In the last weekend of August, the main trails in Ceahlău National Park were full of tourists

In August 2020, tourists from all over Romania embarked on a journey of discovering Ceahlău Massif, and on weekends there were even 4,000 tourists who climbed to the top of Toaca Peak.

The warm weather in August made tourists choose hiking on the main mountain peaks in Romania as their favorite outdoor activity, out of a need for direct interaction with nature, recharging their batteries, and also as a compensation for the lack of physical activity during the social distancing period. The reduction of the number of tourists due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic negatively impacted all tourism sectors around the globe. The return to normal will be done gradually, following the safety rules imposed by the spread of SARS-coV-2.

The representatives of Ceahlău National Park say that, compared to previous years, in August 2020 there was a larger number of tourists coming in the area, and in the last weekend of August, but not only, the most frequented routes inside the park were heavily trafficked, and there were traffic jams on the roads leading to Izvorul Muntelui and Durău, while tourists had a hard time finding parking spaces.

During the week, the mountain area is less crowded with tourists but even so, in order to make sure you find an available accommodation facility, it is highly recommended to book your stay earlier.

The images below were captured on the first day of autumn, the 1^st of September 2020:

Durău Resort was also full of tourists, especially in the last weekend of August. Located at an altitude of 800 meters, right at the foothill of Ceahlău Massif, the resort offers a wide range of attractions for tourists. During winter, visitors can enjoy skiing on the long slope, and in the summertime, they can engage in various fun activities at Durău Park, a leisure park suitable for all ages: carousel, tubbing and summer tobogganing, ski lift, playgrounds, bike trails, escalators for climbing, trampoline/mattress.

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Photo credit: Durău Park

Durău resort is also the starting point for two tourist routes that lead to the top of the massif, one passing through Poiana Vesuri (1195 m) – Duruitoarea Waterfall – Dochia Chalet (1750 m) and the other passing by Fântânele Chalet (1220 m) – Dochia Chalet (1750 m). Once Dochia Chalet reached, many tourists make a little effort to enjoy the overwhelming sensation of being “on top of the world”, more exactly on top of Toaca Peak, since one of the latest attractions is the stair of over 500 steps, the only one in Romania at such a high altitude. Climbing on it, tourists go from an altitude of 1771 to 1893 meters, enjoying a panorama that quickens their heartbeat. At the end, on the top of Toaca Peak, they can savor an unforgettable view: landscapes whose beauty cannot be translated into words. The project of building the stairs was initiated and financed by Neamț County Council. The stairs entered in service in 2018 and their role in mountain accident prevention is undeniable.

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Also known as “the Olympus of Moldovia” Ceahlău Massif is the second holy mountain of the Orthodox Christianity after Mount Athos. Dominating the mountains around, due to its relatively lonely position, the legendary allure of the massif is complemented by its impressive appearance, and a certain mysterious aura surrounding it. Here, as incredible as it may seem, almost every rock, stream or geological formation has a name and a story of its own.

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