The Lazy Tourist’s Guide to the Tallest Waterfall in Romania
After a detailed and deeply personal post about how I almost missed out on my best winter hike ever in the Southern side of the Rodnei Mountains, I thought I’d share with you a more factual article and a more successful travel story of catching a glimpse at the tallest waterfall in the country, located in the Northwestern part of the same National Park. I know I usually say that everyone can climb mountains, but this time you don’t have to!
Landscape of Borsa, the small mountain town
The awesome news is that for merely 15 RON, which is about 3 euros, anyone can easily get up on the mountain (and also down of course) with the help of the chairlift. The chairlift starts from Borsa, a small town nestled near the Viseu Valley, close to Prislop Pass. You can also choose to hike the full way, as the trails are well-marked, and you can also pick a one-way ride. Since we went there with my parents and had other stuff to see that day, we opted for the fastest way, a return ticket in the chairlift!
My parents enjoying the cable car ride from Borsa
The ride only takes a couple of minutes. Just as you start to really feel the clean mountain are and begin to appreciate the wonderful landscape, two guys will literally pull you out of your daydream (and your chair). Before you start moving on with the crowd, make sure you catch a glimpse of the view over the small town of Borsa! I though it was quite beautiful!
View of Borsa
Rodnei Mountains
Latrine with a view in the Rodnei Mountains
After you’ve looked around and enjoyed the view, you’ll need to join the others (it’s pretty likely that there will be a ton of other tourists around) and walk for about 10-15 minutes to reach the falls. The road is a well-marked one and it’s not at all steep. You aren’t even going upwards, but mostly down, so it isn’t a tiring one either. As you get closer and closer to the waterfall, you can catch a glimpse of it through the trees. I think this is one of the best angles, since you can’t actually appreciate and see its whole length once you’re closer, or right under it.
Cailor Falls
The name of the waterfall actually translates to the Horses’ Falls. It is located at an altitude of 1300 meters in the Rodnei National Park and has a fall of over 90 meters. I know it looks very thick on the photo I took, but I must remind you that we visited during the summer, when a month-old drought took the country by storm. So if you want to see it when it has an abundance of water, then visit either in early Spring or in late Autumn.
Legend has it, that above the waterfall in a peaceful meadow, a large group of horses went every day to graze. Nearby, a large bear waited eagerly for one of them to get away from the pack, so he could attack it. The bear was naturally scared of the large pack of tall animals and the only thing he could do was to shepherd them towards the ledges of the cliffs. One night, during a scary and loud storm the horses became scared and scattered all around. The bear made us of this uneasy situation and attacked the already petrified horses, which tried to escape by jumping down the cliff right next to the waterfall. More than a dozen horses fell to their death that evening, and the villagers decided to name the waterfall in their honor.
Once you’re there, you can feel the tremendous power with which the water falls from above, and can also experience it by washing your hands, or even jump in for a quick shower. Beware of the massive power of falling water, though!
I definitely recommend sitting down for a couple of minutes, having a sandwich or even organize a fun little picnic at the waterfall, or just sit and watch. Let it sink all in. Breath in its majesticity, get a taste of its power. It’s the tallest waterfall in Romania, after all! Give it respect, admire it! Then walk back to the chairlift, sit back and enjoy the ride!
Back to Borsa
Practical Info:
Schedule:Â Monday – Sunday:Â 09:00-17:00 (doesn’t function during bad weather)
Price: 8 Ron one-way/ 15 Ron return for Adults
5 Ron one-way/ 10 Ron return for Children
Where: right next to the Cerbul** Hotel
Good to Know: The cabin car only starts if there are at least 10-15 people, so if you’d like to go right at 9 in the morning, you might have to wait a couple of minutes. Also, keep in mind that the last descent of the cabin car is exactly at 17:00! Don’t find yourself stranded alone on the mountain without any knowledge of where you need to hike down!
Don’t Forget: You’re on the mountain, in nature. Enjoy it responsibly and don’t throw away your garbage behind a rock! Bring your own debris down from the mountain! (you won’t even have to carry it, the cable car will practically bring it down for you! 🙂 )
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That view from the chairlift is stunning, it’s worth going up there just for that. I need to go there asap, can’t wait for summer! 😀