Grădiştea Muncelului-Cioclovina Nature Park

Info

Grădiştea Muncelului-Cioclovina Nature Park is located in the southwestern part of Transylvania on the territories of Baru, Boşorod, Băniţa, Orăştioara de Sus and Pui, in Hunedoara county.

It can be accessed from various routes: from Orăştie on DN7 national road to Costeşti, but also on DN 66 National road from Simeria towards Călan, Sântămăria Orlea, Pui, Cheile Crivadiei.

You can take the train to the park. The stations are Orăştie, Călan, Pui, Baru Mare, Băniţa and Peştera Bolii.

There are information panels, trails, tourist trails, and special camping sites. Suitable mountain equipment is recommended for longer hikes.

Various accommodation to be found in Costeşti, Băniţa, Baru, Alunu, Cioclovina or Grădiştea de Munte.

Discover

Well hidden in the thick Carpathian forests, more precisely in the Şureanu Mountains, this is the Grădiştea Muncelului-Cioclovina Nature Park. In the vicinity of this park you can find the mysterious archaeological Dacian sites from Orăştie Mountains, fairy tale like landscapes and a rich ethnographic area. Thousands of tourists are drawn to these places by the glorious history of the Dacians, which can be observed in the six fortresses included in the UNESCO World Heritage.

The most sought-after site is the capital of pre-Roman Dacia, Sarmizegetusa Regia, which fascinates with its numerous rectangular and circular sanctuaries made of stone. Located only 20 km south from Orăştie, it’s simply fascinating and it is considered to be the Stonehenge of Romania.

If your thirst for history has been quenched, then you must know that the park is also an ideal place for cycling, caving, canoeing, skiing, but also hiking, with as much as five tourist trails that are waiting to be discovered. At the foothill of the Dacian fortress of Băniţa, you can visit the spectacular Bolii Cave where occasional concerts are being organized. The karstic plateau in the vicinity is also worth visiting.

Near Crivadia village you can admire the feudal monument – Crivadia Tower – and you can take a walk in the Crivadia gorges reserve. If you follow the mountain trails,they will take you natural wonders such as Cioclovina Cave, Pălăriei Cave, Şura Mică Cave, Ohaba Ponor Fossil place, Lunca Ponorului and Lunca Ponoriciului.

Another main attraction of this fairytale land is the traditional village with its inhabitants who have the same way of living as a century ago, keeping the customs and traditions of these places alive.

The traditional colours of villages such as Boşorod, Orăştioara de Sus and Baru will delight you especially during winter time when young men called “căluşeri”, dressed in traditional outfits with boot bells and tricolor bands on their waist, go from door to door to the houses where young maidens live and sing the traditional "Beautiful girl's song".

Did you know?

Valuable treasures were discovered in Sarmizegetusa Regia, many of them on display at Romania National History Museum.

Conservation facts

The park is a protected area of national interest and starting with 2007 it became a part of the European ecological network NATURA 2000.

Even though the administration of the park is actively promoting the traditional cultural aspects of the area through ecological education and awareness activities, there are still issues regarding the development of tourism services as well as transportation and handling of the waste.