Vânturarița Mare

Vânturarița Mare (Romanian Vârful Vânturarița Mare) is the highest summit of the Buila-Vânturarița massif, at 1,885 m, in the Căpățânii Mountains (Southern Carpathians, Romania), in Vâlcea County. According to the national park administration, unlike the rest of the Căpățânii this massif is a linear, island-like limestone ridge: the main crest is about 14 km long, rising from 550 m where the Bistrița leaves its gorge to 1,885 m on Vânturarița Mare. Only two small areas exceed 1,800 m – around the Buila and Vânturarița peaks.

The ridge is continuous only between the Costești and Cheia gorges, with a small break at the Curmătura Builei saddle, where erosion has removed the limestone cover down to the metamorphic rocks. The rest of the crest is cut by the gorges of four rivers – from west to east the Bistrița, Costești, Cheia and Olănești – which separate the Arnota massif to the south-west and the Stogu massif to the north-east. The ridge looks stepped: some summits are rounded (Piatra, Buila), others sharp, like Vânturarița itself. The northern part is sharp and jagged, and on the western slope erosion has left rock towers and needles up to 35 m high.

How to get there / trails

According to the park rules, the access points are at Costești (Bistrița and Pietreni), Bărbătești, Cheia and Băile Olănești. Two trails marked with a red stripe lead to the summit: from the Cheia hut via the Curmătura Oale saddle, and along the main ridge from the south-west – from the Prislop valley over Muntele Cacova, Piatra peak and the Curmătura Builei saddle. About 500 m from the summit stands the Piscul cu Brazi refuge. In the park, walking is allowed only on waymarked trails (stripe, triangle, cross or dot marks in blue, red and yellow on white) and on approved climbing routes.

What you can see from the summit

The sources give no detailed description of the panorama. According to the park, the short side ridges drop steeply in steps to the east, and Vânturarița is one of the sharp peaks of the stepped crest, so it offers a view along the Buila ridge.

Nature and history

Buila-Vânturarița National Park was created in 2004; with 4,186 ha it is the smallest national park in Romania. Geologically the massif is a rare remnant of the sedimentary cover of the Getic nappe, preserved from erosion. The park's natural sights include the Bistrița, Costești, Cheia (among the narrowest and wildest in the country) and Olănești gorges, the Liliecilor and Urșilor caves, the Casa de Piatră natural arch near Pătrunsa, the yew reserve at Cheia and the orchid meadows of the Cheia valley.

Bear, wolf, lynx, chamois, red deer, capercaillie and wallcreeper live here, and plants include edelweiss, lady's slipper orchid and Siberian ligularia. Many legends are tied to the massif: Matei Basarab, before he became ruler of Wallachia, is said to have escaped the Turks by swapping clothes with his arnăut (bodyguard) – hence the name of Mount Arnota and its monastery; and the Pătrunsa hermitage supposedly stands where the fugitive Parascheva Modoran was “pierced” by labour pains and gave birth to the future bishop Climent.

Safety, season and rules

The park may be visited only with a ticket: it is sold at the Bistrița, Pietreni, Bărbătești, Cheia and Băile Olănești access points or checked by park staff; children under 7 are exempt, and children aged 7–14, pupils, students and pensioners pay half. Tents may be pitched only at marked sites – among them the Curmătura Builei and Curmătura Comarnice saddles, near the Cheia hut and in the Pahomie clearing. The ridge is rocky and narrow in places, so it is dangerous in rain, fog and thunderstorms.

Bears are common in these mountains. Salvamont advises walking in a group and talking, not hiking in the evening or at night, keeping dogs on a leash, not leaving food in or near your tent and moving away from a bear cub. In an emergency call the national dispatch 0SALVAMONT – 0725 826 668 or 112. Park rules are on the website of Buila-Vânturarița National Park.

Photos: Petr Vodička, CC BY-SA 4.0; The original uploader was Compactforever at Romanian Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5 — Wikimedia Commons.