Romania – Moldoveanu (2,544 m) A perfect climb after a nightmare road
⛰️ Altitude: 2,544 m
📍 Coordinates: 45.597° N, 24.739° E
🗺️ Route: Stâna lui Burnei – Valea Rea – Viștea Mare Saddle – Moldoveanu Summit – Return
🚗 Transport to region: 657 km total
• 92 km bus Kozmechyk → Solotvyno (Ukraine–Romania border)
• 565 km drive Solotvyno → Stâna lui Burnei (Făgăraș Mountains)
🏨 Accommodation: Local hotel near Solotvyno border (night of 11/12 August)
🌤️ Conditions: Clear skies, mild air, calm winds — perfect weather
⚙️ Border chaos and the broken key
After crossing back into Romania from Ukraine, I ran into an unexpected problem, the car key battery died completely. I was stuck at the border parking lot, unable to unlock the car after an exhausting day on Hoverla. It was already late, and after hours of searching for a solution, I gave up and stayed in a small hotel nearby.
The next morning, I managed to find a replacement battery in a local shop, got the car running again, and finally continued south toward the Făgăraș Mountains. The drive was long, more than 500 kilometres across central Romania, but the scenery through Transylvania helped keep me awake.
🛞 The road from hell
The final stretch to Stâna lui Burnei, where the trail begins, is infamous among climbers, and for good reason. It’s a brutal, 20-kilometre off-road track that takes 2 hours at best, or up to 4 hours at a normal pace. The surface is full of deep ruts, rocks, and washed-out sections. I drove it as fast as possible, bouncing through every turn, just trying to get it over with.
By the time I reached the trailhead, both the car and I were shaken, but there was no way I’d come that far to stop now.
🥾 The climb
I began hiking at 15:30, determined to summit before sunset. The path follows the Valea Rea valley, then climbs steeply toward the Viștea Mare saddle, from where a narrow ridge leads to Moldoveanu, Romania’s highest peak.
The conditions were perfect: clear skies, mild air, calm wind. Despite the fatigue from travel, I kept a strong rhythm all the way up. By 17:29, I stood on the summit: a beautiful, peaceful ridge with long golden light stretching over the Făgăraș range.
I stayed only briefly, just long enough to take in the view and record a summit photo before starting my descent.
🌄 The descent
The return to the car was quick and steady. I arrived around 19:00, completely tired but satisfied. The valley glowed with warm evening light, and for a moment the exhaustion turned into quiet pride another country complete, another mountain standing behind me.
💭 Reflection
Moldoveanu felt like a reward for patience. The climb itself was perfect, smooth, clear, and calm, but getting there was the hardest part. The endless Romanian roads, the dead car key, and the brutal off-road track made this one of the most logistically challenging climbs of the expedition.
Still, once I reached the summit ridge, everything felt right again. The fatigue disappeared, replaced by that pure, quiet satisfaction that only a mountain can give.
📅 Date: 12 August 2025
