The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers
Since yesterday was International Mountain day, I quickly browsed through my list of unwritten adventures to see if there were any mountain-related articles left out, waiting to be written. And so I found the photos of our little escapade in June, when we visited the Madarasi Hargita mountains, proclaimed the Saint Mountain of the Szeklers.
But let’s start from the beginning. We left home early in the Morning so we could reach the mountain before noon. There was mixed information about what routes we should take, and obviously ended up taking the wrong one with boulders torturing our small Peugeot 106 until the rest-houses appeared. Don’t worry, a few weeks after we were there a brand new road was inaugurated so you won’t have to go through this one:
bumpy road to Madarasi Hargita
After almost half an hour of praying that our wheels don’t fall off, we finally arrived to the pensions, which marked the end of our car ride and start of our journey on foot. Little did I know that this was going to be the easiest hike ever.. Actually, it wasn’t even a hike. It was just a short walk in nature, I think.
Madarasi Hargita tourist signs
We were going to the peak (Varful Madaras), and afterwards decided to visit the waterfall (Cascada Szoko Vizeses). Although the “hike”was short, it was very beautiful. Pine trees and blueberry shrubs were surrounding our well-marked path. The weather was funky, one minute it was so hot I couldn’t wear my pullover anymore, and in the next such a cool breeze blew in our faces that I was freezing. But the surroundings were beautiful.
towards Madaras Peak
follow the blue triangle to Madaras Peak
Once at the top, wooden headboards, sculptures and pillars testify that one has arrived to a very sacred place of pilgrimage of the Szeklers’. But the view is absolutely amazing. The half-hour walk is totally worth it and it is easily reachable by anyone from families with small children to the elderly. One can see almost the whole Transylvanian basin and the lovely Carpathian mountains which surround it.
Madaras Peak (1801 m)
Madaras Peak
Madaras Peak
There are four information panels in every direction showcasing the mountains as you can see them and marking the most important peaks and valleys. It is absolutely amazing that you can see almost the whole Carpathian chain from only 1801 meters.
information panel on the Carpathians
After we were cold enough we decided to head to the waterfall. Although while we were walking up to the peak we met a lot of people along the way, nobody seemed to be interested in Szökő waterfall. We were totally alone all the way, except for a few mountain bikers we encountered while we were having a sandwich break.
towards Szökő waterfall
Gathering energy
The road was pretty much the same as it was towards the peak, only this time the place cleared up of trees sometimes, offering a breathtaking view over the Carpathian basin once again:
serene view- Madarasi Harghita
path to Szökő waterfall
The place was very quiet and the waterfall was about 5 meters tall and absolutely stunning- well worth the detour. The path to the waterfall took about twice as much as the road up towards the peak. Opposite to the waterfall there is a small table with wooden benches on both sides for the travelers to take five and admire the natural phenomena.
Szökő waterfall
All in all, this mini-hike is a must if you’re anywhere in the region, because there is no other mountain top from which you can admire the Carpathian mountain chain as from Madaras Peak. For more info on how to get here, don’t hesitate to contact me :)!
In the weekend we are going to the Christmas Market in Sibiu (one of the most beautiful in the country), so stay tuned for updates!
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This is perfect!
My mother and brother are coming to visit me in Targu Mures next week and they wanted to go on a mountain, but my mother can’t walk steep hills (or at least she would slow us down a lot). So I guess I will drive there and see what it looks like now in winter. 🙂
Then I think this would be perfect for her, not at all hard. It has ski slopes also and they should be open by then!
How you get there: http://www.madarasi-hargita.ro/hargita-madaras
Trekking routes: http://madarasihargita.hu/turautvonalak/ (yes, the description is in Hungarian but at the bottom of the page you can see 2 maps which will probably help 🙂 ) enjoy, and please share the winter photos. I haven’t been in the wintertime yet but I heard it’s absolutely stunning
Thank you very much for the additional information!
Hope it helps 😉 Enjoy!
Btw, I just realized that there’s a gorge here in Romania (in Hungarian it’s Remetei Sziklaszoros, in Romanian it’s totally different), which translated into English is something like “The Rock Gorges of the Hermit”. Since you’re the happy hermit ‘n all.
https://cityoftheweek.net/2014/02/12/ramet-gorge-a-playground/
Yes, that would be very fitting indeed! I see from your photos that I better wait until summer for that one. 🙂
I think you should, unless you love walking in icy water and weather. But it’s a must-see!