The highest peaks in the Carpathian Mountain chain are to be found here in the Southern Carpathians, with a number of peaks over 2500 metes (8200ft). These mountains offer many attractions to eco-tourists. They are still well populated with European brown bear, wolves and (to a lesser extent) lynx, as well as chamois, wild boar, red deer, wild cat, and a variety of other mammals. Birds of prey are common, with Lesser spotted eagles, various buzzards and harriers, ravens, nutcrackers, woodpeckers, and a wide range of smaller birds visible. Wall creepers are an occasional find in some of the limestone gorges like the Zãrneºti gorge on the south eastern flank of Piatra Craiului mountain, and occasionally on the walls of the Vidraru dam.
Bucegi National Park - Bucegi Mountains are Romanian’s best kept secret.Nature Reserve protects the entire 300 sq km of the Bucegi mountain range. The reserve contains a variety of forests and abundant botanic species. The Carpathian Mountains are among the least spoilt mountains in Europe, with alpine pastures . About 1350 floral species have been recorded beech trees cover the northern foothills of the Southern Carpathians and fir and common spruce trees dress the slopes above 1000m. Alpine forests rich in sycamore, maple, popular and birch can be found at altitudes between 1200m and 1500m. Juniper tree, little willow and bilberry bush are dominate in the sub alpine forests above 1700m.
Piatra Craiului National Park – the protected areas included in the national park of Piatra Craiului’sCrest, the Zrnesti itfalls, Dambovicioara’s Gorge, the great Gorge of Dambovita and the Western Wall. The unique landscapes in this area are to be found in Piatra Craiului’s Crest, the longest and the highest limestone crest in the country, the open pit beneath the Coltii Grindului and the Cave in the Coltii Chiliilor. Here there are21 well-know tourist tracks which attract annually thousands mountain loving people passionate about the beauty of these places. Retezat National Park is the oldest National Park in Romania; it was established in 1935 and it's mai objectives were to conserve the landscape and the endemic flora found here. Altitudes vary between 794m at the park entry on Râu Mare valley and 2509m at Peleaga Peak.
Retezat National Park is located in the Retezat Mountains have some of the most beautiful landscapes in South-Eastern Europe. The massif is crossed by many tourist trails on which hikers can admire the landscape and enjoy the wilderness of this area. The more trained climbers can find some climbing areas, of which Colþii Pelegii is one well known. Camping sites, cabins and refuges in and around the park are attractive and waiting to accommodate tourists. Flora is known to be very rich, with almost 1200 plant species from about 3600 found in Romania. Having a third of the Romania flora present here was one of the main reasons to designate the area as a National Park. Fauna is also very rich, mainly because of the diversity of habitats found here, but also because the human impact is still small. There are no permanent settlements inside the park.
Rodna National Park represents the largest protected area in the northern group of the Eastern Carpathians covering a surface of 46,399 ha. In 1980 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO - MAB Programme. The carst from the northern part of Rodnei Mountains is one of among the few places in the Romanian Carpahians where typical exocarstic forms appear. These forms of morphostructural conditioning confer a uniquess to the limestone surfaces here. The flora is significant because of the presence of the local Carpathian endemic species together with glacier relicts. The vertebrate fauna is extremely variable including large birds, such as black gouse, capercaillie and eagles, as well as large carnivores (lynx, brown bears and wolf). Inside the Park there are nine reserves and one natural monument.
Apuseni Natural Park The Apuseni Mts., part of the Western Carpathians mountain range, are located in the heart of Transylvania, having an easy access from Cluj Napoca. The most popular part is The Bihor-Vladeasa Mountains, which are not very high (the highest peak is 1849m) but are an exceptional tourist area. Their fame comes from the extraordinary karst where you can find many caves (Scarisoara Cave is the largest glacier in Romania), ‘swallow-holes’, gorges, steep slopes, karstic intermittent springs and waterfalls. The trails start from the villages along Aries valley. A good rural tourism network is developed in this area.
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