In order for the traveler’s holiday diary on the lands of Cluj County to be complete, he has to cross, by foot, this splendid place which is only 5 km away from the Turzii Gorge. The Cluj richness consists in the small places dug in the heart of the mountains, such as the Borzeşti Gorge. Due to it’s special charm and the landscapes that captivate you, they can be easily included in the Transylvania’s treasure chest. With the popular name of Borzești Gorge, they have been declared natural reservation since 1994.
Because an intact preservation of these treasures was desired, the access is made only on foot, no car trace is allowed to disturb a perfectly preserved place, as only mother nature can make. We can get here both from Turda and from Câmpeni, Alba county, on the 75 national road. If we start from Turda, the milestone will show us another 4 km to the Buru village and that is the moment when we have to stop at the shed with the same name. There, an improvised parking lot awaits us, close to the natural gate that opens the way to the Borzeşti Gorge reservation.
After the first steps, a corner of heaven opens, in which we can easily see that time seems to have stopped. With a wildness look, forests without any meaning, narrow paths on the bed of a valley that, being far from the viewer’s eyes carved freely these gorges. On our way to Borzeşti Gorge we meet many waterfalls, places where we can stop to listen the noise of the waters but also the songs of the birds that live in that forest away from human eyes.
The defile has the appearance of gorge, hence the popular name of Borzești Gorge, with forested slopes, which is why the flora is well represented by the beech forest mixed with sessile oak and plants characteristic to forest habitats and rocks. Forests provide good living conditions for many mammals, but also for many bird species, reptiles and insects.
The Borzești Gorge were created millions of years ago, being the exclusive work of the Borzești Valley, a valley that flows into the Arieș River between the villages of Buru and Moldovenești. Their uniqueness consists in the fact that they are the only Gorges from the great family of the Apuseni, which the water carved out in two directions, both to the north and to the south. The Arieș River, which captures the water that flows through these gorges, also played an important role. Once its deepening, it began to capture the nearby waters, and this fact led to the creation of waterfalls that today delight our eyes.
If hiking is something normal for you, we recommend that you do not choose the paths trodden by the visitors steps, but follow the water’s edge. Of course, with proper equipment, without fear of getting wet and most importantly, on a day in the less rainy season, so that the flow of the valley wouldn’t be high.
What do you need to have with you for a thorough exploration?
Well, the equipment mentioned above, a good physical condition, a camera and the confidence that at the end it is always the most beautiful part.
Why do we say that?
Because at the beginning it opens, for the traveler’s eyes, the part that includes the Lower Waterfalls, wonderful and spectacular, but then follows a dull, dark part, with small gorges too little lit by the sun, because the rocks block the light. After about 30 minutes of hiking through the beauties of nature, we reach the large waterfall, part of the Upper Waterfalls. It’s not a fast waterfall. Here the water has a light flow time, without being rushed by a high and noisy flow, proof of the fact that the formation of these gorges was done slowly and thoroughly without missing the details that really matter.
Even if you choose the marked paths, the official ones, the forest paths reveal to you the wildness of the place and the special charm which the Apuseni Mountains are famous for.
The Borzeşti Gorge is the ideal place to contemplate nature and to offer you a landscape detached from the much loved fairy tales of childhood.