When spring opens its gates wide, nature generously display its splendor. In May, the green meters become theaters of a rare and delicate show: the flowering of wild daffodils. These flowers, considered symbols of rebirth and purity, color the landscapes with white and perfume, and invite a deep reconnection with nature.
The beautiful daffodils from the Rodnei Mountains, over 1,400 meters. Photo: Shutterstock
Romania has the privilege of hosting some of the largest and most diverse habitats of wild daffodils in Europe, being species protected and included in the category of nature monuments since 1967, with the declaration of the first official reservation, from the village of Vad, Şercaia commune. These plants play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and are often accompanied by other rare species, such as wild embarrassment, gental or white dandelion.
Currently, most daffodils are included in the European Natura 2000 network, which involves a clear set of rules for protecting habitats and species. In addition to the ecological value, these places have become in the last decades and landmarks of green tourism and heritage tourism, integrating the natural landscape with local traditions, specific gastronomy and history of rural communities.
Visiting daffodils reserves involves observing some essential rules: no flowers are collected, no fires are lit, they do not enter the marked routes. The daffodils are part of a fragile natural balance, and our presence must be a discreet and conscious one. It is advisable to choose accommodation for eco-acetified pensions, consume local products and support craftsmen and producers in the communities visited. Only in this way, tourism can become a partner of nature and not an aggressor.
The daffodils in the heart of Brasov
Poiana with daffodils from Vad, located in the village of Şercaia, Brașov county, is the largest reservation of its type in Romania, stretched on 400 hectares. Popularly called “Poiana Angels”, this space becomes a white and fragrant stretch, a true floral sanctuary. The Festival of daffodils, organized here every spring, usually around the feast of the Holy Emperors Constantin and Elena, is a manifestation of local heritage, in which traditional music, folk dances and crafts are combined with the pride of preserving an untouched nature.
The daffodils also perfume the gardens or parks. Photo: Shutterstock
Access is easy from Brașov or Făgăraș, and visitors can opt for accommodation in rural pensions in Vad, Şercaia or near the Sâmbăta de Sus monastery. In addition to the local preparations (shepherd’s bulb, lamb stew, roast trout), guests can visit the Făgăraș Fortress, a well -preserved medieval edifice, former residence of the Principles of Transylvania, with an ethnographic and history museum. The Brâncoveanu Monastery from Sâmbăta de Sus is another landmark, foundation of Mr. Constantin Brâncoveanu, famous for his architecture. Also, Transfăgărășan, the famous mountain open road, can be partially traveled from May, offering spectacular views.
Only a few kilometers there is a rock monastery, known in the area as the Temple of Ursites in Șinca Veche, a mysterious cave in which spirituality and legends are interwoven. The rock monastery could not be accurately dated, the version more often accepted as the year of appearance being 1742, but many say he is several thousand years in the back. In 1789, a reformed pastor from Făgăraș wrote about the monastery: “The monastery is cut entirely into a quarry stone and therefore has no roof. It is skilled, with a huge, worthy work. The windows are cut laterally, so narrow that the monks”.
Perfume from the country of the Mo of
The Reserve of Narcasi from Negrileasa, Alba County, is a jewel of the Metaliferi Mountains, declared a protected area in 1995. Located at over 1,200 meters altitude, near Bucium, it offers story views, fresh air and an authentic cultural context. The festival organized annually here is an occasion for joy for local communities, which keep the port, mountain dances and songs alive.
Wild daffodils are species protected by law. Photo: Shutterstock
The beautiful meadow also has a legend, which says: “In distant times, a master bird flying from the distance, only once a year in these mountains, to announce the song and play of the year, he stopped in Poiana Negrilesei, while the day was in the day, for the day, They, older, saw the bird and by the sound of tulnic, called his comrades to catch her, to adorn her hats with her feathers. They will rise more beautiful and more for you, so that your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have these mountains to my feathers. Year, to announce the coming of the summer, the beautiful daffodils, descending with their beauty and smell all the passers -by and especially those who come to the feast of the daffodils that takes place year by year. ”
The access is made through Zlatna or Abrud, following forest roads that cross coniferous and deciduous forests. The accommodation can be done in the Gura Sun or Zlatna, and the local food includes the bellows cheese, sponge, baked pies and plums or crocodiles. Nearby, tourists can visit Roșia Montană, the oldest attested mining city in Europe, with Romanian galleries dug in the mountain and a restoration building. Also, the Gold Museum in Brad, unique in Europe through its collection of natural peppers, is a fascinating cultural destination.
The flowers between the hay
In the commune of Integanda, Alba county, Poiana with daffodils from the village of Tecșești is a destination of soul, where the simplicity of the rural life is intertwined with the wildness of nature. The meadow of over two hectares is located in a landscape dominated by forests and meadows, being accessible from Alba Iulia through Galda de Jos.
