Mocănița from Maramureș, the most popular in Romania, crosses a dream route of 56 kilometers, having a history of 90 years. The six-hour journey through the Vaser Valley, among spectacular landscapes and history lessons, offers an unforgettable experience.
Mocănița from Maramureș, from Valea Vaserului Photo Mocănița Maramureș Facebook
Romania has many treasures – some natural, others man-made. Strange, compared to other countries, is that in our country, most of these treasures are too little exploited and valued. It is also the example of the small houses, admittedly, too few compared to how many there were once: today only eight are functional, and “Weekend Truth” we propose to visit, individually, places for a magical autumn, where only the small steam train can take you.
Mocănița from Valea Vaserului, the last one that still transports wood and tourists
The most popular of Romania’s locomotives is the one in Maramureș, which has been running for 90 years on one of the longest routes, 56 kilometers, which is why it is considered the last forest railway with steam, considering that in addition to tourists, it transports further and wood.
We do not know if it is unique in the world, but there is certainly no other like it in the country or in Europe.
Mocănița from Maramureș, from Valea Vaserului Photo Mocănița Maramureș Facebook
The Mocăniței route on Valea Vaserului starts from Vișeu de Sus and reaches Paltin, on a spectacular section that takes six hours round trip.
Travel price and facilities
The travel ticket costs 65 lei/child, 89 lei/student/pensioner and 97 lei/adult. The price increases for those who want to benefit from the meal as well (grill plate, pastry, hot and soft drink of your choice): 117 lei/child, 144 lei/student/pensioner and 149 lei/adult.
Reservations are made online on the mocanita website (mocanita-maramures.com). During the cold season, the races are from Thursday to Sunday inclusive, and when the heat starts, every day of the week. There are four runs daily, every half hour, between 09:00 and 10:30.
Exhibition of cowpeas in Vișeu de Sus Maramureș Photo Aron Stanciu Facebook
Authentic experience in a fairytale land, like in the old days
After the first 10 kilometers, it seems that you have arrived in another world, where even the phone signal among the steep rocks of the gorge is no longer functional. The area is part of the Maramureș Mountains Natural Park. The spectacular scenery is complemented by history lessons, given that the route passes near an old German military cemetery where 98 soldiers of the 3rd Mountain Hunter Regiment of the Carpathian Army Corps – Karpathenkorps were buried, along with four Austro-Hungarian soldiers and three Russians, fallen in the battles of the winter of 1916-1917. Affected by floods in the interwar period, then abandoned for decades, partially brought back to light in 2011, the cemetery is located near Miraj Station, at km 35.6.
Mocanita from Maramureș, from Valea Vaserului Photo mocanita maramures com
Built to height
And because we have mentioned history, let’s also remember how the narrow gauge train appeared in Maramureș. Here used to be the highest railway in the Carpathians. It was connected to Moldova through the Prislop Pass, at over 1,400 meters altitude, but the difficult route, the very high slope, put extremely high demands on the locomotives, which broke down frequently and caused that, after the war, this route was abandoned, and the rails, used for the Vaser Valley railway.
As it happened with all the locomotives, the narrow-gauge railway initially had a utilitarian function, being used to transport wood from the forest, an easier technical solution than water transport.
The work started in the early 1930s, following the Austro-Hungarian model, and since then it has operated almost without interruption, even if after 1945 the forest railways began to be replaced by forest roads.
Exhibition of cowpeas in Vișeu de Sus Maramureș Photo Aron Stanciu Facebook
One night stop in the Vaser Valley
Since the 2000s, the tourist component of this route has also begun to develop thanks to a private company with international support that understood people’s fascination for steam locomotives, fueled by wood and coal, but also for less traveled places and in general for everything what is old, being restored not only the decommissioned wagons and locomotives, but also the depot – the locomotive depot and the historic station building, with the help of the Swiss and other European supporters.
The CFF Vișeu de Sus Ltd. Tourism Company today organizes steam train rides for tourists from May to October, according to a pre-set schedule, but in addition to the regular rides, tourists can also participate in special events, such as Maramures brunches, trains on “Full Moon”, classical music concerts and New Year’s Eve parties.
And rail enthusiasts can enjoy special photo tours throughout the year. Their duration and complexity can vary from a simple tour to a complex program that includes a night in the Vaser Valley with a campfire, catering services and, of course, the traditional train ride. You can find details about prices, which change from year to year, program and events both on the dedicated website (mentioned previously) and on the official Mocănița Maramureș Facebook page.
Mocănița from Maramureș is the main tourist attraction of the area and one of the largest in the country. But to keep the steam locomotives in good condition for as long as possible for tourist traffic, most of the runs are operated with diesel locomotives.
Maramures, spring of beauty
Maramureș is famous primarily for its traditions, but in the area there are also other types of attractions, such as the Rodnei Mountains with the highest point in the Eastern Carpathians – Pietrosul Rodnei Peak –, the Blue Lake near Baia Sprie, Cheile Tătarului with its caves and the spectacular rock formations, the Bârsana Monastery and the wooden churches included in the UNESCO World Heritage, the famous Vesel Cemetery in Săpânta, the “Memorial to the Victims of Communism and Resistance” in Sighetu Marmației, the Maramureșian Village Museum, the traditional Maramureș houses, one of the highest and most beautiful waterfalls from Romania – Cailor Waterfall.
From Bucharest to Vișeu de Sus, the shortest road route is through Brașov, Târgu Mureș and Bistrița. From Cluj-Napoca, the route passes through Gherla, Dej, Beclean, Năsăud and Moisei-Borșa.
