Bâlea Waterfall (Cascada Bâlea)

Bâlea Waterfall (Cascada Bâlea), also called Urlătoarea Bâlei because of the roar of the water, lies on the northern, Sibiu side of the Făgăraș Mountains, between the peaks of Moldoveanu and Negoiu, at more than 1,200 m. The Bâlea stream falls here in steps for about 60 m; the Romanian Wikipedia calls it the largest stepped waterfall in the country. The rock step marks the lower threshold of the Bâlea glacial valley, with the lake of the same name at its head.

What to see

From the path, which ends at about 1,460 m, you see only the lower part of the falls; the upper steps lie at roughly 1,500 m. As the Munții Noștri guide notes, the full height is best seen from the cable car that links the Bâlea Cascadă hut with Bâlea Lake (2,034 m), so the walk to the foot of the falls is often combined with a ride up to the lake.

How to get there

The starting point is the Bâlea Cascadă hut on the Transfăgărășan (road DN7C), on the Cârțișoara side. Trail no. 31, marked with a red dot, starts here: 1.3 km, 45 min – 1 h one way, about 244 m of ascent, graded easy (Munții Noștri data). For the first five minutes the path runs together with the red cross and the blue triangle; they then turn left across the stream, while the red dot keeps to the eastern bank — first on a wide path to the power-line poles, then steeply up above the stream to the foot of the waterfall.

Season and safety

In summer this is a short walk, but the last section is steep. In winter, according to Munții Noștri, the route is dangerous (exposed) and passable only depending on snow conditions and with proper winter equipment. The high section of the Transfăgărășan is closed in winter; Bâlea Lake is then reached by the cable car from Bâlea Cascadă. Check the road status with the Romanian road administration before you travel.

Bears live in the Romanian Carpathians: stay on the marked path, talk as you walk and leave no food or litter; near sheepfolds do not run from the shepherd dogs — stop and calmly walk around the flock. Mountain rescue (Salvamont): national dispatch 0SALVAMONT — 0725 826 668 or 112; the service's advice for hikers is at salvamontromania.ro.

Photos: Jopsens, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Cristian Bortes www.eyeem.com/bortescristian from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.