Apuseni Nature Reserve

Apuseni Mountains are famous for their beautiful landscape and numerous natural objectives

Daniel Onea, 06.05.2021, 14:00

Located
in Transylvania, western Romania, Apuseni Mountains stand out not just through
their altitude, but the plethora of opportunities for leisure activities they
offer. Here, the beauty and rarity of karst formations, one of the rarest in
Europe, have led to the creation of a protected area over a surface of 76
thousand hectares. Alin Moș is the director of the Apuseni Mountains
administration.

It’s
an easy-to-access area, since its alpine sections rarely exceed 1,800 meters.
There are ridge areas without big differences in terms of altitude, and the
trails aren’t that difficult so as to require any special training. Apuseni
Nature Reserve has been an appealing place ever since the early 19th
century. A number of visitation programs have been developed here over the
years. The onset of the 20th century saw the first tourist circuits,
especially in certain sections where ladders and railings could be set up. The first
balconies in birds’ eye’s view spots were created over 100 years ago. At the
time, Apuseni was less accessible to the wider public, more savage and less touched
by civilization. Today, the central part of our reserve preserves its appeal
particularly for that reason.

Apuseni
is the third-largest nature reserve in Romania, Alin Moș, the director of the
Apuseni Nature Reserve administration told us.

We
continue to protect and preserve everything pertaining to long-term interactions
between man and nature. We have large human settlements in the reserve, over
10,000 people living in three counties: Bihor, Cluj and Alba. Much of the
reserve’s surface is the historical region calledȚara Moților. In
that respect, the local culture and traditions are the main attraction in the
area.

Karst
formations are one of the highlights of Apuseni. These are structures resulting
in the formation of caves, sinkholes or gorges. A site of international
importance is the Scărișoara glacier cave. Alin Moș told us more.

It
is world famous, particularly after 2009, when a series of studies made a new
measurement of the ice within the cave, which is estimated at over 130,000
cubic meters, making Scărișoara the largest underground ice cave in the world.
It’s also one of the oldest in Europe, over 4,000 years old. The Scărișoara Glacier
Cave features unique ice stalactites and stalagmites, creating a particular
appeal for visitors. Starting 2021, sections of the cave will undergo
rehabilitation works, so as to improve tourists’ safety and comfort.

The
Ponor natural citadel is another important tourist objective and an emblem of
Apuseni. Alin Moș with the details:

It’s
a karst formation of special importance. It’s basically the junction of three
sinkholes, measuring one kilometer in diameter, which make up a cave. There’s a
70-meter-high portal by its entrance. The first thing that fascinates tourists
is the grandeur of this natural monument, surrounded by spruce old-growth
forests. The landscape in itself is breathtaking, making for a unique visiting
experience.

The
Apuseni Nature Reserve is actually home to over 1,500 caves. Many of them run
very deep. Until recently, Apuseni had the deepest cave on national record,
second only to a cave in Piatra Craiului. Most of them are close to visitation,
although others are open. One of them is the famous Bears’ Cave. Right now, it
has one of the most developed infrastructures in Romania, hosting as many as
100 thousand guests every year. Most people who come here also stop by to visit
one of these caves, Alin Moș, the director of the Apuseni Nature Reserve told
us.

Our
office focuses on developing new visitation experiences. In 2009, the European
Commission designated Apuseni as a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN).
Subsequently, we got involved in many projects aimed at supporting local
communities and entrepreneurs in the development of eco-friendly businesses,
including in the field of tourism, accommodation units and local products. Many
of these got certified with the reserve’s logo. When someone buys such a
product and sees the Apuseni Reserve logo, they know the product is 100%
natural.

As
you can see, Apuseni makes for an ideal destination for the entire family,
particularly in the summer season. (V.P.)