Ialomița Cave

Peștera Ialomiței sits at the head of the Ialomița gorge on the western side of the Bucegi, and its distinction is the arrangement at the entrance: a small monastery, founded in the sixteenth century and rebuilt several times after fires, is built directly into the cave mouth, so visitors walk through the monastic complex to reach the underground passages. The cave itself extends several hundred metres, with chambers carrying names drawn from local tradition and formations that are modest by Romanian standards after long exposure to visitors and smoke from earlier centuries. The setting compensates: the gorge below is narrow and steep, the Ialomița runs through it clear and cold, and the road up from Moroeni passes the Bolboci and Scropoasa reservoirs. Walkers coming off the Bucegi plateau descend to the cave and continue down the gorge, which makes a satisfying full day.

What you actually see

• The cave-mouth monastery - a church built into the entrance arch.
• The lit galleries - a guided route through several hundred metres of passage.
• The Ialomița gorge - a narrow limestone valley below the entrance.
• The valley reservoirs - Bolboci and Scropoasa on the approach road.

When to go

May to October; the mountain road is often closed by snow in winter and the walk down from the plateau is serious in those conditions. Weekends and monastic feast days bring pilgrim traffic that fills the small parking area.

Honest expectations

The formations are less impressive than at Romania's better show caves, blackened in places by centuries of candles and torches, and the visit is short. It is cold inside. The monastery is a working community and expects quiet and modest dress, which sits awkwardly with the flow of cave visitors. The access road is long and rough.

Nearby

The Bucegi plateau rises above; Sinaia lies over the mountain to the east.