# Lake Colibița

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Bistrița-Năsăud County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/bistrita-nasaud) › [Colibița](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/colibita)

> A reservoir on the Bistrița Ardeleană between the Bârgău and Călimani mountains, nicknamed “the sea in the mountains”, with the Colibița resort spread along its shores.

**At a glance:** Lakes in Colibița, Bistrița-Năsăud County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1½ – 2 hours. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The lake and the dam are in the open air and can be visited at any time. Boat hire and the private beaches operate in summer, on each operator's own hours.
- **Ticket:** Free — private beaches charge for entry
- **Visit duration:** 1½ – 2 hours — the dam and the lakeshore road
- **With kids:** Yes — no pavement on parts of the road
- **Best season:** All year round — water activities in summer only
- **Address:** Colibița Dam, at the western end of the lake, next to the DJ173A, Colibița, Bistrița-Năsăud County
- **Coordinates:** 47.16408, 24.87665
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacul_Colibi%C8%9Ba
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18541225
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri)

## About Lake Colibița

Lake Colibița formed behind a dam built across the Bistrița Ardeleană from 1977 onwards, where the river leaves the Bârgău and Călimani mountains. The dam, about 90 m high, is made of andesite rockfill with an asphalt concrete facing on the lake side, and the reservoir can hold around 100 million cubic metres of water. The old village of Colibița was moved to the surrounding hills to make way for the lake, along with its church and cemetery.

The water supplies the town of Bistrița and the villages downstream, holds back floods and runs through a tunnel several kilometres long to a 21 MW hydropower plant further down the valley. Its long shape, squeezed between fir-covered slopes, earned it the nickname “the sea in the mountains”.

Along the northern shore, from the dam towards the head of the lake, the Colibița resort has grown up, with villas, guesthouses and hotels, many with their own jetty.

### What you can see

From the top of the dam you see the western end of the lake, hemmed in by wooded slopes; most of it stays hidden behind the bends. The tarmac road that starts at the dam follows the northern shore, past bays, grassy headlands and the ridges of the Călimani in the background, towards the village of Mița. In summer you can get out on the water by rowing boat, kayak, pedalo or electric boat.

### Good to know

Most of the shoreline is private, taken up by holiday homes and guesthouses, and the beaches with facilities belong to them and charge for entry. To keep the dam safe, the Romanian Waters authority is preparing refurbishment works that will require the lake to be drained: in September 2026 only the design contract had been awarded, so draining is not imminent, but it is worth checking before planning a holiday here.

## Don't miss

- The view from the top of the dam over the western end of the lake, hemmed in by fir-covered slopes.
- The road along the northern shore, past bays and grassy headlands, to the head of the lake at Mița.
- A trip by kayak or rowing boat on the calm water, with the Călimani Mountains in the background.
- Grilled trout at one of the restaurants on the shore.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Bistrița take the DN17 (E58) towards Vatra Dornei and turn right at Prundu Bârgăului onto the county road through Bistrița Bârgăului, up to the dam: ~38 km, about 50 minutes. From Cluj-Napoca it is ~150 km (about 3 hours), and from Vatra Dornei ~58 km, over the Tihuța Pass. The access roads to the resort were upgraded between 2017 and 2021; from the dam, the tarmac road runs along the northern shore to Mița and rejoins the DN17.

**Public transport:** minibuses run between Bistrița and Colibița, only a few times a day; check the current timetable before setting off.

### Where to park

You can stop next to the dam and along the roadside in the resort, where there is room. The larger car parks belong to hotels and guesthouses and are for their guests. On summer weekends the lakeshore road gets busy.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the lake and the dam is free. The beaches with facilities belong to hotels and guesthouses and charge for entry (for example, the pontoon beach at the Panoramic complex charged 50 lei per person in 2026). Rowing boats, kayaks, pedalos and electric boat trips are paid separately, to each operator.

### Rules

Swimming and rowing are banned within 500 m of the dam, and motorboats are not allowed on the lake. Recreational fishing is allowed with a permit and in line with the law. Private shores are fenced off: get onto the water only through the beaches and jetties that take visitors.

