Turda Gorge

A Nature Reserve in the Jurassic Limestone

Only 13 km from Turda, one of the most beautiful and impressive gorge areas in Romania is revealed: Turda Gorge – a Nature Reserve.

Turda Gorge formed over 150 million years as a result of the surface-forming activity of Hașdate River, a small tributary of Arieș River, in the Jurassic limestones of Trascău Mountains.

Legend and reality intimately linked, Turda Gorge takes your breath away with its majesty and richness. It covers an area of 170 hectares, has a length of almost two kilometres and nearly 350 meters difference in altitude.

Turda Gorge

 

Rock walls, up to 200 meters high, mysterious caves, rare plants, and hiking trails make Turda Gorge an impressive place. A smooth road winds through the hills covered by forest, which then opens up into the rocky landscape.

The complex – geological, floristic, faunistic, and archaeological reserve – where the area is located gives home to more than 60 caves, such as the Hungarian Cave, Morarilor Cave, Binder Cave, Cetățuia Mare and Cetățuia Mică Caves, Modoloaie Cave, or the Hidden Cave, as well as to a series of rocky corners, columns, and steep walls. A special place is the stone cathedral called Turnul Ascuțit (The Sharp Tower) with Hili’s Cave, where there is an impressive via ferrata route, next to Coltul Cetății (The Castle Corner), Yellow Tower, and Bors Tower.

The caves of Turda Gorge are also famous for the fact that the citizens of Turda have found shelter here throughout their history whenever invasions by migratory peoples took place. The traces of life in Turda Gorge indicate the presence of man in these caves since the Middle Palaeolithic, Neolithic and belonging to the Coţofeni culture.

In this exceptional landscape, Turda Gorge is home to over 1,000 species of plants, animals, butterflies, many of them protected or rare. Butterfly species such as: Eubleme, Phybalopterix, Heterogynis, or Dysaukes as well as plant species: twisted-leaf garlic (Allium obliquum) – which can only be found here and in Asia, and the whitebeam (Sorbus dacica) completes the spectacle of nature.

How to Visit Turda Gorge

The oldest inscription left by a visitor belongs to a certain V. Pato dating back to 1574 in a cave on the right side of the Gorge (Binder Cave), and since then the number of tourists curious to explore the spectacle of nature has been increasing.

If you want to cross Turda Gorge, you need to cross 4 bridges along the nearly 2 kilometres – Vizuina Spălată (Washed Lair), Mijlocul Cheii (Mid-Gorge), and Podul Peșterilor (Cave Bridge). Do not miss the Cetățeaua Mare cave (Grand Fortress), on the right side of the Hașdate valley, the main attraction of the Turda Gorge.

You can choose from a multitude of tourist routes, with different levels of difficulty:

  1. Crestelor Cheilor Circuit, both slopes: 4–5-hour hiking (red dot marking)
  2. Turda Gorge Cabin – Buru Cabin – 12.5 km: 4–5-hour hiking (red triangle marking)
  3. Turda Gorge – Izvorul Popii – Arineilor Valley – Ciucaș – 6 km: 2–3-hour hiking, Ciucaș Waterfall, at the exit of Turda Gorge, a semi-wild area, very frequented by tourists. You can have a picnic, sunbath, dipping in the waters of Hașdate River (yellow stripe marking) or Turda Gorge – Ciuma Goala Hill – Ciucaș (yellow triangle marking)
  4. Turda Gorge – Sindului Hill – Highway bridge – Tureni village – exit at E60 – 10 km: 4-hour hiking (blue stripe marking)
  5. Turda Gorge – Tureni Village – Micești Houses – Făget Pădure Cabin – Făget Izvor Cabin – Unirea Sports Base (Mănăștur, Cluj) Cluj – 29 km: 10-hour hiking (red stripe marking)
  6. Turda roundabout (Romana Square) – Hodinis Hill – Turda Gorge Cabin: 2-3-hour hiking – (red cross marking)
  7. Turda Gorge – Manastirii Hill (right side) – Petridului Monastery – bridge over Arieș River to Plăiești – Moldovenești Village – Colții Trascăului – Remetea Village (red stripe marking)

Experienced and passionate tourists can practice rock climbing and paragliding, from spring to autumn.

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Why is Turda Salt Mine spectacular?

  • Turda Salt Mine is a unique place in the world.
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