Retezat is the oldest and the biggest park in Romania with more than 20 peaks over 2.000 meters in altitude. A heaven for hikers with a couple of glacier lakes and several hiking trails. It’s a beautiful place that requires some moderate-good fitness level to properly explore the park. This article will describe my experience hiking on Retezat for two days.
Before going to the park, we stopped at Corvin’s Castle to learn about Romanian history in that area. Besides the mountains, the view of the lakes and the forest on the way to the peaks were highlights that you shouldn’t miss when visiting this magical place.
Table of Contents
Quick facts about this adventure
- Length: 27.26km
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation gain: 1651m
- Time: 2 days
On the way to the Corvin's Castle
Our trip started in the morning with a nice 2 hours ride from Timisoara to the Castle. If you like history, you should visit this castle that was transformed into a museum. There you are going to learn facts about the Corvinus family and about all the historical events that happened in the area since the construction of the castle in 1446.
There is a small museum in front of the Castle called the Museum of Torture, it shows devices and methods used to torture people in the past. I wasn’t interested in this one, so I skipped it. If you went there, please tell us your experience in the comments.
The Retezat National Park
It’s a 70km drive from Corvin’s Castle to the Retezat National Park. The roads were very good, so the ride was very pleasant. After arriving at our destination, it was time to pack our backpacks and leave any unnecessary weight in the trunk of the car. A few meters after the parking lot is a large map of the Park. Be sure to study your route and take a photo in case you need it later.
We started hiking in Retezat in the afternoon. The first day was supposed to be a short hike to the Cabana Gentiana, where we would spend the night. The next day is a long hike visiting Peleaga (2509m), the highest peak in the park, and some lakes on the way back to the parking lot.
On the way to the Cabana Gentiana
At the beginning of our hike, I was already astonished by the nature in the park. I didn’t know that was only the scratch in the surface! Retezat had a lot more to show and impress me.
We passed an intersection that leads to the Cabana Pietrele and found some hikers finishing their day, going back to the parking lot. Our adventure was just beginning…
There are many small rocks and water sources near the trail. On the left side, there is a large water fountain that combined with the trees and rocks around it, gives you a great feeling of pure nature and peace.
Dinner at Cabana Gentiana
After a few hours of hiking, we arrived at our destination for the first day. We got there before sunset. The owner was very kind and talkative. He offered me the most famous Romanian spirit, Țuică. I have tried many times before so I knew what I was getting myself into.
My friend Erik was handling most of the conversation, unfortunately the owner didn’t speak English so Romanian language was the only way to communicate with him. Erik told him our plan for the next day, so he helped us giving some info and tips about the trails.
A chill evening
After dinner, we walked around the Cabana, checking out the nature around it. As we arrived early, the Cabana was empty. Most hikers were still active somewhere. Inside the Cabana, you have a large bedroom that can accommodate 24 people. One night costs 35 LEI (7.2 EUR) p/ person.
After a good sleep, I was completely refreshed to start our day. The plan was to hike towards Peleaga and return to the park entrance from the other side of the peak making a nice loop, so would see more nature and not return entirely on the same path.
Pietrele Lake
In June, it was a little chilly in the early morning. Hiking in Retezat can be cold even during the summer, so bring a warm jacket with you. You won’t need it later but for the first few hours of the day it’s necessary.
From Cabana Gentiana, it’s a 90-minute hike to Lake Pietrele. On the way, you have many opportunities to refresh yourself with water. One of the good things about this hike is that lack of water is not something that you should be worried about.
At the lake, we started to see people hiking and taking pictures. The water was freezing!! I dared only to wash my face and hands. Also on the lake, you can see snow. Sign that from there it will get cold heading towards the peaks. After a few minutes at the lake, we continued to the first peak, Custura Bucurei.
Custura Bucurei
From the lake, we saw snow everywhere, at some points we had to cross a small frozen path crossing one of the many water sources on the way. After an hour of hiking, we arrived at Custura Bucurei (2370m). The change in the weather was fast as we were reaching the peak, a huge fog was all around us.
