Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării)

About Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării)

The Cazane (the "Cauldrons") are the tightest part of the gorge by which the Danube cuts through the Carpathians, on the border between Romania and Serbia. They are about 9 km long in all and made up of two narrows: the Great Cauldrons (Cazanele Mari), almost 4 km long, between the Ciucaru Mare massif on the Romanian bank and Veliki Štrbac on the Serbian side, and the Small Cauldrons (Cazanele Mici), about 1.4 km long, between Ciucaru Mic and Mali Štrbac. In between, the river widens into Dubova Bay. In the Great Cauldrons the Danube narrows to about 150 m, and the water is very deep.

The name comes from the whirlpools that made the water look as if it were boiling, back when the river rushed through here among the rocks. After the Iron Gates I dam was completed in 1972, the water level rose and the current calmed. The Cazane have been a nature reserve since 1980 and are part of Iron Gates Natural Park; rare sub-Mediterranean plants grow on the sunny slopes, among them the yellow Cazane tulip.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the Cazane lie on the DN57, the Danube Gorge road, which starts in Orșova (DN6/E70). From Orșova you pass through Eșelnița, Mraconia Monastery and the face of Decebalus, through the Small Cauldrons, and reach Dubova after about 25 km; the Great Cauldrons begin just past the village. From Drobeta-Turnu Severin add ~30 km to Orșova, and from Timișoara it is ~200 km on the DN6. The Ciucaru Mare trail starts at the edge of Dubova towards Svinița, on the left of the road, marked with a yellow triangle.

Public transport: a few minibuses run along the DN57 between Orșova and Moldova Nouă, stopping at Eșelnița and Dubova; the timetable changes, so check it first. Orșova has a railway station on the Bucharest – Timișoara line. Boat operators in Orșova and Eșelnița take you to the Cazane without a car.

Where to park

You park along the DN57 and in the wider spots in Dubova, next to the pontoons where the boats leave, and at Mraconia Monastery. There is little room at the start of the Ciucaru Mare trail; do not leave the car on the road or on bends. On summer weekends the spaces by the pontoons fill up quickly.

Fees & discounts

There is no entrance ticket to the Cazane. Boat trips are paid to the operators: in Dubova, the one-hour shared trip (Decebalus, Mraconia, the Small and Great Cauldrons, Ponicova) costs ~50 lei per person, a private boat ~300 lei (4 people) or ~400 lei; children up to 7 go free and those aged 8–12 get 50% off. Extensions to the Tabula Traiana (~15 lei) and Veterani Cave (~10 lei) are paid separately. From Eșelnița, the trip of about 2 hours costs ~70 lei per person. Prices change often; confirm them at the pontoons.

Rules

You are in Iron Gates Natural Park: stay on marked trails, wear closed shoes, do not pick plants, leave no litter and light no fires outside designated places. In the caves, bring a head torch and keep quiet so as not to disturb the bats. Alcohol is not allowed on the boats or on the trails; wear the life jacket the operator gives you. Commercial filming and photography need the park's approval.

Facilities

Guesthouses, terraces and fish restaurants in Dubova and Eșelnița · pontoons with boat trips in Dubova, Eșelnița and Orșova · petrol stations, shops and railway station in Orșova · no public toilets at the viewpoint; at terraces and guesthouses