Two places in the land of the Dacian fortresses in Hunedoara became famous for the meadows and forests full of wild snacks. At the end of the week they are sought by numerous tourists, but the people of the place draw their attention to protect nature.
The plateau of the Vârtoapelor. Photo: Romsilva.
Poienile cu Ghiocei from the Șureanu Mountains (Hunedoara), located on the plateau of Vârtoapes – near Sarmizegetusa Regia – and in Ponorici – Cioclovina, above the Cioclovina Cave – near the Dacian Cetarul Red Fortress, come to life at the beginning of March.
Invited in wonderful dumbbells
The carpets of wild flowers that grow here much larger than in other areas become destinations for nature and photographs. Many Romanians were invited this weekend, on social networks, to participate in the group trips organized at Poienile with Ghiocei.
“In the Orăștiei Mountains, on the Vârtoapelor Plateau, nature creates a unique show, as detached from a story. Here, in each beginning of March, on an area of almost 10 hectares, a spectacular carpet of rich snacks (Leucojum Vernum), a rare and protected species. These snacks have a rounded shape, similar to the tears, with finely tanned edges, shown with a green firice. Recommended route: Grădiștea de Munte – VârtoPelor Plateau – Forest with Ghiocei. Distance: 4.8 kilometers. Duration: 3 hours (breaks included). Difficulty: Easy (climbed more at the beginning, then light route on forest road) ”shows the organizers of a trip scheduled this weekend.
Legend has it that this meadow is watched by the forest, also called white girls. The elders of the place tell that they come out of the caves of the whirlwinds with the melting of the snow, dance between the snacks and disappear only when the heat comes. But when the flowers are offering, the spirits become restless, and those who venture into the forest must be careful, the authors of the invitation to hike.
Spring has prepared a unique show in Romania, on the Vârtoapelor plateau, where the snacks spread over the whole hectares through the forest, announces the organizer of another trip.
“Because, being protected plants, we cannot break the rich snacks from the VârtoPe Plateau to bring to our loved ones, we will take them there, to be able to admire them. When would it be a more appropriate time to do this than on their day on March 8? It is a show that is played only once a year and worth being spectators! Save the date: March 8, 2025! ”He adds.
Tip for tourists: Don’t snatch flowers
The invitations to such trips are numerous, but the locals and the administrators of the Grădiștea Natural Park Cioclovina – where the meadows with the snacks are attracted to the passengers not to leave the misery and not break the snacks or to crush them under the wheels of the field cars, the ATV and the Enduro.
Image 1/8:
The Plateau of the Photo VartoPs Remus Suciu
“We invite people to admire these flowers and the places where they can be found, from the Grădiștea Natural Park Cioclovina, but they must know that it is forbidden to break or snatch wild flowers. Also, it is not allowed to leave public roads with cars, motorcycles or ATVs. They can cause other destruction of nature, as well as waste left behind by tourists”, The representatives of the Reservation of the Grădiștea Natural Park Cioclovina (APNGMC) informed.
According to the Regulation of the National Park, tourists have the obligation to protect flora and wildlife, in order not to create damage to the environment. They are forbidden: breaking or uploading species from spontaneous flora, capturing or killing the spontaneous fauna without the necessary authorizations or by illegal means, collecting specimens from the spontaneous flora or fauna, the disturbance of the nests and the harvesting of the eggs, the production of noises that can disturb the local population and the spontaneous population.
Where are the wild snacks
The wild snacks (Leucojum Vernum) on the Vârtoapelor plateau, called and lighteous, are plants with bulbs and 3-5 linear leaves, obtuses, from the family Amaryllidaceae. The flowers are large, white and pleasantly smelling, solitary, rarely two, in a back, and the fruit is a capsule. They are found in forests, bushes and wet meadows. Lasts resemble, and sometimes they are confused, with snacks. However, the flower of the lasts is larger than the snacks, and the strain of the former can measure from 15 to 25 centimeters.
The Vârtoapelor plateau is less than ten kilometers from Sarmizegetusa Regia, above the village of Grădiștea de Munte in Hunedoara. In ancient times and on this smooth peak, above the valleys of Anineș and Grădiștii there was a Dacian settlement.
The old people of the village have kept the beliefs about the fairies that protect the settlement in the mountains and adorn the spring with flowers. People call them “beautiful those” and remember the legends in which the supernatural beings – fairy, beautiful – make their presence felt in different circumstances, transforming nature to their liking.
Another plateau full of snacks is above the Cioclovina massif – the rock wall pierced by the waters of the stream that formed the Cioclovina Cave in Hunedoara, 20 kilometers from the center of Boșorod commune.
The last kilometers of the forest road to Cioclovina are not paved. At the end of it, tourists find the “walls” of Cioclovina (video), which rises over 200 meters above the valley, offering a spectacular view. The trails surround them and lead to the land of Ghioceilor, on the Cioclovina – Ponorici route, which can be traveled in 20 – 30 minutes.
