Cetățile Ponorului

About Cetățile Ponorului

At the bottom of a forested hollow about 300 m deep and over a kilometre across, at the end of the Cetăților valley, the water gathered from the whole Padiș Plateau disappears into the mountain. The site, whose name means "the Ponor Citadels", is made up of three large sinkholes linked underground and the cave that carries the underground river. The entrance is a portal over 70 m high cut into a limestone wall, with spruces clinging to its edges as the only clue to its size. The Apuseni Natural Park Administration calls it the most spectacular karst feature in Romania.

The area is a nature reserve within Apuseni Natural Park, in the commune of Pietroasa but far from any village. Emil Racoviță studied the entrance in 1929; exploration of the underground river began in 1949 with the team of the Cluj Speleological Institute, and the final sump was only reached in 1957. For cavers, Cetățile Ponorului is still one of the hardest caves in the country.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the usual starting point is Poiana Glăvoi ("La Grajduri"), the camping area on the Padiș Plateau. From Oradea take the DN76 (E79) via Beiuș to Sudrigiu, then the county road through Pietroasa and Boga, paved to near Padiș, with a final stretch of forest road to Glăvoi: ~105 km, ~2h30. From Pietroasa it is ~20 km to Glăvoi (~50 minutes). From Cluj-Napoca, the route via Huedin, Răchițele and Ic Ponor has its Ic Ponor – Padiș section closed for upgrading until 1 December 2026; until then the detour via Oradea or Beiuș is ~185 km (~4 hours). From Glăvoi, the blue-dot trail follows the forest road and drops through the woods to the portal; the full loop, with Sinkhole III and the balconies, takes about 4 hours. From Cabana Padiș, the loop via Poiana Ponor is 12 km and takes about 5 hours.

Public transport: we found no scheduled service up to the Padiș Plateau. The nearest town with regular public transport is Beiuș, ~40 km away by mountain road, from where you need a car.

Where to park

Leave the car in Poiana Glăvoi, in the camping area, or at Cabana Padiș if you are doing the full loop. We found no published parking fee; Pietroasa town hall charges a camping fee in Glăvoi for tents and caravans.

Fees & discounts

There is no fee for the surface loop: the official price list of Apuseni Natural Park (2018, the latest published) sets none for trails. The same list sets 15 lei per person for caves where visits are allowed, but entering the cave requires a permit from the park administration. Camping in Glăvoi: ~20 lei per tent per day and ~40 lei for a caravan (Pietroasa town hall fee, as reported by the local press in 2025).

Rules

Cetățile Ponorului is a nature reserve within Apuseni Natural Park: stay on the marked trail and take your rubbish with you. The inside of the cave is not open to visitors: it is an active cave with an underground river, lakes and waterfalls, entered only by equipped cavers with a permit from the Apuseni Natural Park Administration; unauthorised entry into caves is punishable. Keep away from the edge of the openings onto the underground gallery in Sinkhole II, and do not go down beneath the portal when the water is high. The trail is closed in winter, has steep sections with metal ladders and steel cables, and calls for walking boots with good grip; in wet weather the rocks get slippery. Commercial photography and filming require the park's permit. In an emergency call 112 or Salvamont mountain rescue (0SALVAMONT, 0725 826 668); there is a Salvamont post in Glăvoi.

Facilities

No facilities on the trail · in Poiana Glăvoi: camping area, Salvamont post, drinking water and food kiosks · accommodation at Cabana Padiș and in the guesthouses on the plateau · the trail is not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible · weak or no mobile signal in the sinkholes