Accommodation is available in traditional restored houses, where tourists can take part in rural activities: mowed, cooked in the oven or picking of cure plants. The local menu includes sarmales with hribi, baked bread in the oven with wood, baked eggplant and rose sweetness. The tourist objectives in the area are numerous: the Integly, spectacular and relatively unpaid keys, the Huda Papar cave, one of the most difficult and enigmatic caves in Romania, but also the Scărița-Beliara Reserve, a unique karst ensemble, with the endemic flora and vertical rock walls that attract alpine and botanists.
Rodnei’s jewel
In the heart of the Rodnei Mountains, where the paths go up to alpine ridges and the coniferous forests are leaving room for light, there is one of the most spectacular savage meadows in Romania: Poiana with daffodils from Saca Massif. Located in an area of a rare wild, in Bistrița-Năsăud county, near the border with Maramureș, this floral reserve turns, at the end of May and the beginning of June, into a white carpet of delicate flowers, with a subtle odor and a legend charm. This meadow is over 1,400 meters altitude and is part of the Rodnei Mountains National Park, a natural area protected by national and international interest. The Saca area is one of the best preserved from this point of view, due to its more withdrawn position than intensely circulated tourist routes.
The breaking of daffodils is forbidden by law. Photo: Shutterstock
The access to the Saca and Poiana Massif Cu Narcise can be done by leaving the village of Valea Vinului, from Rodna commune, Bistrița-Năsăud county. From here, a marked mountain route climbs to the Saca mountain plateau, and its travel requires a good physical condition and adequate hiking equipment. The climbing time is about three to four hours, but the landscapes that open along the route-with peaks, alpine meadows and cold springs-reward the effort. For those passionate about the mountain and photography, the end of May is the ideal time for a getaway in this part of the Carpathians. The show offered by Narcissus, in contrast to the raw green of the early summer herbs and the deep blue of the mountain sky, is of a beauty that is difficult to describe.
Although the area is wild and does not benefit from accommodation units right near the meadow, tourists can opt for mountain or agrotourism pensions in the villages of Valea Vinului, Rodna, Land or Maieru. They offer decent conditions, authentic hospitality and traditional dishes from Nădăudean gastronomy: bellows cheese, Transylvanian chop or cheese and dill pies, all preparations with local ingredients. Some households also offer organic products or traditional cooking sessions for curious tourists.
Being in an exceptional mountain area, the Rodnei Mountains offer multiple exploration possibilities. At a short distance is the Waterfall Cailor – the highest waterfall in Romania -, La Lala – a superb glacial lake at over 1,800 meters -, but also the peak of Pietrosul Rodnei, which, with its 2303 meters, is the highest peak in the Eastern Carpathians. The Rodnei Mountains National Park is also a paradise of the alpine flora and fauna, sheltering marbles, black goats and golden eagles. Those interested in history can visit the former Mine in Rodna, an important silver extraction center in the Middle Ages, or the Benedictine Monastery certified documentary since the 13th century.
Most narcisso reserves are accessible to the whole family. Photo: Shutterstock
Romania’s daffodils of Romania are not only beautiful places for spring photographs, but true time capsules in which a natural relationship between man and earth is preserved. By combining the beauty of nature with the cultural specificity of each area, these places offer an authentic alternative to mass tourism. If in May you want to reconnect with simplicity, quiet and roots, start on a journey among daffodils. You will discover that each flower hides a story, and every meadow – a community that knew how to live in harmony with nature.
Romania’s narciss
• Poiana with Narcise Negrileasa – Alba County
• Poiana cu narcise tecșești – Alba County
• Poiana with Narcise Mount Cetii – Alba County
• Poiana Cu Narcise Dumbrava Vadului – Brașov county
• Poiana with Narcise Valea Neajlovului – Dâmbovița county
• Fine with Narcise Zervești-Caraș-Severin county
• Forest with Narcissus Battești – Timiș County
• Poiana with non -gradual daffodils – Argeș County
• Poiana with Narcise Vlăhița (Dumbrava Harghitei) – Harghita county
• Poiana with Narcise Mount Saca – Rodnei Mountains
• Poiana with Narcise Vad-Chircaia-Brașov County
• Pajiștea with daffodils under stone – Alba County
• Poiana with Narcise Racâș – Harghita County
• Poiana with daffodils from Ponoare – Mehedinți County
• Fine with Narcise Dăbâca – Cluj County
• Fine with Narcise Chiri – Harghita County
• Fine with daffodils from Sărata – Bacău County
• Poiana with daffodil from Trascău – Alba County
• Poiana with Narcise Brădești – Harghita County
• Pajiștea with Narcise Crasna – Sălaj county