### Facilities

Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants on the northern shore · private beaches with sun loungers and jetties · rowing boat, kayak and pedalo hire in summer · no public beach with facilities

## Details

- **Lake type:** reservoir
- **Swimming allowed:** Yes
- **Boat rental:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Colibița

**How much is a ticket to Lake Colibița?**

Admission to Lake Colibița is free (private beaches charge for entry). Access to the lake and the dam is free. The beaches with facilities belong to hotels and guesthouses and charge for entry (for example, the pontoon beach at the Panoramic complex charged 50 lei per person in 2026). Rowing boats, kayaks, pedalos and electric boat trips are paid separately, to each operator.

**What are the opening hours of Lake Colibița?**

Opening hours at Lake Colibița: daily open 24 hours. The lake and the dam are in the open air and can be visited at any time. Boat hire and the private beaches operate in summer, on each operator's own hours.

**How long does a visit to Lake Colibița take?**

A visit to Lake Colibița takes about 1½ – 2 hours (the dam and the lakeshore road).

**Can you visit Lake Colibița with kids?**

Yes, Lake Colibița is suitable for children (no pavement on parts of the road).

**How do I get to Lake Colibița?**

Lake Colibița is located at Colibița Dam, at the western end of the lake, next to the DJ173A, Colibița, Bistrița-Năsăud County. By car: from Bistrița take the DN17 (E58) towards Vatra Dornei and turn right at Prundu Bârgăului onto the county road through Bistrița Bârgăului, up to the dam: ~38 km, about 50 minutes. From Cluj-Napoca it is ~150 km (about 3 hours), and from Vatra Dornei ~58 km, over the Tihuța Pass. The access roads to the resort were upgraded between 2017 and 2021; from the dam, the tarmac road runs along the northern shore to Mița and rejoins the DN17. Public transport: minibuses run between Bistrița and Colibița, only a few times a day; check the current timetable before setting off.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Colibița?**

The best season for Lake Colibița: All year round (water activities in summer only).

## Nearby attractions

- [Tihuța Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-tihuta) — Scenic roads · Bistrița-Năsăud County · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · 20 km
  The pass where the DN17 crosses from Transylvania into Bukovina at 1,201 m, between Bistrița and Vatra Dornei: spruce-dotted pastures, a 31 m cross and a hotel inspired by the Borgo Pass of “Dracula”.
- [Cheilor Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-cheilor) — Waterfalls · Sângeorz-Băi, BN · Free · 43 km
  A 20–30 m waterfall in the Cormaia Valley, at the foot of the Rodna Mountains near Sângeorz-Băi; a built path of about 1 km, with steps, footbridges and chains, climbs alongside its tiers.
- [Vatra Dornei](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vatra-dornei) — Resorts and thermal baths · Vatra Dornei, SV · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · Top 100 · 54 km
  A spa resort more than two centuries old in the Dorna Depression: carbonated springs, peat mud, a park full of squirrels and the Spa Casino, restored and reopened as a museum.
- [Cailor Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-cailor) — Waterfalls · Borșa, MM · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 100 · 62 km
  A roughly 90 m waterfall that drops in several tiers down a limestone wall in the Rodna Mountains, above the resort of Borșa; reached by chairlift and a short forest walk.
- [Prislop Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-prislop) — Scenic roads · Maramureș County · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · Top 100 · 64 km
  The highest pass in the Eastern Carpathians: the DN18 climbs from Borșa to 1,416 m between the Rodna and Maramureș Mountains and drops down the Golden Bistrița valley to Cârlibaba, from Maramureș into Bukovina.
- [Borsec](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/borsec) — Resorts and thermal baths · Borsec, HR · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 73 km
  A mountain spa resort at 900 m in northern Harghita, with carbonated mineral springs you can drink from for free, old wooden villas, travertine caves and a new spa centre.

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Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-colibita
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Last updated: 28 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania