Throughout its tumultuous history the Danube had to assault the mountains. That’s how The Iron Gates came into being- the triumphal arch through which the new river came into the Universe.

 This river, both agitated and blue, impetuous and calm, dull and musical didn’t exist until the Iron Gates existed...

 The drama of its genesis couldn’t have occurred anywhere else but here, in this place that carries the mark of the first spasms. The rock is painfully striated like in the birth struggle.

 Until the Iron Gates Weir/Barrage appeared, the waters of the Danube collected between the mountains, tenaciously stroked against the rapids, were regaining the primal scream with which the river came to life. Once in a while, through the terrible passage continues to blow, even today, the Cosava wind, like an embodiment of some forces designed for a world with other dimensions, Cyclops-like and violent.

 The sight of the Iron Gates involves, regarding the elements, the iron and the colossal rock that became mountain. A mountain that is in permanent battle with the water, but also in harmony with it.

  A geometric mountain.

  At a millenary scale, though, the Gates are a Historical Replica. Everything around is silence and stillness.

  The great dimensions of the Cosmos are present- the Infinity, the Eternity...

   Their preservation is a noble mission of the Natural Park of the Iron Gates.

  The upper Clisura of the Danube is that part of the Natural Park of the Iron Gates that lays between Baziaş and Cozla set on the territory of the Caraş-Severin County.

   Here, from the road that winds by the fairy-tale world of the birds and fish from Balta Nera (Nera`s Puddle)- the Danube, Ostrovul Calinovăţ (The Calinovăţ Island), Râpa cu Lăstuni (The Ravine with Martins) - Divici, Baba Caia (Old Lady Caia) and Gaura cu Muscă (The Fly Hole) you can get in 2-3 hours` time into Locvei and Almăjului Mountains travelling on roads and paths that go through the dwellings` area, nearby the Danube localities.  Standing on the Piatra Albă (The White Rock), Culmea Naidăşului, Tâlva Cerbului or Ravensca summits you can admire spectacle of the Danube crossing the Carpathians.

  If you succed to see the sun setting or the „claire de lune” from Baziaş rowing in a boat and then, the next morning you wake up in the hay found in an attic of a house somewhere in the Locvei Mountains, it means that you really are in the magnificent world of  Clisura of the Danube.

FIRST DAY

Danube Gorges greet their guests.

(Flexible program in according with the guest arrivals)

Access in the Iron Gate Natural Park area

The tourists can make their travel till South Banat area by the rail train till Resita, Timisoara and Orsova; or by the plane till Timişoara international airport

Till Moldova Nouă city, which is placed in the center of park area, the travel can continue: 

• By the bus or car from Reşiţa on the national road Resita – Grădinari – Oravita - Moldova Nouă (105 Km).
• By the bus or car from Timişoara on the national road Timişoara – Moravita – Oravita –Moldova Nouă (160 Km).
• By the steam, bus, or car from Orsova till Moldova Nouă (104 Km)

From Serbia, the tourists can travel till Moldova Noua by the ferry bout on the rout Veliko Gradiste – Moldova Noua or by the car trough the cross border points Kaluderovo – Naidas, Vatin – Moravita, Kladovo – Gura Vaii.

General presentation of Iron Gate Natural Park at Moldova Noua informing center

-The mirific world of Danube Gorges –documentary film

-Biodiversity of Iron Gate Natural Park –Power Point presentation

-Delivering to the tourist group of the printed promotional materials (leaflets, brochures)

Accommodation and diner

DUNAREA (DANUBE) CHALET

♠♠♠

Access: at the left from national road, at the enter in Moldova Noua city, coming from Pojejena.

 Tourism offer: 19 accommodation places, parking, bar, restaurant with terrace, traditional fish menu, Romanian and Serb folk sings.

BREZOVITA HUNTER CHALET

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Access: at the left from national road, just at the foot of Piatra Alba (White Stone) Hill, coming from Oravita.

