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If you want to venture
on the difficult tourist roads
of Retezat Mountains
, the route Uricani – Tulisa – Custura’s Peak – Bucura Lake
is only recommended for advanced excursionists
those who in their mountain wanderings wished
to face the difficulty of the mountain by surpassing
by all means the accidents of the land.
This route is marked with a yellow cross
and the portions of shepherd roads
are marked with momâi,
are marked with momâi,
The difficulties of this route are:
the great length of the journey,
the lack of any shelter that could be used,
the difficulty of observing the markings,
between Custura Saddle and the descent to Bucura Lake.
The fact that the route is presented by
mentioning the most important peaks of the crest
does not mean that it faithfully follows the crest line
The route bypasses some peaks
while touching others at its highest altitude
and sometimes it leaves the shepherd path.
From the city of Uricani, located at 775 m,
we go to North, on the right side of the Sterminos
Valley to the Snakes’ Crest.
Passing through the forest and crossing a series of glades,
we climb to the Hill of Snakes, at 1,746 m,
which we bypass by its right side,
reaching the sheep yard beneath.
Going further through
the forest along the Snakes’ Crest,
we arrive to a large saddle,
at 1,544 m altitude, below the Tulisa Peak (1,793 m),
at the springhead of the beautiful Fir Tree Valley.
From here, turning to the West
and leaving the saddle behind,
the road takes us up to the Fagetel Hill (1,591 m),
and then descends to the Saddle with the same name,
at the springhead of the Pilug Valley
Further, we climb the Pilug Mountain (1,532 m)
and then we go through the forest to continue our path over the Great Pilug Peak (1,755 m).
We reach on Custura Vacarei, which is the N-E edge of the Vacarea Peak (2,284).
From this peak,
the route takes us to the Eastern peak,
transiting a number of saddles and some other peaks of the crest,
such as Lazaru Peak, Gruniu Peak, 2,300 m,
and the Great Cimfu Peak, 2.338 m
In the saddle between the Great Cimfu Peak and the Great Valley Peak,
the crest strongly curves and the route leaves the shepherd path.
Then there are ups and
downs with small peaks and saddles that make up stone steps
The difficulty of this route makes itself felt here,
being required to follow strictly the crest road,
because the marking is rarer and harder to find
No deviations are allowed form the cutwater line on both sides,
to be able to get on the versants swooped
and lined with large boulders and slabs.
The great difficulty road is a crest road
which ends up under Custura’s Peak, 2,457 m.
50 m below this peak,
you will find the route marked with the blue triangle that passes over Custura Papusii,
coming from the River Sheep Yard and leading to the Plaiul Mic Saddle
From under Custura’s Peak,
we go to the right, along with the blue triangle.
We soon get to Custura’s Window, 2,255 m, where the marks dissociate,
the blue triangle marking the path descending to the right,
in the Barbat River’s cauldron.
From here on,
we continue our way following the route marked with a yellow cross,
going on the sharp crest from Custura’s Peak to Doll’s Peak,
2,500 m, thus connecting
the two main long crests of the Retezat Mountains.
Custura Papusii presents difficult ground accidents,
making it accessible only for advanced excursionists
From the Doll’s Peak we go to N-V
along the Great Peak’s Crest to Bucura Peak.
The road descends into the Saddle between
the Doll’s Peak and Peleaga Peak up to the momâia in the saddle.
The ascent on Peleaga Peak,
the highest peak of the Retezat Mountains,
is done from the N-E part of the peak.
Peleaga Peak offers us a beautiful panoramic view
To the North one can see the glacial cauldron of the Bad Valley,
a large brace on whose bottom
one can see the tarns of the Bad Valley
In the background, one can see
the great Hateg depression, the Stones Crest with the Stones Peak.
Beyond the Valley of Stones we find the Stanisoara Crest,
located at the foot of the Retezat crest, leaving free, however, the Retezat Peak
2,485 m. From this point, the peak certainly does not seem cut off
by the legendary broadsword, because it shows itself sharp and proud
The neighbor of Bucura Peak, 2,439 m, is the Judge Peak, 2,400 m
marking the Eastern extremity of the Barlea Mountains
Looking to S-E, we see the Slavei Crest,
a towering crest that borders the Great Lapusnic Valley.
To S-V you can see Custura’s Peak, 2,457 m
which dominates the other peaks interlinked up to Tulisa
Starting from the Doll’s Peak to the Northeast
you will see the peaks in the form of a hand with the fingers wide spread:
the Bad Valley, Galesu, the Great Peak
Vasielu, Lancita Foot, the 5 fingers of the crest.
. It is as if you are in the middle of an ocean
with hundred meters high waves petrified by a divine force.
500 m to the West, lays the splendor of the biggest glacial cauldron
in the Retezat Mountains lies, on whose bottom,
in N-S, the Bucura Lake completes the charm of the landscape.
To the right of the Valley, to the West,
we find an enormous closed glacial basin, chiseled,
under the Judge Peak;
to the left side of the Valley,
up to about 2,200 m below the Bucura Peak
there is another glacial cirque.
At 2,208 m above sea level,
the Bucura Valley receives
the waters of one of the highest l
akes in the Romanian Carpathians:
the Hanging Tarn.
Hardly detaching ourselves from the charm of the view
offered by the rest area on the Peleaga Peak,
we descend to the Bucura Lake on the road marked
with red tape or yellow cross. From the peak,
following a steep path infiltrated on the ridge
and the narrow areas of Peleaga’s Foot,
the route descends
Bucura Lake (2,041 m; 15.7 m depth
and an area of 8.8 ha)
is located in Bucura’s Saddle,
in the Eastern compartment of the glacial cirque,
by its extent being
the largest glacial lake in the country.
If we add the beauty of its waves of a peerless azure
in good weather and of the color of the ink in dark weather
and the beauty of the landscape that surrounds it,
then we know why the Bucura Lake is considered an objective
of great touristic interest that any tourist would like to visit at least once.