The scenery changes rapidly as you approach the peak. Big rocks everywhere so you need to pay close attention. At the peak, even with fog, we saw a small part of the Bucurei Lake.
We decided to continue towards Peleaga and take a break there. After enjoying the misty views of Bucurei, which still were pleasant, we continued on to the next peak. I’m very curious about the views from there on a hot summer day.
Peleaga
It was foggy at the peak of Bucurei, but it got even more hazy on the way to Peleaga. It wasn’t possible to see 5 meters ahead. To make the situation even better, the wind was blowing incredibly strong. This was a completely new experience for me. The path was also short and dangerous, so we made sure to go slowly and unhurriedly to reach the highest peak.
At the top, we took a long break to eat and enjoy the foggy views :D. We reached our main goal of hiking in Retezat!! From Peleaga, there are some trails that lead to different places in the park. Our goal was to return by another trail, take a little detour and return to the parking lot following the trail to Cabana Pietrele.
Getting lost on the way back
After 1 hour of hiking towards the path that leads to Pietrele, we got lost. Walking for several minutes we didn’t find the sign indicating the right way. As our internet connections weren’t working, we decided to follow a path that was longer but would lead us back to the park’s entrance.
This new path would lead us to Gales Lake, it would be a longer route than originally planned, but we decided to go there instead of trying to find the trail to Pietrele. In the end, it was a great choice, the path was beautiful. If your fitness level allows you, we suggest taking the same route as we did.
Hiking for another hour, we could see the Gales Lake. The altitude there is around 1990m. The fog left us behind along with the snow. The magic about hiking on Retezat has risen again, showing us a beautiful green view around the lake. It’s fascinating how drastically the scenery has changed after a few hours of hiking, there’s no need for jackets anymore.
Back on the way to Pietrele
The sun was shining for us at that time and not strong, perfect for a lunch break. In Gales, we saw the sign indicating the direction to the Cabana Pietrele. Great news!! We were back on track.
If you have time I recommend you to bring extra clothes and swim in the lake, if the weather allows you to do it. It’s a breathtaking view around the lake, take the opportunity to enjoy and continue your adventure.
The path mainly was downwards from the lake through a large open field. I was surprised at the number of flies in the area. At some point they were very annoying, in the end, I was trying to ignore them and continue towards the Cabana Pietrele.
Getting closer to the starting point
The scenery will change from a large open field to a closed forest. Good! You are approaching the starting trail that leads to the parking lot! The trail will continue downhill for 1-2 hours.
Continuing the trail you will find another trail that you already know. Exactly! It’s the trail that starts at the entrance to the park. From here, it’s an easy 20-30 mins hike to the final destination. Congratulations!! You completed this hike, be proud!
Beautiful souls in Romania
Hiking in Retezat wasn’t the only good thing that happened to me on this adventure. I want to thank the staff of Placinta Huniadului a thousand times. Before driving to Retezat, I stopped there to buy a coffee. Distracted by something, I completely forgot my wallet outside and left. It wasn’t until the next day, when we finished our hiking adventure, that I noticed my wallet was missing. I was looking everywhere with no luck.
I already accepted the fact that I lost my wallet so I was already thinking about blocking cards, etc. Then I remembered the coffee that I bought, so I told my friend Erik that the wallet could be there. We drove over there and tried to find them on Instagram and Facebook to ask if they saw any wallets. Erik managed to call them and they said that they found a wallet from a Brazilian guy, which was me!!
They were so kind, it was Sunday and the sunset had already set. Two people came back to Placinta to give me my wallet. I haven’t tried their food but I already want to say that they are beautiful people and that they saved me a lot of trouble!!
End of the Adventure
This was a 2-day Itinerary in Romania visiting Corvin’s Castle and hiking in Retezat National Park. This adventure is a suggestion based on my experience visiting both places. Hope that you enjoyed this article. See you all on the next adventure.
Do you have some more tips about Retezat National Park? If so, let us know in the comments below.
Cheers!!
