The National Parks of Romania are incredible landscapes, paradises for flora and fauna where they flourish.
This National Parks preserve and maintain valuable cultural and natural landscape, suitable regional economy and education for a sustainable development.
If you are interested in amazing landscapes and outdoor adventures, these places are the perfect locations.
Here are some of the most important and unique National Parks in Romania.
The Danube Delta (Delta Dunării) is the largest natural park in Romania, a unique place in this geographical area, being the third largest in Europe. This delta has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO since 1991. The place is a paradise for which the lens of the camera yearns at every step. In this natural park of Romania we meet over 5500 species, of which 1800 of plant areas, mostly protected by law.
Once you arrive in the area, you will admire a very special landscape where Mother Nature reigns, far from the crowd, the area being the least populated in Romania. You will be among poplar and willows, in the silence of nature under the splendid song of birds. This natural park of Romania is perfect for activities that value the rich aquatic and fish fauna. One of the activities that we can organize is bird watching in the area, there are over 300 species of birds, some unique, others migratory such as: red-necked ducks, swans and cormorants. Here, in this wonderful area, there is also a tradition to organize special activities friendly with the environment such as canoeing. This natural park of Romania has the only area in Europe where you will meet wild horses in the Letea Forest, so activities such as hiking or biking can be special tailored for nature enthusiasts.
Transylvanian Highlands (Colinele Transilvaniei) represent the largest low-altitude wild meadows in Europe. They include rural areas with a great biodiversity of flora and fauna where traditional agricultural practices are preserved.
The area attracts outdoor adventure lovers like a magnet. Since 2022, the area has been recognized by the Ministry of Tourism as an eco-tourism area. This national park of Romania is located in the center of the country, includes 3 counties, 260,000 protected areas and 44 communities with fortified churches, 600 kilometers of tourist trails. The area is amazing with special landscapes, guarded by the Carpathian Mountains chain, which is 50 km away.
Here you can walk or bike over hills full of wildflowers, butterflies and hundreds of years old oaks. You can also explore the rich local fauna of the forests, in this natural park of Romania you can find bears, foxes, wolves and you can enjoy bird watching sessions.
The area is part of Natura 2000 sites, where we meet the largest population of eagles, along with the hawks, woodpecker and other birds that inhabit the area of the rivers. For this delight of the soul to be a completed one, you can participate in the brunches organized in the traditional Saxon villages, with unique eco products specific to the area, events organized near the fortified churches in the area.
Transylvanian Highlands (Colinele Transilvaniei)
The National Retezat Park (Parcul Național Retezat) is a natural jewel hidden deep in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains in the southwest part. In this national park of Romania, you can see over 20 mountain peaks that exceed 2000 meters, places where the sky seems to meet the earth. Here, is the place, you can admire how the sun hides behind the summit of the mountain, or you can enjoy romantic sunrises and sunsets. The area is full of glacial lakes, 80 being their number in the area, in which the sky is mirrored. Thus, the area is an Eden for mountain lovers, where they can practice mountaineering, hiking or even skiing in winter. A vivid picture of this national park of Romania is created by the amazing-colored flora. In this wonderful natural park of Romania, you can find endangered species as the enigmatic and the solitary Carpathian lynx and bear, but also the black goat. The experience in this mountain park is a unique one: fresh air, astonishing landscape, memories that last a lifetime.
In Calimani National Park (Parcul Național Călimani) of Romania we meet the wildest and highest volcanic mountains in Romania. The area has a special beauty that abounds in glacial caldera and alpine ridges. The entire National Park is perfect for hiking, mountain biking, the area being full of mountain ridges and wooded valleys properly signposted. In the area you will have the opportunity to see rare animals such as the raccoon or the marmot. This mountain area, with peaks of over 2000 meters, chiseled by nature, gains beauty thanks to the Iezer Lake.
This astonishing landscape stands out a flower pink carpet which encompasses the beauty of the mountain peony (Rhododendron kotschyi).
The Buila Vanturarita National Park ( Parcul Național Buila- Vânturărita) of Romania is located in the southern part of the Carpathians where you will fully feel the shaping force of nature, the area being one with a mountainous landscape that attracts any enthusiast of hiking. Characterized by steep rocks, mountain rivers, caves and picturesque waterfalls, this area sheltered in its forests wild animals as: the Carpathian bear and lynx, the high-eared bat, the mouse-eared bat and the yellow-bellied spring amphibian. On the mountain paths you can admire a true paradise of flowers. The silence and the landscape will fill your soul.
