Snowy April in Valea Sâmbetei - spring crocuses can wait a bit longer!
We dreamed about this trail Valea Sâmbetei, for so long, and with spring just around the corner, this route takes on a distinctive purple hue due to spring crocusesthe harbingers of spring in the mountains. So we organized ourselves for the weekend of April 12-13 to do this trail, hoping to have the whole valley purple and full of flowers. Read on to see if we really did!
Where did we stay for the night?
Since from Bucharest there are about 270km to cover in 4 to 4 and a half hours, we decided to spend one night as close as possible to the start of the route, so as not to be extremely tired on the way. So we spent one night at Casa Domestic, which is located in the locality of Viștea de Sus, right at the base of Făgăraș mountains. We reserved our stay on Booking 3 days before getting there and we paid 300 lei per night/room.
The cottage is set in an extremely private and quiet courtyard. It is full of kitties and itself the accommodation is pet-friendly. Outside is a dining area and barbecue and seating. Inside there are 5 double bedrooms, with double and single beds, a very cozy living room with a fireplace, a huge and super well-furnished kitchen and two bathrooms, one downstairs and one upstairs.
We really liked the good taste the house exuded – it was beautifully furnished and filled with vintage paintings and pictures. Everything is very well integrated here, and each room has its own specific theme (I only photographed 2 of the 5). We especially appreciated the choice of several warm-light lamps instead of a single ceiling chandelier with cold light. A Scandinavian-style detail that made all the difference! I truly recommend this accommodation – it’s very close to the start of the trail, offers great taste and tranquillity, is worth the money for what it provides, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful, once you get outside the courtyard.
Technical details
- trail marker: red triangle
I have a Garmin Venu 3S watch which I use to monitor all my physical activities, and above is the trail data from the Garmin Connect app.
What is the route like?
Okay, and now let's get into some details of the route. We left the car at Mânăstirea Brâncoveanu (if you click on the name, you will find the location from Google Maps), and from Casa Domestic to this point, the road took about 15 minutes. The forest road starts from the monastery, but it's a good road, not very bumpy, so I recommend you to drive a little bit further on the road, about 3 km, until the Trout Farm. From there, the forest road is quite rough and you risk breaking your car.
As the sign says, from here it's another 2 hours to the hut, following the red triangle as a marker. Personally, I found it a very slightly more demanding walk because the road is a bit steep, still being a climb. Another reason is that you can do the whole route only on the forest road, which doesn't involve much physical effort. I saw a lot of families with quite small children. But that doesn't mean not being prepared with your gear: you still need layers on you, non-stick footwear, SPF and hat and food for energy.
You will come to a bridge over the Sâmbăta River, and from there you have two options: either continue on the forest road or cross the bridge and go up through the forest on the same trail. We crossed the bridge and went through the forest in the one-way, and that's what I recommend you do. We caught more snow this mid-April, a bit atypical for this time of year, but it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't feel confident in the hiking boots you have, it's best to continue on the forest trail. For example, our feet were a bit running here and there because it was extremely hot and the snow was melting.
The landscapes are fabulous, as you walk towards the hut, you will always have in front of your eyes the Făgăraș Mountains, so imposing, especially covered with snow. Absolutely gorgeous!
So up to the bridge, at the turning point, we hiked for 1h15min, and through the forest we hiked another 1h15min until we got back on the forest road. From here we walked another 10min to the cabin. But as work is being done in the area (but we didn't catch the machines because it was a Sunday and a holiday, maybe that was the reason) we passed the hut and we went up for about 10 minutes to admire the mountains even better. And because I was still hoping to find the spring crocuses. We found at most 10 as the two roads intersected, the rest were covered by the heavy snow.
This trail is well known among hiking enthusiasts because of the valley that fills with spring crocuses in late March-early April. But this depends on the weather: as this year, spring was long overdue, well, the flowers stayed covered in snow for even longer.
But, I think, that's not the only thing this route is about, it can be practiced by everyone who has an acceptable physical condition, it can be a light walk with the family that doesn't necessarily have to reach any destination, and the landscapes are beautiful! I didn't even need to eat as the mountains loaded me up!
From left to right in the photos above: that pyramidal peak is Colțul Bălăceni (~2.285 m) marking the western end of the glacial caldera. Then the depression between the peaks is Fereastra Mare a Sâmbetei (~2.200 m), from here you cross the Făgăraș ridge and the route to Viștea - Moldoveanu. And to the right, there is Colțul Sâmbetei (~2.428 m), a high ridge, from where you can climb to the main ridge.
You can also watch a video I made, maybe it will inspire you even more! We will definitely be back here in another season!
We were back at the car on the forest road in 2 hours. From the stopping point, we drove towards Sâmbăta de Sus, and behind us was the landscape in the pictures above. How could we not stop to admire the mountain ridges again and take an artistic picture from the middle of the road when everyone else was doing that anyway?
Extraordinary spring trail, we saw very beautiful scenery with Romania's treasures, reminded ourselves once again why we love mountain hiking so much, and took in the very late winter in the most beautiful way. Oh, and if I haven't convinced you to do the trail, because maybe you're not a fan of winter, here are some sneak-peak pictures of what the area usually looks like when the spring crocuses are in bloom. (Photos are taken, with her permission, from Irina Nedelcu whose Instagram account can be found here. and whom I thank for sharing with me some of the view she saw when she did the trail)
I hope I've convinced you to give this route a chance, because it's worth it! If you don't follow Irina, I recommend you to do it because she has extremely valuable and educational content from Romania, but also from other places she travels to. Also, be sure to keep following me for even more interesting articles from around the world!
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