Ciungetu: Latorița, Nature and Culture

From Ciungetu, a route leads upstream along the Valea Latoriței. Over the Curmătura Oltețului Pass, there is a connection to the Oltețului Gorge and onward to Peştera Muierii and Polovragi.

Nature

The Muntinu Nature Reserve includes a glacial valley and two lakes in the upper reaches. The area preserves rare plants on limestone rocks with granitic intrusions. As a botanical and landscape protected area, it protects the plants in this region.

The Moara Dracilor Waterfall in the Latorița Mountains is a two-tiered waterfall with a drop of 20 to 25 metres.

Trails

The trail to the ScoruÈ™ Waterfall runs through the canyon of the Bucureasa Valley, is marked with two white-and-red circles, and includes footbridges and narrow paths.

The road to the Petrimanu Dam begins 18 kilometres from Ciunget and leads uphill through the Latorița area. The section from the Petrimanu Dam towards Galbenu initially covers 4.5 kilometres with a gentle ascent and small hairpin bends; afterwards, the gradient becomes steeper.

The road from Gura Latoriței via Ciunget, Lake Petrimanu and Lake Galbenu is partly paved. Different distances, trail types and road surfaces help organise excursion planning according to the number of travel days available.

The options described differ considerably for day planning: a marked canyon passage with footbridges and narrow paths sits alongside a road with an initially gentle ascent, hairpin bends and a steeper gradient later on. The partly paved route also provides a distinct framework for choosing between different types of excursions.

Culture and History

The wooden church of Saints Constantine and Helena in Ciungetu is listed as an Orthodox wooden church with the official LMI code VL-II-m-B-09722 and was built in 1861. The church’s votive painting depicts the principal founder, Florea Ionescu, with his family and the villagers who contributed to the construction of the church.

Peștera Laptelui, also known as Peștera cu Lapte, is located in the village of Ciungetu on the right slope of the Rudăreasa. Fossils of small animals that lived more than 50,000 years ago, as well as pottery fragments from the Glina culture, were found in Peștera Laptelui.

Its gallery is 22 metres long and ends at a small body of water; it can be traversed without difficulty. Peștera Laptelui is of particular interest from a palaeontological and historical perspective.

The Lotru-Ciunget Hydroelectric Power Plant has an installed capacity of 510 MW. The main works on the Lotru Hydroelectric Power Plant were carried out between 1966 and 1982; the Lotru Power Plant was commissioned in 1972.

When booking a hotel in Ciungetu, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be considered as separate details. This keeps the accommodation information separate from the various nature, trail and culture topics that shape the stay and can be considered independently of one another.

Other Places

Other places for your travel planning: Baile Govora, Câinenii Mici, Horezu, Obârşia Lotrului, Marița, Vaideeni, Banesti, Curăturile

To the main travel overview: Vâlcea.