Bicaz Canyon (Cheile Bicazului) is the place carved in the mountain by the force of the Bicaz River. This National Park is a true paradise for climbers. The area is full of serpentines, canyons and vertical walls in which the Bicaz River meanders. This wonderful national park is also known for the amazing lakes that can be found here, such as the Red Lake. The area is one in which have been found many fossils of marine species from the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic periods. In this region you can admire over 1100 species of plants, some of them protected by law such as the cornflower (Leontopodium alpinum Cass), and animals as: the bears, wolves, deer or the mountain grouse.
Bicaz Canyons, is a picturesque destination and depending on the season, you can practice rock climbing, skiing, hiking, being the place that will fill you with positive energy.
Macin Mountains National Park (Parcul Național Muntii Macin) of Romania is located in the eastern part of the country, in the area near of the Black Sea. The area impresses tourists with the oldest geological mountains in the country, being ideals for hiking. The area is rich in fauna and the flora: over 1700 species of plants, 72 protected by law, 181 species of birds, 37 of which are very rare and protected both nationally and internationally. The area is one where you can practice horse riding, but tourists are invited also to practice other outdoor sports as: biking. It is the perfect destination where you can see amazing sunrises and sunsets hearing only the hum of insects.
When you arrive at The Apuseni National Park (Parcul Muntilor Apuseni) you will be greeted by the coolness of the mountain with a mix of landforms: peaks, rocky cliffs that satisfy the appetite of any climber, caves that attract explorers and alpine meadows ideal for hiking lovers. This splendid mix of various forms of relief in a unique place was recognized internationally and by the European Commission in 2009, as part of the EDEN (European Destination of Excellence) gala, as an excellent tourist destination.
The forests in this natural park are made up of beech, elm, hornbeam; here we can encounter species of mammals such as: deer, black goat, bear, wolf, etc. live. The area is considered the heart of the Dacian civilization, so this splendid landscape area also contains many places of ancient importance.
Nera Gorge National Park ( Parcul National Cheile Nerei ) of Romania is located in the south-west of the country. The place is a truly spectacular one where the Nera River dug a splendid gorge of 20 kilometers in the stone, the longest in Romania. In this natural park of Romania, we find a real luxuriant landscape with countless waterfalls, caves and avenues. This national park of Romania houses the most beautiful waterfall in the country, the” Bigar Waterfall”. This corner is a real paradise for photos, for hiking and for a great rafting adventure. A day in this park is an unforgettable one full of activities. Here you can see one of the most important population of bats in Romania and also the largest population of day and night prey birds. Rocky and steep areas provide the perfect habitat for the Carpathian lynx and the rivers in the area are rich in fish. In the area you can admire a diverse range of flora, many being even from the Mediterranean area, others being endemic. Among them are the cuckoo’s milk, (Leontopodium alpinum Cass) and the daisy (Bellis perennis).
This natural park of Romania is full of caves, lakes and waterfalls, part of the UNESCO heritage and offers tourists amazing landscapes and activities that best define the word relaxation.
The last, but not the least, is the National Park of Romania called The Drangon’s Garden (Grădina Zmeilor). The area located in the north-west of the country. Here you will have the feeling to be part of the Jumanji movie, the rock formations take you to think of some giants of the place. It is a deeply wild area where you will feel a shaping force of nature, and even a special kind of spirituality of the place embedded in myths and legends.
In this area we meet many species of trees such as: ash, beech, hornbeam, hazel and many others. The inhabitants of this wild place are the wild boar, the fox, the squirrel, the rabbit, but also some birds such as: the woodpecker, the blackbird, the finch, the cuckoo and many others. This National Park is unique in Europe, these rocks carved by the force of nature give authenticity to the place. Regardless of the sport you choose to practice in the area: climbing, hiking or biking, the area is another proof of the fact that the natural parks of Romania offer a mix of reliefs and unforgettable experiences.
These are just some of the great National Parks of Romania, there are a lot more, small and big.
You can spend unique experiences in the natural parks of Romania, a total relaxation with many benefits for body and mind, and if adventure characterizes you, these parks are ideal.
