DESCRIPTION

Trail: Sarmizegetusa – Breazova – Peșteana – Densuș – Hățăgel – Totești – Păclișa – Sânpetru – Unciuc – Cârnești – Ostrov – Ostrovu Mic – Clopotiva – Sarmizegetusa

From the centre of Sarmizegetusa village we start towards Haţeg. After we exit the village, we turn left on the first gravel road that leads us to Breazova. We cross this village and at the exit, after passing the bridge over the creek, we immediately turn left on a path / dirt road that it’s opened by a gate. We pass the gate and we keep going on the path created through the cultivated fields or people`s orchards. Soon, we will reach a dirt road that comes from the right, and then, from the same direction, there comes a gravel road. We should keep going straight ahead so that, in less than half an hour after we exit Breazova, we arrive in Peşteana. Here you can visit several cultural attractions (reformed church, medieval church, the Hategan Village Museum) or nature attractions (Tăul fără Fund, a swamp where you can see one of the few carnivorous plants in the Romanian flora, Drosera rotundifolia – the common sundew). We continue cycling through the village till we get in the centre of it and from there we will go ahead to Densuş. Just at the exit from Peşteana, we turn right, cross the bridge and start climbing the upcoming abrupt slope. Attention! Road signs are often changed by local people and in some cases these do not indicate the correct direction. It is better to use a map or the GPS track. Once you reach Densuş, turn left at the first intersection and then right when you are next to the town hall in order to get to the famous Densuș medieval church.

After visiting the medieval church, get back to the town hall from where you need to turn left on the road that you came and go straight ahead till Toteşti. From here, turn right on the national road linking Hațeg to Sarmizegetusa, and in Păclişa turn left around the church. At the first important crossroad turn again left and follow the concrete road that leads to the dam. Pass over the dam and get in Sânpetru. Here you can visit the medieval church or you can see the thematic trail Dinosaurs’ Valley if you climb on the Sibișelului Valley. From Sânpetru, keep going until you get to Unciuc, and turn right and cross the channel to Cârnești. When crossing the village you will use the main street, ignoring the small streets on the both sides of the main road. Turn left at the church and keep going until you arrive in Clopotiva, passing by Ostrov, where you can make a little detour from the asphalt road in order to visit one of the beautiful medieval churches in the area. Right at the entry in Clopotiva you will meet the road leading to Râul Mare Valley, on the left and Sarmizegetusa, on the right. Follow the road to Sarmizegetusa, and after you exit the village and you descend slightly a good distance to Sarmizegetusa, easily turn left over a small bridge on a country grassy road. Continue on it until you get to a point where the road seems to disappear in a stream, but keep going straight ahead for about 5-10 meters through the shallow water, easily to cross on the boulders. Once you pass this section, turn left on the first road and keep going until you get to the Colony Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. You can choose to visit the ruins of the former Roman capital of Dacia, or go straight ahead until you reach the national road again.

DETAILS

Length: 40.6 km
Difficulty: easy
Trail type: cycling tourism
Time: 5 hours
Distance traveled: 40.6 km
Altitude difference: ca. 170 m
Surface: asphalt road, concrete road, gravel road, dirt road, footpath

LOCATION

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