Retezat National Park — Attraction in Sălașu de Sus

Retezat National Park was an absolute gem and the perfect end of a month long cycle trip through Eastern Europe. A friend and I rented a Dacia Duster in Timisoara and entered the park through highway 685 which leads to Gura Apelor. As you can see from the photo, there were fallen rocks on the road in many spots. The photo was from one of the first piles of rocks we saw and was hardly the last. I would recommend taking a car with some ground clearance; however, it seemed that several locals were driving to Gura Apelor in sedans. Once across the dam we were not able to proceed further than Continual Silvic. If you look at Google Maps footage you will see that there is a wide open space in front of Cantonul Silvic. As long as you are okay with being woken to the sound of sheep bells, this open space is a perfect place to pitch a tent. We were told that the road past Cantonul Silvic was closed due to recent heavy rains so you may want to check on road status if you were hoping to proceed by car to Camping Poiana Pelegii. We were initially disappointed about not be able to continue further but camping on the shores of Gura Apelor was absolutely tranquil. The following day we hiked the Gura Apei trail to the rim of Lacul Zanoaga. The trailhead can be found approximately a kilometer after Cantonul Silvic. We were rewarded with a memorable hike that ranks up there as one of my favorite...

Pros: Very well preserved park. Beautiful forests. Amazing views from the peaks of the mountains. Not too crowded in the weekends. Has multiple places to sleep or camp in. There is a place to eat at Cabana Pietrele (don't know about the other places). Great for multiple days of trekking.

Cons: There are bears in there. There are wolves in there. Some of the paths are pretty dangerous when wet (stones and roots may be extremely slippery). There is no place to throw your trash. One of the rules is to carry your trash and throw it outside the park.

Notes: You need to purchase a visiting ticket prior entering the park (places described in a photo attached). It is valid for 7 days. When we were there the entrance through Poiana Pelegii was closed due to a damaged bridge (or so I've been told). That is true to mid September 2018. You can't get to Cabana Pietrele by car. In order to get to Cabana Pietrele you need park your car around 1-2 Hours...

One of my favorite nature areas in Romania (and Romania has a lot of beautiful ones). The hike from Carnic to Lake Bucura is super diverse and so beautiful. From rivers and waterfalls, to lush green forest, from misty meadows to mighty peaks... this hike had it all. It's about 26 kilometers from Carnic to the lake and back. I would suggest to take at least 10 hours for this hike. You could split the hike into 2 days and stay over at Cabana Gentiana (more or less half way).

The entrance fee for the park is 10lei. Bring enough cash with you! :) I didn't had any cash with me, but the nice guard let me pass. I tried to find a place to donate the entrance fee afterwards digitally, but I couldn't find something. Hopefully there will be a way to pay online if you don't have cash with you. :-)

Absolutely recommend this area for...