Rodnei Mountains National Park: Travel into the Carpathian Wilderness

If you’d like to go hiking in Romania, check our adventure tours. More tours on www.uncover-romania-tours.com

Rodnei Mountains National Park is the second-largest national park in Romania, protecting some of the wildest landscapes of the Carpathians, a must for nature enthusiasts and hikers passionate for less beaten trails and solitary routes.

Neighbored by two areas of great ethnographic heritage, Bucovina and Maramures, this national park shelters iconic mammals like the brown bear and the mysterious lynx, rare birds, and more than one thousand plant species.

Rodnei Mountains National Park

Photo by Laurentiu Pop

High peaks and secret caves

It’s in Rodnei Mountains National Park that you’ll reach the highest peaks of the Eastern Carpathians – Pietrosul Mare (2,303 meters), Inau (2,279 meters), Buhaescu Mare (2,257 meters) – all offering breathtaking images over the rocky and massive landscape of the region.

Even more, this protected area has its share of spectacular caves, including Grota Zanelor, a 4,269 meters long cave with the largest ramification in the country and Jgheabul lui Zalion, considered to be the most difficult to cross cave in Romania given its difference of level of -266 meters. The cave can be reached following the trail Valea Telcisorului-Valea Seaca or Valea Rebrei-Valea Rea-Obcina Rebrisorului.

Rodnei Mountains National Park

Photo by Laurentiu Pop

Glacial lakes

This large national park also conserves the most impressive traces of the Quaternary glaciation from the Eastern Carpathians, noticeable through the presence of large glacial lakes. Be sure to include in your route Lala Mare — the biggest glacial lake in Rodnei Mountains — located at an altitude of 1,815 meters, close to Ineu Peak, and its nearby smaller lake — Lala Mica —, or the four Buhaescu lakes, all with their distinct features and beauty.

Rodnei Mountains National Park

Photo by Laurentiu Pop

Long hikes and horseback riding tours

The hiking trails in Rodnei Mountains are rather long, but rewarding as its most spectacular points can only be reached on foot. Depending on your time and experience, you can choose from 18 distinct trails, from 20 hours long routes to short three hours hikes. Just be sure to check the status of the trail before departing as some of these routes are closed or dangerous during winter.

Rodnei Mountains National Park

Photo by Laurentiu Pop

Another great option for exploring this area is by taking one or more of the horseback riding tours offered by the administration of the national park, from 1-2 hours tours to three days adventure tours with a focus on flora and fauna observation. For more details, you can contact apnmr@bistrita.rosilva.ro or parcrodna@email.ro

Either way you decide to explore Rodnei Mountains National Park, on foot or horseback riding, you’ll have a great time in one of the largest and most spectacular protected areas in Romania. Not to mention you’ll feel like a true explorer in an unconquered land.

Travel tips

Don’t forget to buy a map of the national park before you start your hike. The trails are too long to rely only on trail signs.

There are limited accommodation options, plan your hike accordingly.

For more information, check www.parcrodna.ro

Discover the hiking routes from the Carpathians with this great guidebook The Mountains of Romania.