Romania : Part 7 - Day 9 : National Park Piatra Craiului

Day 9 of Romanian Drive

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 9. 

23/9 Day 9: Clock Tower, Sighisoara -- National Park Piatra Craiului

Must-Incur Costs

(1) Accommodation in Cabana Curmatura - LEI30 / EUR6.65 per bed per night (dormitory)

Optional Costs 

(1) 23/9 Late lunch in Cabana Curmatura - Bean soup & pork, Vegetable soup & chicken, Potato & sausage LEI30 / EUR6.65, Apple pie LEI7 / EUR1.55  

The Story

In my travels, I usually like to infuse nature inside my itinerary. For Romania, Prof Sweet Tooth had wanted to step foot on the Carpathians Mountain and suggested going to National Park Piatra Craiului. I looked it up and this is the description from the web.

The Piatra Craiului Mountains are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. In Romanian "Piatra Craiului" means "Prince's Stone".

The Piatra Craiului mountains form a narrow and saw-like ridge, which is about 25 km (16 mi) long. The highest elevation in the massif is the "Vârful La Om" at 2,238 metres (7,343 ft).

The ridge is regarded as one of the most beautiful sites in the Carpathians. The two-day north–south ridge trail is both challenging and rewarding. Starting at either Plaiul Foii in the north-west or Curmătura in the north-east, walkers climb up to the ridge before following a somewhat precarious path along the narrow spine. The descent at the southern end leads into a karst landscape of deep gorges and pitted slopes where water penetrating the rock has carved a series of caves. Source from Wikipedia.

The night before, Prof Sweet Tooth have driven from Sighisoara to the National Park. He parked by the river, and we slept there. Fortunately, it was not too cold sleeping by the river. The next morning when we woke up, there were cars driving in and out. This place is not too isolated after all. Prof Sweet Tooth drove on inside the Park and parked 50 metres from a barrier. We had our breakfast here - ghoulash soup. Truthfully, we were not sure at which part of the park we were at, because there were a few entrances.

We packed our sleeping bags and tent, unaware that there is a beautiful cabin at the end of our route. We had planned to go to see the ridge, and hopefully the highest peak of Piatra Craiului. There were a few hikers who used the same route as us, and had no items with them except water and snacks. They were just going to the peak and return on the same day. I thought how fit they were. The hikers were local and assured us that the route is clearly labelled - Just follow the blue sign. I thought we had to pay a fee to enter inside the National Park, but a local said it is free. Not many locals understand English, and so what I do is snap a photo of the signboard and point the Romanian word for fee to the local. The local said - No, no. 

So, we started our walk at 10.50am. We saw the sign of the blue flag and also a red flag too. The signs were painted on rocks or trees at every 100 metres, the least. It was definitely a safe route. Sometimes, there was sun. Sometimes, it was cloudy. Cold and hot intermittently. There were a few caves along the route but we could not go in because it was a bit high up and the path was steep and with loose rocks. Prof Sweet Tooth tried and he slide down. 

There were also signboards of animals and birds but we did not see any. Well, I have untrained eyes.

There was a memorial by the river. One of the locals explained to us that the memorial was for a couple who died in the river when there were strong currents. When we were there, the river was dried up. 

More signs to guide us on the route. We chose the shortest route - Spre Cabana Curmatura. A maximum of 2 hours. That is the timing for a fit walker, unlike us with our heavy luggage and my constant need to snap a photo.

The best investment in our travels is the knife. Prof Sweet Tooth bought it and has used it to cut food and fruits. Thankfully, we had no need for a big knife to slice any branches. 

At 12.45pm, we reached the fork to our route. It was a 2 hour walk to reach to this point. I never realised it but the flat route we walked earlier was actually gradually ascending. From this point onwards, it was a steep ascend. Even my calves hurt. I was hoping I did not fall backwards and had to hold on to any rocks or branches to pull myself and the heavy load up. There were clearly marked blue signs on the rocks and trees. We never got lost. 

At 2.25pm, we stepped out from the forest. The sight of the open land was a relief. A pair of local hikers who parked their car next to us was seen coming towards us. They had started earlier than us. I asked them where did they head to. They said that they had reached the peak and is going back now. I asked where was the peak. One of them explained that it was 100 metres from the visible mountains. It was very cloudy at the peak. Prof Sweet Tooth was tired and did not want to attempt the peak, plus it was cloudy and we could not see anything. So, we continued on towards the Cabana.

Finally, we have reached the Cabana! It was 3pm. Cold. Hungry. Tired. 4 hours of walk. It would have been a pleasant walk if we were not carrying a heavy load. 

The view of Carpathians Mountain from the Cabana.

One can camp inside the grounds of the Cabana for LEI10 per night but no setting up fire. There is food in the Cabana anyway. We went inside the Cabana and was pleasantly surprised when the lady owner told us they have rooms! We immediately booked 2 beds (it was a dormitory) for the night. Cabana Curmatura is a beautiful cabin. The ambience is peaceful and clean. There is real fire too! We felt the warmth as soon as we stepped in. The toilet is however outside the cabin. There is no water supply inside the cabin but there is spring water outside. One can brush their teeth or clean up there.

We asked what food do they have and was informed that they have hot soup. We immediately say yes to it! Plus sausages and potatoes. We were so hungry. I could easily drink the hot soup because my mouth was cold. 

Prof Sweet Tooth rested by the fire, while I walked about and snapped photos.

The camping ground of the Cabana. It is clean. No rubbish in sight. It is cold sleeping in the camping ground at night. We met a pair of Israelite hikers while walking towards the Cabana and they told us that it was a bad mistake of them to sleep outside. It was so cold! 

Then, we had apple pie. It is so amazing that they have dessert too!

The lady owner brought us to see our beds which was upstairs. We shared it with another 15 people who came in later in the evening. The dormitory is so clean. It was warm at night as the fire warmth from the dining room goes up to our room too. 

We slept early that evening until the next morning. This place gets packed during the weekends. Luckily, we were here on a weekday! Best cabin experience ever!