The Apuseni Nature Park is located in Western Romania, in the Central-North-Western side of the Apuseni Mountains. With over 1500 caves located in the park, Apuseni is an explorer's paradise. The oldest tourist trails in the area, dating from the 1900's, were described and marked by Czárán Gyula, a tireless traveler in the Apuseni.
The first initiatives to establish a park in this area belong to the scientist Emil Racovita, who at the first Congress of the Romanian Naturalists in 1928 has clearly formulated the purpose and the objectives of a large protected area in the Apuseni Mountains.
The Apuseni Natural Park spreads over three counties: Cluj, Alba and Bihor. It has an area of 75.784 ha and is home to over 1,550 different plant species. Spruce forests fill the mountain sides, while wild cherries and black walnuts grow in the meadows.
Remarkable karst landscape is specific for the Apuseni Mountains, both for its extension and for its richness and variety of forms. One of the most popular touristic areas is Garda de Sus, in the Alba county, which is the gateway to the Scarisoara Cave.
Hodobana, a massive underground labyrinth that meanders more than 21 kilometers, is a "must-see" attraction, as is the Zgurasti Cave. The exokarst includes forms such as the endorheic Basin of Padis, karren plains, chaotic snkhole plateaus, deep pans, karstic valleys, canyons, and, not at last, two of the deepest sinkholes of Europe: Cetatile Ponorului and Coliba Mare.
Another unique phenomenon in the park's landscape is the Groapa Ruginoasa. This colossal ravine has a diameter of about 450 meters and is over 100 meters deep. It was formed by water erosion that cut through the layers of sandstone and red-violet clays. When it's raining tunnels fulfil with water. Then, the water rises to the sunshine light through every little hole.
Recently, carnivorous wildlife, which was previously unknown to science, was discovered in some of the mountain's caves. These discoveries, combined with the already vast numbers of bear, lynx and wolves, make the region a truly remarkable habitat for wildlife.
Tourism continues to steadily grow in the region and the Apuseni Natural Park has been able to meet this challenge.
August 30, 2013
Photo source: wikipedia.org
I. C.
editor artline.ro
