Two-day hike to Mount Moldoveaunu in Romania

Comfortable mountain trek for two days with conquering Moldoveaun peak

Starting point

We leave the car at the unpaid parking lot in the Lacul Balea saddle.
 

Description of the hike

1. day

By car we drive along the Transfagarasha road from the north, meeting a bear family. In the final serpentines there's a traffic jam, so we park by the road, repack, a downpour starts. We think (mistakenly) that we still have time to reach the Podrag hut in daylight.

We re-park, wait in the restaurant by Lake Balea. Around 5 p.m. it stops raining, so we head up the blue marker and crap - the hut sign says 6 p.m.! So after 11pm? That's stupid. But let's go, because on the way there's a turnoff to the bivouac.

We follow the blue marker steeply at first, to Lake Capra, here we see a few tents and the hiking continues. For a change the red, a traverse around the lake and a descent and ascent. And so several times. At first we keep to the time frame, which is bad. In 2,5 hours we cross a fork - to the bivouacs yellow, red ridge and blue towards Podragu hut. It is still light, we resign to the bivouacs and continue to the hut. The indicator says 2-3 hours!

We send a faster vanguard to try to coax a night's sleep. With the slower girls we descend and ascend again, by then they are running out of strength and it is getting dark. On the last saddle, headlamps already on, we see a hut, a boy runs out to meet us, reporting a considerably grumpy hut with the risk of sleeping outside. At 21:15 we are at the hut. A miracle. 6 hours of walking according to the information board we have shrunk to 4, where did the time window suddenly come from? A crack?

Nevertheless, the hut mistress was considerably unkind, quickly placing us on bunk beds under strict supervision, with the hut already being put to bed. We saw bears by the main road (asphalt road), then no bears in the mountains, only foxes and marmots. Scenery beautiful, lakes, rock window, sunset. The first day was only slightly modified by time stress. On the first day we had the goal of the mountain hut Cabana Podragu.
 

2. day

The next morning is already nice, clear. We take our time and leave the Podrag hut at 9.00. We follow the red hiking trail to the saddle (3/4 hour). Due to the indisposition of one boy, the decision to split our group is correct. The girls and the boy go back along the ridge on the red trail. Daddy and son go to the top of Moldovean.

So still a long but quite relaxing traverse, suddenly a scary view of the wall, another traverse, a final steeper climb first to the top of Vistea Mare, a break to meet the compatriots, then another 20 min. ridge to Moldoveanu - where we are at noon.

The views are great thanks to the weather, just beautiful. A Polish guy comes running in, he made it from Balea in 5 hours. We first descend the same route, passing the megastad of sheep, reach the original crossroads and take the ridge on the red, towards the top of Mircia.

We pass the refreshing Giurgiuluji lake, it gradually turns ominous and roars even more ominously. Proof once again of how the weather can quickly turn sour in the mountains. We hastily run over the summit, then along the ridge, nowhere to hide under a possible overhang, but we at least get below the ridge, where a few more unfortunates and a downpour with hail is triggered.

We wait under the raincoats for a while, when it seems to have thundered off, we continue in the rain towards the clearing sky. Next ascent, descent, the rain finally stops, we cross some chains after drying. Uphill we reach yesterday's crossroads and then the same uphill path again, after descending again we climb to Lake Capra, where the peace and atmosphere is divine, so we relax a little and at 6 pm we descend to the restaurant and the welcome squad at Balea Lake.
 

Difficulty

Although the elevation gain is not so bad at first sight, there are several ascents and descents. There are also easier chains and crampons on the route. Even older kids can do the hike (high schoolers are fine).
 

Water availability

Take at least 2-3 litres with you in summer. Water is at Podragu hut, at Giurgiuluji lake, otherwise unreliable springs with worse accessibility - filtration is recommended.
 

Sleeping options

You can spend the night on the trail, for example, at the mountain hut Podragu (70-100 Lei / person 2024). Camping options along the way - at Lake Capra, bivouacs Refugiul Fereastra Zmeilor - below the ridge.
 

Mountain peaks

Along the way you will climb several two-thousand peaks, the most interesting ones are Podu Giurgiului 2 358 m above sea level, Viștea Mare 2 527 m above sea level, Moldoveanu 2 544 m above sea level, Mircii 2 470 m above sea level, Paru de Fier 2 316 m above sea level. The route offers great views of the entire Fagaras mountain range.
 

Danger

We met the bears on Transfagarasha - domesticated by the roadside, loud from naughty tourists - more on the south side - at the level of the forest, then they were not higher. Then in Romania it is commonplace to be wary of herding dogs, although we only had the pleasure of encountering the trouble-free ones :). There are a few fenced sections on the route, but nothing terrible, classic chains (max. ferrata A, B).

Food

You can refresh yourself at the mountain hut Podragu - due to the "peculiarity" of the hut owner we did not try the food at the hut. Otherwise classic food for a two day trek - chocolate, energy bars, cooker, canned and dried food.