The Galbena Tour

GPS Coordinates:
46.57118 N, 22.67295 E

Duration: 10 h Length: 19 km Height difference: +1100 m / -1100m Note: Difficult way, practicable only in the summer.

The route starts from the Padis tourist hostel together with the blue point, yellow cross and red triangle. In the first saddle, leaves us

The Castles of Ponor

and in the Poiana Rotundă

Padiș - Lumea Pierdută

Our way descends to the Ponor meadow being intersected with the Ponor streamlet coming to the surface on the right and vanishing instantly on the left. Our blaze marks the way upwards then downwards crossing a path with two more blazes.

Vărășoaia-Vârtop Glăvoi-Casa de Piatră

After 5 min. we arrive to a cleft dolina, where leaves us the

Padiș- Căput glade

Our way turns to the left and ascends a little near the dolina it gets to a rocky peak from where we may have a look at the dizzying depth of the Castles of Ponor. After apx. 20 min. from the blaze separation rightwards turns back the blue point blaze for a short period. The tourists who doesn't have enough time to visit the castles may follow their way on the blue point and in 15 min. they arrive to the first three balconies then they may turn back to follow their way to Galbena.

After 20 minutes it divides from a path that goes to the right to the Bortig ice vertical cave. After this branch we descent 360 m difference of height after we continue our way with a horizontal section for 20 minutes when the path leaves the crest and comes down leftwards. After a few windings it comes out to the feet of the wall where the Galbena emergence is what follows its way in a big yield waterfall in fact it is the water that entered in the gorge.

A descent branch turns us out over the water from where we may admire a waterfall and delves engraved by the water.

We turn back to the path follows a descent with the help of the fixed cable placed there and we arrive to a cleft where all the water dissappears. We follow our way horizontally until a cleft in which there is a cave entrance that becomes window of an underground gallery. We descent on a rocky way and we arrive to the water from where we may admire a beautiful waterfall, Evantai.

We continue our way besides downwards the water. So we descent apx. 250 m and get to the height of 750 m the lowest point of our route. On the bridge over Galbena we meet tangentially with

Pietroasa - Arieșeni

On the left side begins the slope above the walls of the Galbena Hill.

From here a branch gets us to the peak where under us at over 200m there is the vale's thread. After 10 min. another branch takes down 30 m difference of height from where the view of the Galbena Vale is amazing. We turn back to the path which takes us down in the Glade of Flowers. From here we continue our way downwards on a steeply ascand until a large road that follows the height curve. We arrive to the glade where a branch marked with red guides us to the Focu Viu Cave (Livin' Fire).

Turning back to the glade the route bends to the right and begins the ramp to the Piatra Galbenei Peak (1234 m) from where we have an overview of the surrounding mountains. After 15 minutes we arrive to a large path. Here is an arrow

Groapa de la Barsa tour

We climb onto a newer top followed by a steep slope, arriving at the bank of the Castle streamlet. After crossing it we reach the Glavoi forester's lodge. In order to get to the Padis woodhouse we should follow the blue dots.

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