Romania Photo of the Day by Dreamstime: Bedeleu Mountains in autumn colors
The Romania Photo of the Day created in partnership with stock photo provider Dreamstime aims to highlight the best of Romania. From stunning landscapes and popular tourist destinations and landmarks to people, traditions, and food, this series helps you discover Romania one photo at a time. This week, we put the focus on beautiful Romanian landscapes in autumn colors.
In the Trascău Mountain Range, after passing the village of Buru, the Bedeleu Mountains situated at over 1100 m above sea level, watch over the settlements nestled along the valleys, says turdaturism.ro. (Photo source - click on the number to get to the photo 34441804 © Andrei Alexa | Dreamstime.com)
One by one the road beneath the mountains reveals the villages of Vidolm, Ocoliș, Lunca Arieșului, Poșaga, and Sălciua, as it climbs further towards Câmpeni and higher up towards the Stone Country of the Trascău Mountain range.
According to romania-travel-guide.com, the Trascău Mountains reveal incredibly picturesque sceneries - bright green in summer and rubiginous in autumn. Along the trails, one discovers numerous gorges and caves, cold springs, and old trees.
At the foothills, oak forests dominate, being replaced by beech and conifers with increasing altitude. On the slopes, the meadows are decorated with flowers, among which are carnations, daffodils and edelweiss. The fauna is represented by foxes, deer, and a multitude of delightful birds such as the woodpecker, the nightingale, and the blackbird.
One sight that is not to be missed here is Zmeilor Gate, located on the Bedeleu limestone plateau - a huge stone arch that marks the entrance to the cave of the same name. Zmeilor Cave is the oldest cavern in the Trascău Mountains and is adorned with very fragile stalactite and stalagmite formations.
It is said that once upon a time the Romanian mythological Zmei lived in a castle here. Once in a while, they came down to the villages, disguised as human beings, and they danced with the most beautiful girls, then kidnapped them and took them up into the mountains. The villagers united against them, and tore down the castle, burning everything, and only the imposing gate remained.
The area is perfect for solo or group hiking, says Ziare.com. The Limestone Road is the perfect route to take here, a thematic collection of hiking trails that allows crossing the Mountains from Cluj-Napoca, going through the mountains to Alba-Iulia.
It comprises eight trails, which are accessible on foot or by bicycle:
1. Geoagiului Road - Length: 10 km - Difficulty: Easy
2. Galzii Road – Length: 48 km – Difficulty: Easy
3. Pietrei Cetii Road - Length: 17 km - Difficulty: Difficult
4. Cetii road - Length: 16 km - Difficulty: Easy
5. Daffodil Road - Length: 20 km - Difficulty: Medium
6. Rimet Road - Length: 20 km- Difficulty: Medium
7. Cheilor Trail - Length: 14 km - Difficulty: Easy
8. Mocanilor Road - Length: 14 km - Difficulty: Medium