Route no.1 - the "Ponorului Fortresses" Circuit (duration: 6h)

Route no.2 - the "Galbenei Valley" Circuit (duration: 10h)

The Apuseni Mountains represent a mountainous, almost round island, with heights that rarely exceed 1,800m. Therefore their fame is not given by spectacular heights but by the variety of the landscape that varies from gentle peaks to imposing vertical stone walls gathering together wild gorges, innumerable caves, impressive vertical caves ("avene"), quick rivers and underground glaciers.

Objectives: the Scarisoara Glacier - the largest cave with ice in Romania; the karstic Padis Plateau with the Ponorului Fortresses ("Cetatile Ponorului"), the Galbenei Valley, the Radesei Fortress and the Lost World.

Accommodation: can be arranged with the inhabitants of the Ghetar hamlet, at the Padis Chalet or Camping.

Recommendations: The tourists shall have with them the usual hiking equipment, that should compulsorily include: the map of the region, a lantern, the water can and mountain hiking shoes.

It is also necessary to have non-perishable food supplies for the first three days, before reaching the Padis Chalet. Here you can serve cooked food and buy the food supplies necessary for the duration of the circuits that have the Padis Chalet as starting point.

Specifications: the circuits presented below are accessible on marked paths. Depending on the tourists' hiking training, the assistance of an experienced guide can be arranged.

Access to the circuit: The trip starts in the village of Garda de Sus, located at 85km from Tebea. Here you can get by car on the national road DN74 Brad-Campeni and then on DN75 from Campeni to Garda de Sus. Garda de Sus is the access point to the Scarisoara Glacier.

The Garda de Sus - Scarisoara Glacier Stage
The Scarisoara Glacier is at 2-hour walk distance from the village of Garda de Sus, at an altitude of 1,100m. The glacier is located at the bottom of a vertical cave (aven) which is 60m deep and 50m wide. The ice layer is 20m thick and the height of the ice stalactites reaches 5m.

The Scarisoara Glacier - Padis Chalet Stage
In order to arrive to the karstic Padis Plateau from the Scarisoara Glacier, you need to take the link circuit "Scarisoara - Padis" (duration: 8h) that goes over the gentle peaks of the Apuseni Mountanis. Only two water sources are to be found during this circuit: the spring from the Calineasa Glade and the "Water from Stone" Spring. Highlights of the trip: the 100m deep vertical "Old Woman" Cave and the folk event called the "Calineasa Fair" (it takes place around the 15th of July).

The Padis Chalet and its surroundings. The Padis Chalet is located in the middle of the Padis Plateau. From here you can visit: the "Ponorului Fortresses", the "Galbenei Valley", the "Radesei Fortress", the "Lost World", which are just a part of the tourist sites of the Padis Plateau.

For an overall view over the below circuits starting from the Padis Area, you can use the map "Padiş Area Plan", where the circuits are represented with numbers from 1 to 4.

Route no.3 - the "Radesei Fortress" Circuit (duration: 6h)

Route no.4 - the "Lost World" Circuit (duration, one way only: 2h)