Lacul Bâlea

Directions

Bâlea Lake is a glacial lake high in the Făgăraș Mountains in central Romania, near Cârțișoara in Sibiu County. Two chalets are open all year, and there are a meteorological station and a mountain rescue (Salvamont) station on its shore. In summer it can be reached by car over the Transfăgărășan road, and in the rest of the year by cable car.

How it formed

Bâlea is a glacier lake high in the Făgăraș Mountains near Cârțișoara.

History

On 17 April 1977 an avalanche killed a group of skiers who had gathered near the lake, most of them school students from Sibiu. It was the deadliest avalanche in Romania's history. In 2006 the first ice hotel in Eastern Europe was built near the lake. It did not open in the 2019–2020 season because of unusually high temperatures.

Nature

Bâlea is a high alpine lake, at 2,034 m, and together with the alpine ground around it forms a nature reserve. The acid soils on crystalline schist carry more than 20 endemic plants. In June mountain pines turn green and Rhododendron kotschyi spreads purple carpets between the last patches of snow.

Marmots, foxes, red deer, goshawks and brown bears with cubs can all be seen in the Bâlea-Capra area, and chamois too, though they are seldom seen close to the lake. Careless tourism has long been the reserve’s main problem, so take your rubbish with you.

Gallery

4 photos

Photo: Htzlgrmpft at German Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Stoschmidt · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: marius.petriu · CC BY 3.0

Photo: Giuseppe Milo · CC BY 3.0

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Visit

Getting there

Nearest settlement: Cârțișoara

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

In summer the lake is reached by car over the Transfăgărășan road, and during the rest of the year the access is a cable car that starts from the Bâlea Cascadă chalet. Because of the avalanche danger in winter, take the mountain rescue post’s advice, and expect mountain weather at any time of year.

The road and the cable car

The lake lies at 2,034 m. The high section of the Transfăgărășan usually closes in late October or early November, and in spring the snow can lie nearly a metre and a half deep. The road up to the Bâlea Cascadă chalet stays open all year. When the road is closed, the cable car is the only way up, and it can be stopped by strong wind or storms, leaving guests stuck at the chalets. Prices and hours change, so check them. Confirm the status of the road with the road authority before you drive.

On foot

The trail from Bâlea Cascadă to the lake is about 5.3 km and takes roughly two and a half to three and a quarter hours, with about 900 m of climbing. With snow it needs winter mountaineering equipment. An easy walk to the waterfall is open to families.