The Bicaz Gorge must rank as one of the most scenic drives in the Romania with 300m high bare rock faces. It features on the website “Dangerous Roads the World’s most spectacular roads.”:http://www.dangerousroads.org/eastern-europe/romania/4946-bicaz-gorge.html
The drive is spectacular with a narrow road following the Bicaz river as it cuts its way down through the Carpathian Mountains, linking Transylvania and Moldavia. There are sheer rock faces and overhanging cliffs. This is not a drive for the faint hearted as there is a lot of traffic including heavy lorries thundering along.
There are few places to pull off and take pictures and it is almost impossible to photograph through the window. The driver may not have time to admire the scenery either…
Near the top of the gorge there is a parking area with a selection of craft stalls.
After the gorge, the road continues to climb up through tight hair pin bends through a narrow wooded valley to reach Lacu Rosu, a tourist resort before the lake with restaurants.
The lake was formed in 1838 after a landslide dammed the river. The name came from the red alluvial iron oxides washed into the lake. Now it is a deep muddy green colour. The road runs above the shore of the lake with views down through the trees. This is a popular tourist area with a path around the lake and boats. The remains of the trunks of fir trees flooded by the lake water can be seen sticking up above the waters.
We drove this route between Guru Humorului and Brasov during an eight day visit to Romania. My detailed trip report with all the pictures is “here.”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/otherholidays/romania/index.html
