The Ceahlău Massif through the Broke Traveller's lens - Ep 9

creutzy (56)in #photography • 7 years ago (edited)

Going back to Romania's version of the legendary Olympus Mountain in Greece, here are more shots I got of the Ceahlău Massif. Although I made 2 posts about the Ceahlău mountains ( 1ST, 2ND) I thought that I have so much more to share from this spot that I should do another post.

The images in this post are from compiled from many of my trips to these mountains with various cameras, although most of the better ones are with my old Nikon D40. I used to live not that far away from this place so I would end up there quite often with my friends. I really enjoyed discovering the mountain's secrets over the years and no matter how many times I go there, I still find something new although the area covered by this massif is not that large.

If you are thinking of visiting this place you should pack for easy/moderate level hiking (bit more challenging during the winter months). A good place to check the weather is Meteblue (Swiss based weather service - offers forcast for Toaca Peak). You can camp on the plateau as there is a camp site. Open fires are permitted only in designated areas. As this is a national park there are certain restrictions in place. You can stay at the main hut on the plateau which is Dochia Hut. There is also a chance you can stay at the weather station under Toaca Peak if you talk to the meteorologists there. Alternatively try the Fantanele Hut or the small monastery on the plateau.

One area that is part of this massif is actually under restricted access. This is the area around Ocolaşul Mare peak. Access is granted only to organised small groups that go with accredited researchers as the area has been deemed to be of significant scientific importance due to the presence of over 1100 species of flowers, 90 species of birds and protected animals and also 5 species of flowers declared to be monuments of nature by the Romanian government (one is the well know Edelweiss).

HERE you can find a detailed high res map of the massif to get you started. The trails are marked from time to time with trail markers which are easy to find.

Dochia Hut

Toaca Peak (1904 m), and the weather station.

Edelweiss/Floarea de colț (Ro)/Leontopodium alpinum

Dochia Hut - Nikon D40, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II, f/5, 30 sec, 18 mm ISO 400.

The monastery.

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