There is a land in south-western of Transylvania called Țara Hategului, which is home to the oldest national park in Romania – Retezat. It is located in Southern Carpathians, where you will find you more than 80 glacial lakes, with cristal clear, blue water. That is why this place is called „The Land of Blue Eyes“. Due to its diversity, Retezat massif was declared a biosphere reserve in 1979 and is probably the most prominent mountain area of Southern Carpathians. To be here, is an extraordinary experience and a must for passionate hikers. There is almost untouched nature, air so clear – it will literally take your breath away and incredible biodiversity – forests, meadows, glaciers, valleys, lakes and waterfalls. You will not regret to be a witness of this uniqueness.
About 8 km north from this magical place is a small picturesque village. Its name is – Nucșoara, which is also a Romanian condiment „nutmeg“ but the name of the village means probably a little nut. It has only about 230 inhabitants and belongs to the municipality of Salasu de Sus and the district of Hunedoara. The Retezat National Park Administration is also located here and offers entrance tickets to Retezat (10 lei) and good hiking maps.
Walking through small streets of Nucșoara will give you sometimes the feeling of travelling back in time. Old carriages still drive here, wood is been cut in the local sawmill… Cows, horses and donkeys graze nearby. In the evening the cows and the sheeps come back to their homes.
Hospitality of the people is almost legendary and solidarity among them very noticeable. Families and friends often meet on Sunday for an obligatory cake. Just like it was before…
You can dine nearby at “La Andy´n Retezat”. For dinner or breakfast – the dishes are prepared with regional ingredients.
Five minutes away from our campsite is located a nice and well equiped shop „Magazin Mixt“ and you also can get some warm food.
The restaurant „Entre Râuri“ is located at the foot of the Mălăiești Fortress. After a short hike and a visit to the fortress, this place between two streams invites you to relax. There is a small selection of dishes.
The fact that Țara Hațegului is surrounded by mountains and its cultural background make this region to a “Mini-Transylvania”.
Adrian Andrei Rusu – a Romanian archaeologist, researcher and historian – said about Țara Hațegului: “There is probably no other, such small area in Romania, where you can see and admire so many things.”
There are many fantastic places in Hunedoara region which are not far from our campsite. If you are curious, watch this video and also take a look here.
In der Nähe könnt ihr im „La Andy´n Retezat“ speisen. Ob zum Abendessen oder zum Frühstück – die Gerichte werden mit regionalen Zutaten zubereitet.