An enthralling trip through the wonderous meadous, peaks and secular forest of the Apuseni mountains, nature's best spots, great vantage pointe and easy treks.
Starting from the Padis plateau and finishing on the same plateau, to gain more time in nature. Alternatively, starting from Oradea and including one 90 minute return.
The routes take one through the undulating Onceasa valley, down to Glavoi stables, and continues on towards the highlight of the route, the Ponor (flooded) Plain.
From there it climbs back up to Padis and it meanders up towards the vestigial Biserica Motului, for a scenic overview of the entire plateau.
The entire route takes 3-4 hours for a reasonably fit person, with no more than 1000m of vertical gain. It's fairly light as it emphasises connecting with nature rather than racing to see to many things at once. It's an introductory route design to open up one's appetite for hiking in one of Europe's last true wild areas.
There is mobile phone reception all along the route, with 2 spots for eating, where one can pay cash. Loads of different local sirups, pies, mushroom soups are available should one omit to pack a sandwich.
There's at least 2 different springs across the route so water access is covered.
One may encounter shepherds with sheep and their protective dogs, these are usually gentle and accustomed to foreign humans.