Apuseni Mountains

Apuseni Mountains represents a wide areas with not so high mountains, but with a very beautiful scenery.
Here is the place to go caving, river-rafting, canyoning or admiring the deer, the wolf or the brown bear. It is also a land with unspoilt traditions, with  villages living like 200 years ago (no electricity, old houses, no running water)

In 2009, Apuseni Nature Park has been chosen as the Romanian destination of excellence within the EDEN – European Destinations of Excellence program.

We propose a caving tour in Apuseni and a winter tour enjoying the traditions and the snow

The tours will allow you to check the main natural attractions of Apuseni Mountains:

Ponor Fortresses, considered to be the most impressive karst phenomena in Eastern Europe are worth to visit not just for the 3 gorgeous dolinas and the surrounding wild forest but also because here there is one of the biodiversity hotspot of Apuseni Nature Park.

Situated in a huge 300 m deep forested depression, its upper diameter is surpassing 1000 m. The surrounding slopes that encircle the depression are cut only in a single spot, by Fortress Valley Canyon.The 150 m lateral western stone wall is perforated by an over 70 m cave portal, in which the Fortress Valley flows.

The giant portal of Ponor Fortresses suggests a Gothic cathedral which became a sort of symbol for Apuseni Mountains karst. To the left, the upper part of an even higher stone wall is seen, surrounding Doline III, with the two wooden balconies hanging over the precipice.

In the right side of the portal, a spit of scree ascends through under an arcade into Doline II. This is actually a 200 m deep circular pothole, having two windows at its base: one represents the access to the Doline I under the portal, while the other one opens to the underground tunnel of the cave system. In the Southern part, the route climbs on the steep slope of a torrential valley towards the balconies. The four wooden balconies (two above Doline III, and two above Doline II) allow the contemplation of the sizes of the impressive karst system of the The Fortress of Ponor.

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