God's Bridge at Ponoarele

Podul lui Dumnezeu is the remains of a cave whose roof fell in, leaving a single span of limestone about thirty metres long standing over the void. What makes it unusual is not its size but its use: the road through Ponoarele runs straight across the top of it, so drivers cross a natural bridge without necessarily noticing, and it is one of the few natural arches in Europe still carrying traffic. From below, reached by a short path down the side, the arch shows its full shape with the cave passages continuing into the hill behind. The surrounding area is a small karst district with more to it than the bridge: a lake that fills and empties with the season, a lilac wood that flowers spectacularly in May, and the strange lapiaz field of exposed and fluted limestone slabs on the hillside above the village.

What you actually see

• The arch from below - the full span seen from the path under the road.
• The cave behind - passages continuing into the hillside from the arch.
• The lilac wood - a large stand flowering in May on the slopes above.
• The lapiaz field - bare fluted limestone slabs outcropping on the hill.

When to go

May for the lilac, which is the local event of the year and draws crowds to the village. Otherwise spring to autumn. Winter is possible since the road is open, but the paths below the arch are slick and muddy.

Honest expectations

Driving over it is anticlimactic; you must park and walk underneath for the place to make sense, and the path down is short but rough. There are no facilities and little signposting. The lake nearby is dry for much of the year despite appearing on maps. It is a twenty-minute stop rather than an outing on its own.

Nearby

Baia de Aramă is minutes east; the Cerna valley and Herculane lie west.