Marking: Blue cross
Length: 7 km
Route: Jijila – Jijilei Valley – Cheia Peak – Cheita Peak – Caramalău Peak – Fântâna de Leac – Fântâna de Leac Monastery
Campsite: Fântâna de Leac
The thematic route climbs parallel to the Little Vasilica Valley and shortly reaches Vârful Cheia. The route then follows the line of the ridge, reaches sharp ridges and continues with a gentle climb up to Vf. Caramalău where it intersects with the route marked with a blue tape that goes up from Fântâna cu Leac to Culmea Pricopanului. Also, the route presents viewpoints from where many species of plants and animals can be seen, as well as the town of Macin, the towns of Brăila, Galati and the Danube arms.
From the point of view of geodiversity, visitors have the opportunity to admire landscapes specific to granite rock formations (altered under the action of wind and climate and exfoliated “in onion leaves”), exemplified by formations such as: “The Petrified Army” or “Burnt Citadel” .
With a remarkable biodiversity, the Măcin Mountains offer tourists the opportunity to observe rare or endemic species such as Merinana (Moehringia grisebachii) or Dobrogean bellflower (Campanula romanica).
On the route you can see species of reptiles such as the Dobrogean Tortoise (Testudo graeca) – a monument of nature – or the Dobrogean Dragon (Elaphe sauromates) – the largest snake in Romania. And among the species of birds can be observed: Great Screaming Eagle (Aquila danga), Serpent (Circaetus gallicus), Great Short-eared Buzzard (Buteo ruffinus), Danube Falcon (Falco cherrug), and among mammals the Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), Spotted Ferret (Vormela peregusna) and other species.
On the route there are 4 tourist information panels on which you can find information about the Măcinului Mountains, “Granite-Genesis and Evolution” and information about what can be seen “Above the Mountains”.
