About Putna Waterfall
Putna Waterfall, also known locally as Săritoarea Putnei, is not a single vertical drop but a series of ledges through which the river forces its way between two large sandstone rocks: over roughly 80 m the water falls about 14 m in total, carving channels and round potholes into the rock, and at the bottom it gathers in a pool around 12 m deep. It is not its height that impresses, but the force and roar of the water, especially in spring and after rain.
The site was declared a natural monument in 1973, when the first visitor facilities were also built, and is now a geological and landscape nature reserve, the smallest in the Vrancea Mountains, within the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park.
What makes it special for geographers is the abandoned waterfall: a few hundred metres downstream, on the left bank and above today's riverbed, the old ledge the river once poured over still hangs high and dry. Tectonic movements in this highly seismic area brought down part of the old bed, and the Putna shifted to its present course. The current waterfall, the old one and the nearby Câinelui Waterfall form a rare ensemble in Romania.
What you can see
From the road, a concrete and stone staircase with a handrail leads down to the river, with information boards about the reserve at the top. You come out on the rocky bank next to the main drop, where the water is squeezed into a narrow chute and plunges into the green pool below; from the surrounding slabs you can see the steps and the water-polished potholes. On the left bank you can make out the ledge of the old waterfall, now left dry.
The waterfall is a natural stop on the way to Lepșa and the Tișița Gorge, the neighbouring reserve, and the two fit easily into the same day.
Good to know
The steps and the rocks by the water are always wet and slippery: wear shoes with good grip and keep children close. Going out onto the rocks beyond the built path is at your own risk, and the pool at the bottom is deep.
- The main drop, where the Putna is squeezed into a narrow sandstone chute and plunges into the pool below.
- The round potholes and water-polished steps, seen from the slabs beside the river.
- The ledge of the old waterfall, left hanging on the left bank after the river changed course.
- The boards at the top of the steps, explaining how the waterfall and the reserve came to be.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from Focșani, take the DN2D towards Târgu Secuiesc, through Vidra and Tulnici; the waterfall is about 70 km away, roughly an hour and a half, some 2 km before the village of Lepșa. It is signposted, and you leave the car by the road.
Public transport: several minibuses a day run from Focșani to Lepșa (1 hour to 1 hour 40 minutes); ask to be dropped at the waterfall or walk from Lepșa along the DN2D.
- Where to park
Cars are left in the spaces beside the DN2D, from where it is about 200 m down the steps to the water; visitors report that parking is free. On summer weekends the spaces fill up quickly.
- Fees & discounts
The visitor fee for the Cascada Putnei Nature Reserve, approved for the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park administration, is 2 lei per person; the Tișița Gorge reserve costs 3 lei. You pay the ranger at the entrance or online on easy2visit, which sells a 5 lei ticket covering both reserves.
- Rules
You are in a nature reserve within the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park: stay in the built area, do not pick plants, light fires or leave litter. Dogs on a lead only. Commercial photography and filming are charged separately by the park administration. Wear shoes with good grip: the steps and rocks are always wet.
- Facilities
Built steps with a handrail · information boards · no toilets or kiosk at the waterfall · guesthouses and cabins in Lepșa · no access for wheelchairs or pushchairs
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