Călimani National Park

The Călimani massif is the eroded remains of one of the largest volcanic calderas in Europe, and the walking here follows the rim of that collapsed crater rather than a conventional ridge. The high point, Pietrosul Călimanilor, reaches 2,100 metres, and the plateau below the summits is covered in dense dwarf pine that makes off-path travel almost impossible. The strangest feature is the group of andesite towers known as the Twelve Apostles, weathered into shapes that generations of shepherds have read as faces and figures, standing in a line on an open shoulder of the mountain. Sulphur was mined here in the twentieth century and the scars of the opencast workings are still visible on the northern flank, slowly being reclaimed by vegetation. The park is one of the emptiest in the country, with long approaches and almost no infrastructure once you leave the valleys.

What you actually see

• The Twelve Apostles - andesite towers on an open shoulder, the massif's emblem.
• The caldera rim - a long circuit around the collapsed volcanic crater.
• Dwarf pine seas - dense stands covering the plateau below the peaks.
• Old sulphur workings - the mining scars on the northern side, now revegetating.

When to go

June to September; snow lies late on the plateau and the dwarf pine makes winter travel exhausting. The area is notably cold and exposed even in summer, and mist sits on the rim for days at a time.

Honest expectations

Distances here are long and the approaches from the valleys take hours before any real height is gained. Marking is patchy and the dwarf pine punishes any attempt to shortcut. Refuges are few, unstaffed and unreliable. Bears are common in the forest belt. The mining scars are a genuine part of the landscape and can be a disappointment for anyone expecting untouched wilderness.

Nearby

Vatra Dornei spa town is north; the Bistrița valley road runs along the eastern side.