A high difficulty, 4-hour hike in the Bâlea Area, which will be generously rewarded with a delicious lunch break and a breathtaking view over the widely spreading valleys of Transylvania.
Short Description
Overview
Duration: 8 hours
Bus Ride: 140 min
Hiking: 240 min
Difficulty Level: difficult
Level difference: 430m/-1030m
Included
– Transport in a comfortable Bus
– Tour Guide for the whole day
– Guided tour at the Badea Cârţan Museum
– Lunch pack
How to book
Group Bookings will be available starting 1st of June 2020.
Individual Bookings will be available starting 1st of August 2020. Please find more details here.
Route
1. Travel by bus to Cartisoara.
2. Badea Cârțan Museum visit
3. Travel by bus to Bâlea Lake (2050m above the sea level)
4. Hiking Bâlea Lake – Culmea Netedu – Transfăgărășan
5. Lunch break during hike, with lunch pack
6. Travel by bus to Bâlea Waterfall (short stop)
7. Travel back to Sibiu, by bus
* our hiking track from Bâlea Lake – Culmea Netedu – Bâlea Waterfall is not displayed on this Google Map. Only the stops accessible by car are displayed. Please view our Interactive Hiking Map for the whole hiking track.
Long Description
The Badea Cârțan Museum was opened in memory of the famous Badea Cârţan, a Romanian shepherd from Cârţişoara, who walked to Rome at the end of the 19th century, to see with his own the eyes the Trajan’s Column and other evidence of the Latin roots of the Romanian people. He was, therefore, a promoter of long-distance hiking in Europe. Today, the museum’s collection includes glass paintings, books from Badea Cârţan‘s collection, old photographs, ceramics, and dowry boxes. In the courtyard of the museum lies a reconstruction of a traditional peasant house from the mid-nineteenth century, with an interior specific to that period and region. The museum also has a hall dedicated to the memory of the victims of communism worldwide.
Badea Cârțan Museum – traditional household
Get ready for a breathtaking experience, as we ride up the Transfăgărășan and to Bâlea Lake. The Transfăgărășan Road is a paved mountain road crossing the southern section of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, known for its spectacular panoramic view. In 2011, the Transfăgărășan was declared “the best road in the world”, by Top Gear. It took 20 tons of dynamite to forge the path of the Transfăgărășan, and now as it sits between Curtea de Arges and Cartișoara as the most majestic piece of road in the known world.
Transfăgărăşan
We take the route from the alpine area of Lake Bâlea through the Văiuga Valley to Netedu Peak. From Netedu Peak after 5 peaks, go down to Buteanu Lake, located on the edge of the juniper forest, in a fairy tale setting. After crossing the juniper, the route descends zigzagging through the forest to Transfăgărășan. It is a pretty demanding route, totaling over 1500 m difference in level, in approx. 4 hours of hiking. The effort made will be rewarded by the beautiful view over the Transfăgărășan, the Arpășel Valley guarded by the Muchia Albotei, the main ridge with the wild sector Creasta Arpășelului and of course, the Bâlea Lake.
Vaiugii Valley and Netedu Peak © aplinet.org