Map made within the project of the Kogayon Association “Implementation of the Natura 2000 European Ecological Network on the territory of the Buila-Vânturariţa National Park and the realization of the Park Management Plan” financed by the Administration of the Fund for the Environment and co-financed by RNP Romsilva – All rights reserved for the Kogayon Association
1. Forest stories from Buila-Vânturarița National Park – Route selected by the Romanian Ecotourism Association among the 7 most beautiful thematic paths in the country.
Opened in the summer of 2010, this thematic route is a story foray into the wonderful world of the forest.
Those who walk with eyes and hearts wide open will not be disappointed, because, along with some surprises prepared by us on the route, they have the opportunity to discover the forest with all 5 senses.
Along the route that lasts about 3 hours, visitors will find out what are the differences between a planted and a natural forest and how long it takes a forest to reach “old age”. Then a tactile surprise awaits them that reveals different textures of bark and leaf shapes of the trees in the park. Near the Scarişoara glade, we have prepared a short lesson for you about how we realize what living things are or have passed through the area, according to the signs and traces left. Then learn about the extremely important role of dead or old trees and about the miniature universe they support. The forest has always been a birthplace of legends, and for this route a often heard one heard around the place, the one about the Forest Mummy, was collected.
The route is not very difficult, part of it is on a forest road, and the rest through the forest, on a path arranged in the steeper sections by installing a railing, it can also be covered by older people.
Route length: 7 km
Level difference: 300 m
Approximate duration (with/without interpretation): 3 hours / 5 hours
The route overlaps the portions of two tourist routes:
– route no. 5 – Pietreni village – Poiana Scărişoara – red triangle marking;
– route no. 6 – Poiana Scărişoara – Pătrunsa Hermitage – yellow dot marking.
2. Junior Ranger of Buila-Vânturarița National Park
The route was laid out in 2009 and provides information, in a way that the little ones, about the species of flora and fauna that can be found along it, about how the Buila-Vânturarița massif was formed and why we find here fossils of hundreds of millions of millions For years, about the weather in the mountains and how to prepare for a trip. Along it, practical activities of knowledge, interactive research, the discovery of nature through play can be carried out.
The route starts from Poiana Prislop, the camp place of the junior rangers. Here, a gazebo with informative panels was set up, it continues for about 1.5 km on the Prislop forest road, and then through the forest on the Izvorului Large valley to the ridge of the Buila-Vânturarița massif, in Curmatura Builei.
The portion of the route that crosses the forest offers visitors the opportunity to make the comparison between a coniferous forest planted by man and a virgin forest, in which no human intervention took place. Also, along the path you can admire several species of plants protected by law, but also traces of mammals, rocks and fossils. All these points of interest are marked in the field by information boards.
Route length: 8 km
Level difference: 800 m
Approximate duration (with/without interpretation): 4 hours / 6 hours
The thematic route includes portions of three tourist routes:
Route 3 – yellow triangle – Poiana Prislop portion – the intersection of Prislop road with Izvorul Larg.
Route no. 6 – yellow triangle – intersection of the Prislop road with Izvorul Large – Curmătura Builei;
3. Gates of Buila-Vânturarița National Park: Nature and Spirituality
The route was laid out in 2007 and brings together special elements of landscape, flora, fauna with cultural historical elements (skits and monasteries), located right at the entrance gates of the park.
The route starts from the village of Bistriţa, follows the Bistriţa river, through the gorges through which it cuts between the calcareous walls of the Arnota mountain and continues, after crossing the Târnicior edge, through the Costestilor gorges to the Pietreni village.
The gorges of Bistriţa Vâlcena with a length of about 2 km, stand out for the beauty of the karst relief with high walls, rocks, caves, waterfalls but also for the flora and fauna particularly rich in rare species. After 4 km from the start, a confluence called between the rivers is reached, from where it climbs the Târnicior Valley to the east, the highest point of the route (900 m). Next is the downstream descent on the Costeşti Valley, on the eastern slope of the Costesti gorges.
The main natural and cultural-historical objectives on the route are marked by the location of 12 informative panels along the route. At the two entrance gates to the route and implicitly in the park, a panel with general information about the park, the description of the thematic route and a map of it were placed.
Route length: 9.5 km
Level difference: 250 m
Approximate duration (with/without interpretation): 4 hours / 6 hours
The thematic route includes portions of 3 tourist routes from P.N. Buila-Vanturarita:
– Route 1 – Blue Triangle – Bistriţa Village section – between rivers (Tărnicior);
– Route 3 – yellow triangle – portion of Pietreni village – rascal;
– Route 4 – Blue Cross – Târnicior Valley – full.
4. Memory of the anti-communist partisans of Mount Arnota – Route arranged by the Buila-Vânturarița National Park Administration and the Heroes Cult Association
5. The hearth of the Costești village – Route under development (2023), in partnership with the Vatra Inn and the Vâlcea Community Foundation.