Cerna valley - “Windy Waterfall” - Cicilovete meadow
The hike begins about 13 km upstream from Băile Herculane, at the parking lot next to the Vânătorii bridge near the end of Lake Prisaca. We follow the path with the red crosses. The trail leads through a sparse, thermophilic deciduous forest with many lime trees, ash trees and oaks. The landscape looks a little Mediterranean. Between the treetops, we can see huge rocks towering high above us coming closer and closer.
The Vânturătoarea waterfall plunges down from a height of about 40 meters in front of an overhanging rock face - so that the trail leads behind the water curtain of the waterfall. After a very steep zigzag, we reach a viewpoint above the waterfall - the view of the wild Mehedinți Mountains and the Cerna Valley is breathtaking.
If you want, you can follow the path further uphill towards the Cicilovete meadow. First we walk through a younger beech forest. There may have been an early "disturbance" here due to a forest fire or windthrow - or early settlers may have used the safe place high above the rocks as a safe haven. A little further uphill, an enchanted, primary beech forest with huge veteran trees and high volumes of dead wood awaits us. After a further ascent, we reach the main ridge with the mountain meadow. The view from here of the UNESCO World Heritage protected forests and the Cerna valley is outstanding. On a clear day you can see as far as Serbia. Descent over the same route as ascent.
Tour description / map on Outdooractive:
Tour description / map on Muntii Nostri:
https://muntii-nostri.ro/en/routes/podul-vanturatorii-dn67d-poiana-cicilovete
