Danube's Big Boilers

Modavita Waterfall - is considered to be the little sister of Bigar Waterfall. Located in the heart of the Locvei Mountains, near the village of Padina Matei, the waterfall amazes any tourist who visits it with its splendor in any season of the year. Modavita Waterfall is easily accessible, about 8.4 km from Moldova Noua towards Padina Matei on an asphalt road. It can be seen from the road, being approximately 40 meters from the highway. Source

The suspended bridge in the Sasca Montană commune is built of wood and is an attraction for any hiker who arrives in the area.  It is located in the middle of nature, in an area that offers fairytale landscapes throughout the year. photo source: Google Maps - Agenția 360 România

Avenul is located halfway between Secu and Văliug, Caraş-Severin county. More precisely, we find it on the southwestern slope of the Piatra Albă Hill, a short distance from Talva Sodol, in Poiana Gropii. Also, the entrance is known by the locals as "Groapa Mare". Photo source: banateanul.ro, Speologie.org

Balta Nera – Dunăre is a nationally protected area corresponding to the IUCN category IV (mixed natural reserve), located in Caraș-Severin County, on the administrative territory of the Socol commune. The natural area, covering 10 hectares, is situated at the western extremity of Caraș-Severin County, at the foothills of the Locvei Mountains (a mountain group in the Banat Mountains belonging to the Western Carpathians), at the confluence of the Nera River into the Danube, in the Danube Gorge (a geographical region on the northern bank of the Danube). The natural reserve, included in the Iron Gates Natural Park, was declared a protected area through Law No. 5 of March 6, 2000 (approving the National Land Management Plan – Section III – protected areas) and represents the confluence area of the Nera River with the Danube (water bodies, lakes, marshes, peat bogs, with shrubs, reed beds, and rushes) with flora and fauna specific to wetland areas. The reserve has various types of habitats, including oligotrophic standing waters, eutrophic lakes with a significant content of dissolved minerals in the water, areas covered with bulrush and reed, and water with abundant vegetation developed on the lake bottom. The natural area provides food and living conditions for several species of birds (migratory, passage, or sedentary), mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. The flora of the natural reserve consists mostly of hydrophilic and hygrophilic vegetation with tree species such as white poplar (Populus alba), white willow (Salix alba), and purple willow (Salix purpurea). Herbaceous plants include floating fern (Salvinia natans), four-leaf clover (Marsilea quadrifolia), yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), water lily (Butomus umbellatus), as well as reeds, bulrush, and sedges. Birds: marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), little egret (Egretta garzetta), pygmy cormorant (Phalocrocorax pygmeus), little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris), great egret (Egretta alba), barn owl (Tyto alba, a species that hunts rodents), or common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis); Mammals: gray wolf (Canis lupus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red fox (Vulpes vulpes crucigera), European otter (Lutra lutra), and European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus); Amphibians and reptiles: European green toad (Bufo viridis), European tree frog (Hyla arborea), common toad (Bufo bufo), European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), Aesculapian snake (Elaphe longissima), and dice snake (Natrix tessellata); Fish: weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis), asp (Aspius aspius), European chub (Umbra krameri, a predatory fish species), gudgeon (Gobio kessleri), and spined loach (Cobitis elongata). Source: text & photo

Those who want to relax for a weekend in nature and fill their lungs with fresh mountain air can choose a fascinating but lesser-known place in this part of the country. It is about Mărghitaș Lake, located just three kilometers from the town of Anina, a natural paradise where you can recharge your batteries. Lake Mărghitaș is located in an area that seems to be torn from stories, namely the Aninei Mountains, in Caraș-Severin county, one of the picturesque places in the west of the country. This lake in Banat is a very special one, because it is the first lake in this part of Romania that was created for tourist purposes, in 1940. The Mărghitaș reservoir has the shape of an arrow, it is located on the Buhui river and runs along an area of ​​four hectares. From the plateau of this resort you can admire the fascinating landscapes of the Anina Mountains. The lake is full of aquatic vegetation, but in its particularly blue waters you can also find fish such as tench, tench or caracuda. Those who want to relax on a weekend in nature or go fishing are welcome in the Anina Mountains resort. Also, near Lake Mărghitaș there is another superb place, namely Lake Buhui, the two places being considered fishermen's paradise, at the same time being ideal for listening to the silence of nature. Source text & photo

Balta Nera in Banat is a protected natural area, with an area of ​​ten hectares, located in Socol commune in Caraș-Severin county, at the mouth of the Nera river in the Danube, where the microdelta is formed. The reservation is included in the Iron Gates National Park, and tourists who arrive here can admire the diverse flora and fauna of these places. Here you can see seagulls, egrets or otters. source

The Tunnel of Love in Glimboca is located on the railway that connects Caransebeș and Băuțar, linking the localities of Obreja and Glimboca. The tunnel was discovered accidentally by two amateur photographers, Florin Avramescu and Mihai Tămăşilă. Following this discovery, an increasing number of people have come to explore the beautiful tunnel. Known as the "Tunnel of Love," it is one of the most romantic places in the country. It is also listed among the hidden treasures of the European Union, published on the European Parliament's website. This natural gem in Caraș-Severin is highly appreciated by photographers and couples who come here in significant numbers to capture romantic photographs. Source: Text & Photo

The Stones of Scorilo represent a true pagan altar of the Dacians, situated at an altitude of 1,200 meters on the northern slope of the Muntele Mic massif. The area was the preferred hunting ground of the Dacians, being in the mountains and having rich fauna. On this current tourist route, Muntele Mic – Poiana Mărului, passing through the Scorilo Valley, legend has it that King Scorilo, the father of Decebal, hid a treasure. This is confirmed by the inscription found at Sarmizegetusa: "Decebalus per Scorilo." This route is of rare beauty, enchanting even the most discerning tourist. Also part of the legend passed down through centuries are the clues to the exact location of the treasure: Scorilo is said to have hidden the treasure in a cave located on a straight wall of the Scorilo Rock (somewhere in the center, 40 meters from the base and 40 meters from the summit), a cave situated where the first ray of sunlight falls over the ridge called Buza Nedeii on the summer solstice, on June 21st each year. The existence of a cave in a rock formed of crystalline schists is hard to accept, as such rock does not naturally form caves. Through more thorough research of the rock, only a side room that appears to have been carved into the rock by humans, as a shelter for shepherds ascending Muntele Mic, has been found. It has a canopy-like shape, like a niche. The locals and shepherds don't speak much about the place itself, considering it a sacred area that not many should know everything about. In the past few decades, many have searched for the treasure, but without success. No one has conducted detailed research of the area. Furthermore, according to the legend, the Tomb of Scorilo is on this tourist route, somewhere in the Scorilo Valley, which seems credible, especially since Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa is located beyond the hill. The Stones of Scorilo, Cleanţul Scorilo, and Cioaca (Crest) Scorilo are old names that have remained in the vocabulary since the time of the Dacians, transmitted along with the belief that there is a Dacian treasure here. Text & photo source

Cheile Nera-Beușnița Cheile Nerei National Park - Beușnița hides a treasure: "Acapulco Beach Nera", probably the only beach on the Nera River, an unexpectedly beautiful place. From the Beiului Bridge, go through La Tunele, until you pass the sixth tunnel and follow a path to the left towards Nera (approx. 30 minutes from the Beiului Bridge). As you descend the path and reach Nera, suddenly this oasis appears, as if torn from the movies. In the middle of nature we find a sandy beach, the Nera river and on the opposite bank a steep rock that perfectly complements the landscape. A very interesting tourist attraction and for the fact that you go through the tunnels to get there, which perfectly completes the experience. Text & photo source