The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers

Tripoto
22nd Apr 2015
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 1/14 by Audrey
the road to the mountain
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 2/14 by Audrey
signs
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 3/14 by Audrey
towards Szoko waterfall
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 4/14 by Audrey
lovely surroundings
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 5/14 by Audrey
pines
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 6/14 by Audrey
Madaras Peak
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 7/14 by Audrey
Madaras Peak
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 8/14 by Audrey
Madaras Peak
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 9/14 by Audrey
view from Madaras Peak
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 10/14 by Audrey
sandwich break
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 11/14 by Audrey
road towards the waterfall
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 12/14 by Audrey
I follow rivers
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 13/14 by Audrey
Szoko waterfall
Photo of The Saint Mountain of the Szeklers 14/14 by Audrey
The Harghita

We left home early in the Morning so we could reach the mountain before noon. There was mixed information about what routes we should take, and obviously ended up taking the wrong one with boulders torturing our small Peugeot 106 until the rest-houses appeared. Don’t worry, a few weeks after we were there a brand new road was inaugurated so you won’t have to go through the bad one.

After almost half an hour of praying that our wheels don’t fall off, we finally arrived to the pensions, which marked the end of our car ride and start of our journey on foot. Little did I know that this was going to be the easiest hike ever.. Actually, it wasn’t even a hike. It was just a short walk in nature, I think.

We were going to the peak (Varful Madaras), and afterwards decided to visit the waterfall (Cascada Szoko Vizeses). Although the “hike”was short, it was very beautiful. Pine trees and blueberry shrubs were surrounding our well-marked path. The weather was funky, one minute it was so hot I couldn’t wear my pullover anymore, and in the next such a cool breeze blew in our faces that I was freezing. But the surroundings were beautiful.

Once at the top, wooden headboards, sculptures and pillars testify that one has arrived to a very sacred place of pilgrimage of the Szeklers’. But the view is absolutely amazing. The half-hour walk is totally worth it and it is easily reachable by anyone from families with small children to the elderly. One can see almost the whole Transylvanian basin and the lovely Carpathian mountains which surround it.

There are four information panels in every direction showcasing the mountains as you can see them and marking the most important peaks and valleys. It is absolutely amazing that you can see almost the whole Carpathian chain from only 1801 meters.

After we were cold enough we decided to head to the waterfall. Although while we were walking up to the peak we met a lot of people along the way, nobody seemed to be interested in Szökő waterfall. We were totally alone all the way, except for a few mountain bikers we encountered while we were having a sandwich break.

The road was pretty much the same as it was towards the peak, only this time the place cleared up of trees sometimes, offering a breathtaking view over the Carpathian basin once again.

The place was very quiet and the waterfall was about 5 meters tall and absolutely stunning- well worth the detour. The path to the waterfall took about twice as much as the road up towards the peak. Opposite to the waterfall there is a small table with wooden benches on both sides for the travelers to take five and admire the natural phenomena.

All in all, this mini-hike is a must if you’re anywhere in the region, because there is no other mountain top from which you can admire the Carpathian mountain chain as from Madaras Peak. For more info on how to get here, don’t hesitate to contact me :)!