Ciungetu: Trails, Waterfalls and Peștera Laptelui

From Ciungetu, the route leads upstream along the Valea Latoriței. Via Pasul Curmătura Oltețului, there is a connection to the Cheile Oltețului and onward to Peştera Muierii and Polovragi.

Trails and Routes

The trail to Cascada Scoruș runs through the canyon of the Bucureasa Valley. It is marked with two white-and-red circles and includes both footbridges and narrow paths. The road to Barajul Petrimanu begins 18 kilometres from Ciunget and leads uphill through the Latorița area. From the Petrimanu Dam towards Galbenu, the section initially covers 4.5 kilometres with a gentle incline and small hairpin bends; afterwards, the gradient becomes steeper. The road from Gura Latoriței via Ciunget, Lacul Petrimanu and Lacul Galbenu is partly paved.

On the way to Cascada Scoruș, footbridges and narrow paths alternate within the Bucureasa Valley Canyon. The route is marked by the two white-and-red circles. The connection via Pasul Curmătura Oltețului also leads from Ciungetu through named landscape and cave destinations to Polovragi. Along the Valea Latoriței, the route runs upstream, while the road to Barajul Petrimanu leads uphill through the Latorița area.

Nature

Cascada Moara Dracilor in the Latorița Mountains is a two-tiered waterfall with a drop of 20 to 25 metres. The Reservația naturală Muntinu includes a glacial valley and two lakes in the upper reaches. As a botanical and landscape nature reserve, the Reservația naturală Muntinu protects the plants in this area. On limestone rocks with granitic intrusions, it preserves rare plants.

The natural attractions are located in different landscapes: Cascada Moara Dracilor lies in the Latorița Mountains, while the Reservația naturală Muntinu is characterised by its glacial valley, the two lakes in the upper reaches and the limestone rocks with granitic intrusions. The protected plants in this botanical and landscape nature reserve also include rare plants. The waterfalls and the nature reserve thus bring together water, rock, valley formations and vegetation within the described surroundings.

Culture and History

The wooden Church of Saints Constantine and Helena in Ciungetu is listed as an Orthodox wooden church under the official LMI code VL-II-m-B-09722. It was built in 1861. The church’s votive painting depicts the principal founder, Florea Ionescu, with his family and the villagers who contributed to the construction of the church.

Peștera Laptelui, also called Peștera cu Lapte, is located in the village of Ciungetu on the right slope of the Rudăreasa. Fossils of small animals that lived more than 50,000 years ago, as well as ceramic fragments from the Glina culture, were found in the cave. Its gallery is 22 metres long and ends at a small body of water. It can be traversed without difficulty. Peștera Laptelui is of interest primarily from a palaeontological and historical perspective.

The Lotru-Ciunget Hydroelectric Power Plant has an installed capacity of 510 MW. The main works on the Lotru Hydroelectric Power Plant were carried out between 1966 and 1982. The Lotru Power Plant was commissioned in 1972.

More Destinations

More destinations: Baile Govora, Vaideeni, Perişani, Băile Olăneşti, Câinenii Mici, Gura Văii, Voineasa, Marița

To the main travel overview: Vâlcea.