Cailor Waterfall (Cascada Cailor)

Cailor Waterfall (Romanian: Cascada Cailor, "the Horses' Waterfall") lies above the resort of Borșa in the north-eastern part of the Rodna Mountains, Maramureș County. Water gathered in the glacial cirque of Zănoaga Cailor runs down in several steps over a limestone wall called Podul Cailor. The foot of the falls is at about 1,300 m above sea level.

Cailor is regarded as the tallest waterfall in Romania, although it is a cascade rather than a single drop. The Romanian and German Wikipedias give 90 m, the Munții Noștri trail guide "more than 80 m"; according to the German Wikipedia this height is made up by the two lowest drops (25 and 35 m) with the steps between them, while several more cascades higher in the gorge are used as a canyoning route.

What to see

From the path you see the lower drops and the white limestone walls of the Piatra Rea reserve, part of the Rodna Mountains National Park. The name comes from a local legend retold by the Romanian Wikipedia: herds grazed on the pastures above the cliff and bears drove the horses to the edge of the precipice. Since then the stream (Izvorul Cailor), the cirque and the rock step have all been called "the horses'".

If you have the energy, climb from the waterfall to the Știol meadow (Poiana Știol, about half an hour on a steep path) and follow the blue stripe to the glacial lake Tăul Știol below Gărgălău peak (2,159 m), the source of the Bistrița Aurie river.

How to get there

The main walking route is trail no. 3, marked with a red triangle, from the Borșa tourist complex: first along the road by the Fântâna stream between the households, then on a tractor road under the cleared slope to the foot of the falls. The whole route Borșa – Cailor – Prislop Pass is 9.6 km and takes 3 h 45 min – 4 h 15 min; difficulty is medium (Munții Noștri data).

A chairlift from the Borșa complex also goes up towards the waterfall; from the top station you continue on foot along a forest road. We have not verified the lift timetable, so check it on the spot. Another approach follows the same red triangle from the monastery at Prislop Pass (1,416 m).

Season and safety

The easiest months are May to October. According to Munții Noștri the section between the waterfall and Poiana Știol can be troublesome in winter; wet limestone is slippery, so do not climb the steps off the path. The waterfall is inside a national park: walk only on marked trails and ask the park administration about the rules and any visiting fee.

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.

Official website: parcrodna.ro

Photos: Code, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Gavrila Stetco, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.