from alluvial deposits and then from the older deposits under the action of Negru River, of processes complex and of strong wind which carried the sand and rebuilted the dunes.

Dunes covered by crops are to be found also on the right side of the Negru river nearby Santionlunca village. Here the dunes have a much smaller development both in surface and in hight.

WOMAN’S CAVE

One of the most beautiful caves in our country, located on the radius of the commune Baia de Fier, in Gorj County, the Woman’s Cave, a natural monument, owes its name to the fact that some hundreds of years ago, in times of tribulation, there were hidden the children and the women to be sheltered from invaders’ wrath. In the big room at the exit of the cave, women used to gather to process threads of hemp, operation which could more easily be done in this place due to humidity. The cave has formed under the slow, but durable action of water against the Jurassic limy rocks formed 125-160 million years ago. Fossils found here on the occasion of the researches done by specialists attest to the fact that the cave was inhabited by animals especially the cave bear, and by the people of the Paleolithic age 50.000-100.000 years ago.

Entering the cave, the first fully electrified of our country, the visitor has from the start the underground thrill of the unknown, maybe increased by the cold damp air, which is facing from the first steps. It is a first rank museum of nature’s marvels. Within walking distance, on the right is the entrance to the electricians’ Gallery so named in honor of workers who discovered it in 1958 while working here. Further away the visitor meets stalactites, stalagmites, flexible and massive columns, some of them wearing names to be more easily identified. Such is, Organ, Little Dome, The Shrine, behind which appears a large hall with a dome 30 m. tall, beside which are: Altar’s Veil; the Big Chandelier; the Pulpit; the Purple Rock; the Baby Shark. Returning in the main wide corridor, which crosses over large formations called, Great Bassins and reach the show case with fossil cave bear.

Going through few narrower and lower portions, we enter, Turkish’s Hall where there are the formations Turkish, Wounded Hen Hawk, Smalls Chandeliers, Great Dome but mostly the ones named Santa Claus and the Odalisque.

The Odalisque is perhaps the most beautiful in the entire cave, another relief about 3m. tall, mostly colored in ocher, clearly outlined on the white background of the recess. We enter a derivation on the left, carefully steping over the delicate Stone Lace, in the Wonders Room with stalactites, stalagmites and pillars of a rare beauty, colored in pastel orange.
In extension of the visit through the cave, we return to main route and within small distance we reach, the Hall with Guano where is worthy of seeing and remembering the Vaults’ Hall and the Silver embroidery from the cave ceiling.

A deviation on the right leads to, Bear Gallery, a Speleological reservation where is a large amount of fossils of cave bear. Access to this lower level of the cave is very difficult because narrowness of the corridors and water. We reache again at daylight on the terrace in front exit, where the visitor can admire a great panorama of the beautiful mountain town of Baia de Fier, commune that owes its name to the iron deposits which were found on these lands hundreds and thousands of years ago.

Fascinated by the charm and fairy scene of Woman’s cave, by the pleasant impression that the atmosphere of mystery inspires, visitor leaves this wonderful monument of nature with the strong desire to return once again on these parts.

We can organize Tours including this objective.

So do not hesitate to Contact Us if you want to visit them, or take a look in the Tours page and for sure you’ll find an interesting tour.

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