# Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Dobruja](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/dobrogea) › [Constanța County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/constanta) › [Mangalia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/mangalia)

> A 98-hectare former lagoon between Saturn and Venus, with reed beds, open water and sulphur springs where swans, egrets and black-winged stilts stop over; you watch it from the surrounding roads.

**At a glance:** National parks and reserves in Mangalia, Constanța County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 4 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The reserve has no opening hours, gate or ticket: you can see it at any time from the public roads around it. There is no visitor centre and the managing agency runs no guided walks.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — with binoculars, from the edge
- **With kids:** Yes — only from the roadside
- **Parking:** Yes, free — in the streets of Saturn and Venus
- **Best season:** March – October — migration: March–May, Sept–Oct
- **Address:** between the DN39 (E87) and the Saturn–Venus road (Strada Lavrion), north of the Saturn resort, Mangalia, Constanța County
- **Coordinates:** 43.8417, 28.583
- **Website:** https://ananp.gov.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mla%C8%99tina_Hergheliei
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18541943
- **Categories:** [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii), [Seaside](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/litoral)

## About Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve

North of Mangalia, between the DN39 and the road linking the Saturn and Venus resorts, lies a stretch of reeds and shallow water that locals know as the Mangalia or Saturn pond. It is a former lagoon, left behind the sand bar on which the hotels were built, and it takes its name from Herghelia Mangalia, the Arabian horse stud nearby. Since 2004, under Government Decision No. 2151, its 98 hectares have been a mixed nature reserve, a protected area of national importance.

What makes it special is the water. More than twenty sulphurous, mesothermal springs rise through the muddy bed of the pond, with bubbles of methane and hydrogen sulphide and a temperature of around 25 °C. The water is only half a metre to a metre deep, and the islands of reeds and bulrushes, hard for people to reach, give the birds a quiet place to feed and nest.

The reserve also belongs to the Natura 2000 site ROSCI0114 "Mlaștina Hergheliei – Obanul Mare și Peștera Movilei", managed by the National Agency for Protected Natural Areas. Movile Cave, part of the same site, is not open to the public.

### What you can see

In spring and autumn, on passage, whooper swans, greylag geese and, more rarely, red-breasted geese stop on the open water, while little and great egrets, white storks, avocets, black-winged stilts and ruffs feed along the edges. The species recorded here also include black tern, common tern, Kentish plover, smew and great white pelican, and cormorants shelter in the reed beds. The best overall view is from above: if you stay in one of the tower hotels in the north of Saturn, the upper floors look out over the whole pond, with the reeds and the hills behind.

### Good to know

The reserve has no facilities for visitors: there are no paths, towers or observation points, no visitor centre and no information panels. The banks are covered in reeds, so the birds are watched from the edge of the surrounding roads, with binoculars. Do not go into the reeds or disturb the birds, especially in the nesting season.

## Don't miss

- The panorama of the whole pond from the upper floors of the tower hotels in the north of Saturn, with open water between the reed islands.
- The flocks of swans, geese and ducks that stop on the open water during spring and autumn passage.
- Egrets and black-winged stilts feeding in the shallows near the banks, visible through binoculars from the roadside.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the reserve lies right against the DN39 (E87), the coast road between Constanța and Mangalia, on its eastern side, between the turn-off for Saturn and the one for Venus; Constanța is ~40 km away, the centre of Mangalia ~3 km. On the seaward side it is bounded by the road linking Saturn and Venus.

**Public transport:** Mangalia railway station, the end of the Constanța–Mangalia line, is at the south-western edge of the Saturn resort, from where you can walk to the pond north of the resort. Goldterm Mangalia's electric buses, which link the town with the resorts (including the Mangalia–Olimp route), stop in Saturn and Venus.

### Where to park

The reserve has no car park of its own. Leave the car in the public car parks and streets of Saturn and Venus, a few minutes' walk from the edge of the pond. Do not stop on the hard shoulder of the DN39, where traffic is heavy in summer.

### Fees & discounts

Access is free; there is no charge to look at the reserve.

