Voineasa – Lotru Valley, Latorița and Transalpina

Nature and landscape

Voineasa is located in the Lotru Mountains at an altitude of around 650 metres. The town stretches along the Lotru Valley, while extensive coniferous forests shape its landscape. The inland mountain climate is characterised by cool summers and moderately cold winters. The Lotru River flows through Voineasa and offers good conditions for trout fishing. The town’s elevation stands in marked contrast to the considerably higher points of the Transalpina, whose pass road rises to 2,145 metres at Pasul Urdele.

Lacul Vidra is an artificial reservoir created in 1972. Its volume is 340 million cubic metres, its area is 940 hectares and its length is 9 kilometres. Spruce forests surround the lake. Thus, both the size of the body of water and its forested surroundings are clearly identifiable landscape features of the Lotru region at Lacul Vidra.

Routes and hiking trails

Numerous tourist routes begin in Voineasa and lead to the Cataractele Lotrului. From Voineasa, further tourist routes lead to the Latorița Nature Reserve, the Hidrocentrala Ciunget and Lacul Vidra. These destinations connect different landscape and cultural features: water, forest, the protected area and the hydroelectric power station are located along the tourist routes in the surrounding area.

Cheile Latoriței offer varied hiking trails for people with different levels of experience. The gorge stretches for around 10 kilometres and includes rocky sections as well as narrow paths. The Cascada Apa Spânzurată in Cheile Latoriței is around 15 metres high. The gorge therefore follows a longer route, along which the rocky passages and narrow paths are distributed over the stated distance.

Winter and mountain sports

In winter, the Transalpina ski resort can be reached via the route Brezoi (DN7 – E81) – Malaia – Voineasa – Obârșia Lotrului. The ski resort is located near Obârșia Lotrului, 34 kilometres from Voineasa. The winter route therefore passes through several named places and road sections before reaching the ski resort.

At the Transalpina ski resort, a gondola lift runs from the valley station at 1,350 metres to an altitude of 1,800 metres. A button lift then continues up to 2,000 metres to Vârful Bora. The two elevation levels and the subsequent lift section are described as successive parts of the mountain transport system there.

The Transalpina reaches a maximum altitude of 2,145 metres at Pasul Urdele and connects Transylvania with Oltenia. In winter, it is closed to motorised traffic because of heavy snowfall. The pass height and the regional connection are therefore just as much part of the Transalpina as the winter traffic closure.

Getting there and history

Voineasa can be reached via DN 7A from Râmnicu Vâlcea through Brezoi along a route of around 70 kilometres. The route runs from Râmnicu Vâlcea via Brezoi to Voineasa and is designated as an approximately 70-kilometre connection.

The construction of the Lotru–Ciunget hydroelectric power station in 1960 led to the creation of the holiday resorts of Voineasa and Vidra. Voineasa has a public local SALVAMONT mountain rescue service, which was founded in 2018. The town’s history is thus connected to the hydroelectric power station, just as today’s public mountain rescue infrastructure is linked to its founding year of 2018.

Further places for planning your trip include Gura Văii, Lazaret, Măldăresti, Câinenii Mici, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Ocnele Mari, Baile Govora and Perişani.

For the higher-level travel overview: Vâlcea.