Ghețari – Holiday apartment for nature, trails and plateau culture

Ghețari is located on the Ghețari Plateau at an elevation of around 1,100 m. The village belongs to the municipality of Gârda de Sus, which lies in Apuseni Nature Park and the cultural region of Țara Moților. The plateau is bordered by the Gârda Seacă and Valea Ordâcușei rivers. In Ghețari, caves and gorges, circular trails and traditional rural architecture come together.

Ice cave, portal and gorge landscape

The main natural attraction is the Peştera Gheţarul Scărişoara cave. It contains a permanent block of ice with a volume of more than 100,000 m³ and a thickness of up to 25 m. In 1938, Peştera Gheţarul Scărişoara became the first cave in Romania to be declared a natural monument.

The Poarta lui Ionele cave is also located in the vicinity of Ghețari. Its entrance portal is 12 m high; facilities include walkways, metal stairs and railings. Another landscape destination is Cheile Ordâncușei, a protected area in Apuseni Nature Park. The gorge is four kilometres long, while the minimum distance between its walls is six metres. The gorge therefore provides a concrete scale for planning a day trip; the minimum distance also describes the narrowness between its walls.

Circular trails with different focuses

Routes 17MN73, 17MN69 and CR follow different stretches.

The 17MN73 circular trail starts at the Muzeul de Etnografie Scărişoara, passes through Dealu Frumos and returns to the museum in the hamlet of Ghețari. The same circular trail between Ghețari and Dealu Frumos is recommended for cycling tourism.

Route 17MN69 also starts at the Muzeul de Etnografie Scărişoara. It passes the Peştera Gheţarul Scărişoara cave and continues to Casa de Piatră and Poiana Băliceana. Unlike the returning 17MN73, 17MN69 continues beyond the cave destination to the two additional points. Anyone planning 17MN69 should include these two additional points beyond the cave destination in the route.

The route designated CR leads via Munună along the paved road to the Muzeul de Etnografie Scărişoara; from there, it is another 30 m along a gravel path to the Peştera Gheţarul Scărişoara cave. On the CR route, this change in surface is relevant when planning the final section: a 30 m gravel path to the cave follows the paved road.

Plateau culture in Ghețari

The Ghețari Plateau has polygonal hay barns with curved rafters covered with fir branches. There are also houses on stone supports on the plateau.

The hay barns and houses are part of the plateau’s rural landscape and stand alongside the natural features that connect Ghețari with caves and gorges. For those interested in culture, these traditional rural structures are part of the plateau experience alongside the natural destinations.

For the higher-level travel overview: Garda De Sus.