### Rules

This is a protected natural area: do not go into the reed beds, pick plants, feed or disturb the birds, light fires or leave litter. Stay on the roads and pavements around it. For bird photographs bring binoculars or a long lens, as the open water is some way from the banks. In summer, bring mosquito repellent.

### Facilities

No facilities in the reserve: no paths, towers or observation points, no panels, toilets or water · shops, terraces and toilets in the Saturn and Venus resorts, a few minutes' walk away

## Details

- **Protected area type:** mixed nature reserve
- **Part of:** Natura 2000 site ROSCI0114

## Frequently asked questions about Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve

**How much is a ticket to Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve?**

Admission to Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve is free. Access is free; there is no charge to look at the reserve.

**What are the opening hours of Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve?**

Opening hours at Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve: daily open 24 hours. The reserve has no opening hours, gate or ticket: you can see it at any time from the public roads around it. There is no visitor centre and the managing agency runs no guided walks.

**How long does a visit to Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve take?**

A visit to Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve takes about ½ – 1 hours (with binoculars, from the edge).

**Can you visit Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve with kids?**

Yes, Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve is suitable for children (only from the roadside).

**Where can I park at Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve?**

There is free parking at Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve (in the streets of Saturn and Venus). The reserve has no car park of its own. Leave the car in the public car parks and streets of Saturn and Venus, a few minutes' walk from the edge of the pond. Do not stop on the hard shoulder of the DN39, where traffic is heavy in summer.

**How do I get to Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve?**

Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve is located at between the DN39 (E87) and the Saturn–Venus road (Strada Lavrion), north of the Saturn resort, Mangalia, Constanța County. By car: the reserve lies right against the DN39 (E87), the coast road between Constanța and Mangalia, on its eastern side, between the turn-off for Saturn and the one for Venus; Constanța is ~40 km away, the centre of Mangalia ~3 km. On the seaward side it is bounded by the road linking Saturn and Venus. Public transport: Mangalia railway station, the end of the Constanța–Mangalia line, is at the south-western edge of the Saturn resort, from where you can walk to the pond north of the resort. Goldterm Mangalia's electric buses, which link the town with the resorts (including the Mangalia–Olimp route), stop in Saturn and Venus.

**When is the best time to visit Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve?**

The best season for Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve: March – October (migration: March–May, Sept–Oct).

## Nearby attractions

- [Venus](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/venus) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 2 km
  A resort on the southern coast, three kilometres north of Mangalia: a recently widened beach, bays closed off by breakwaters, hotels with women's names set around a lake and sulphurous waters used for treatment.
- [Saturn](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saturn) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 2 km
  The resort that runs straight into Mangalia from the north: 1970s tower hotels, a beach in the middle of being widened, a public spa sanatorium and, behind it all, the Mlaștina Hergheliei nature reserve.
- [Jupiter–Cap Aurora](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/jupiter-cap-aurora) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 3 km
  Two neighbouring resorts north of Mangalia: Jupiter, its beach split by groynes into small bays, and Cap Aurora, with stepped hotels named after precious stones.
- [Callatis Citadel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-callatis) — Fortresses and fortifications · Mangalia, CT · 10 lei · 4 km
  The ruins of the Greek city from which Mangalia grew: the circuit wall with its towers and the Syrian-type basilica on the clifftop promenade, steps from the beach, plus the town's archaeology museum.
- [Mangalia Beach](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/plaja-mangalia) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 4 km
  The town's own beach, running from the marina breakwater towards Saturn below the promenade rebuilt in 2022; since autumn 2026 it is being widened with sand, behind four new breakwaters.
- [Neptun–Olimp](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/neptun-olimp) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 5 km
  Two resorts built side by side north of Mangalia, between the sea and the Comorova forest: a beach widened to a hundred metres, two lakes right behind the sand and 1970s architecture.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mlastina-hergheliei
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/mlastina-hergheliei.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/mlastina-hergheliei.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/mlastina-hergheliei.md
Last updated: 4 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania