Cheile Nerei trekking route
Last weekend we were fascinated by the natural wonders of the Nerei Gorge (Cheile Nerei) and Ochiul Beiului Lake. Nera is a small river flowing in the south – western part of Romania, in the Mehedinti Mountains. It is a beautiful area due to the mighty mountains and the majestic Danube piercing through the rocks. Cheile Nerei is a well know trekking route in this area, and definitely one of the most beautiful in the country!
Before I got there I was more concerned about the dilemma: is it a hard trekking here or not? But once on the way, I was completely captured by the water show in its various forms. It is the waterfall of La Vaioaga, the absolute silence of the Beihai Eye, and the lazy drizzly of the Beusnita waterfall.
On the way – which lasts for about an hour and is (very) easy – I met several families with children of all ages. Out of all of the people we met, I keep thinking of a girl who was running through cold crystalline water. There was so much joy in her eyes it made me happy for the rest of the day. So if you plan on going to Nera Keys, you might just as well take your children with you. It is really easy and convenient for families.
As for us, we were a group of friends 🙂
The way there
Back to our route: it is no hard work to get by car to the starting point for this trekking. The maximum point where you will get by car is a Trout Farm, but they don’t serve any trout here. You can only buy some to take home. However the area is beautiful and very peaceful. We decided to have a quick “picnic” before starting the trekking 🙂
Before you get here, one part is a good road, the other 5 kilometers goes on a relatively easy forest road. Until you reach the Trout farm, you will see an indicator to La Vaioaga Falls. It is worth stopping if you find a strategic parking place so you do not block the road so much. We were with a minibus, so with a small car it should be a piece of cake.
Ochiul Beiului Lake
After about an hour of reasonable trail, you will reach a turquoise water lake, clustered in the middle of the forest, surrounded by shady trees. The karst lake is fed by a spring (which is why it does not freeze in winter), it has a depth of about 3.5 meters and a surface of 284 square meters. The color is due to carbon dioxide and limestone at the bottom of the lake, where you can see the playful fish.
There are a lot of legends and superstitions related to this particular lake. One of them says that once, an odious Turk who owned these lands, he had a blue-eyed son, who fell in love with a local woman in Flower Poiana. Their love soon came to the ears of the Turk, who was horrified that his son loved a Walachian woman. So he sent his men to kill her. Far too upset, his son screamed continuously, then decided to end his days. It is said that the lake was made up of tears from the blue eyes of the young Turk.
I must admit that the lake quickly climbed to the top of my favorite places list and stayed there even after seeing Beusnita and Bigar waterfalls. I remained hypnotized in front of it. Quiet and peaceful. Only a few fishes danced in the water. Otherwise, the surface of the lake was as a mirror. All I wanted was to stay there and and enjoy the peace.
Beusnita Waterfall
After seeing Ochiul Beiului Lake, you will continue the journey following the blue triangle mark to the Beusnita waterfall. There is about half hour climbing lightly to the waterfall. Calcium dissolved by the River has shaped over time a lot of formations that gave rise to waterfalls. The most spectacular one is about 15 meters high and dressed in green muscles. To really see the show, it’s good to get up in the spring, when the river has volume.
Ever since I entered this amazing area I found that the water flow is very small at Beusnita, so I did not expect any big waterfall. But I discovered it does not take a lot of water to impress. I watched the musk, the way the rock was cut, the trail of lazy dripping down the valley, and I could only imagine what a show it must be here in spring when the water covers the stones and the musk completely.
Comments