Tourism offer: 14 accommodation places, parking, camping, restaurant, hunter menu,

SECOND DAY
Thematic path I (PT I)
In the forests of Radimna Valley 

8, 30 – 9, 30
      Breakfast at the accommodation places

10, 00 – 11, 30

Walking in Radimna village

Objectives: Serb orthodox church, presentation of the village history at Radimna School informing office,  Kumačanije (Kumachania)  - an old Serb custom in the Easter Second Day, Radimna village nedeea (Radimna Church holiday of May 22nd – 23rd and in the same time Radimna village holiday)

11, 00 – 14, 30

Tourism rout Valea Radimnei (Radimna Valley) – Brezovita – Culmea Naidasului (Naidas Pick) 

Objectives

-Walking on the forest road on the distance of 5 Km, having max.  slope of 32%, with the access at the left from national road, just at the foot of Piatra Alba (White Stone) Hill, coming from Oravita;

-forest of beech, acacia,  alder, wild lilac, Banat maple, Turkish hazel tree, lime, ash tree, fir tree,

-forest fruits as blackberry, wild strawberry, nut raspberry

-mountain peasant small farms (salash)

-belvedere point Culmea Naidasului (Naidas Pick)

14,30 – 16,30

Sheepfold lunch with menu including fresh milk, corn pudding (mamaliga), and   green cheese

16, 30 – 18, 00

Return from Radimna Valley by the wagon drawn by horses (cocheea).

20,00 

Diner and folk show at the accommodation places.

Romanian and Serb sing from Danube Gorges area.

THIRD DAY
Thematic path II (PT II)
Natural heritage Valea Mare (Big Valley)

8, 30 – 9, 30
Breakfast at the accommodation places 

10, 00 – 13, 00

Walking in Moldova Noua (New Moldova) city.

 Objectives: Old Catholic Church , West Danube Gorges museum , Moldova Veche (Old Moldova) harbor , Valea Varadului (Varad Valley) monastery, Moldova Nouă city  nedeea of May  21st ,  Moldova Veche village nedeea of Ester Days, Moldovita village nedeea of August 15^th  

13, 30 –14, 30 

Lunch at the accommodation places

15, 00 –18, 00  

Tourism rout Moldova Noua – Valea Mare (Big Valley) -  Moldovita village.

Objectives

- Travel by the cocheea on the rural road, on the distance of 6 Km having max. slope of 35%, with the access from Moldova Noua

- Presentation of Valea Mare complex natural heritage

-Identifying of the protected samples as big ivy, East beech, silver lime tree, Danube Gorges wild lilac, Turkish cherry tree, wild carnation

-Geologic forms as Gura Haiduceasca (Outlaws) Cavern, Avenul Rosu (Red Cavern);

-mountain peasant small farms (salash)

19, 00 – 20, 30 

Diner at the salash including Banat traditional menu from Almaj Mountain Range: gaigana (omelet including eggs, dray sausage, sheep cheese), corn bred; plum brandy (tzuica), apple juice, elder juice

20,30 – 22,00

Return travel from natural heritage Valea Mare by cocheea (as optionally the tourists can sleep at salashes in the hayricks)

FOURTH DAY
Thematic path III (PT III)
Sunset from Bazias

8, 30 – 9, 30   
Breakfast and departure from accommodation places

10, 00 – 14, 00

Tourism routs Moldova – Nouă – Pojejena – Belobresca – Divici - Bazias. 

Objectives

-Travel by the bicycle or microbus, on the national road, on the distance of 30 Km           -Presentation of the natural heritages Divici – Pojejena damp area,  Calinovat Isle damp area, Rapa cu Lăstuni - Valea Divici (Swallow’s precipice – Divici Valley)

-Identifying of rare species as red duck, small egret, big cormorant, nests and colonies of swallows

Walking in the villages from Danube bank area. 

Objectives

Ruins of Divici Dac fortress, Pojejena carnival (Fashanck) in February, Pojejena Matcalau – an old Romanian custom in February, Pojejena sheep’s holiday in May; Belobresca grape ball in September, Belobresca puppet holiday in August, Pojejena village nedeea in May, Belbresca village nedeea in June, Belobreşca ethnographic museum.

14, 30 – 16, 30

Accommodation and lunch

APUS DE SOARE (SUNSET) CHALET

♠♠

 Access: at the left from national road, at the enter in Bazias village, coming from Pojejena.

Tourism offer: 17 accommodation places, parking, camping, bar, restaurant with terrace, traditional fish menu, beech of lie in the sun on the Danube bank, ridings on the Danube by boat with oars or motorboat.

18, 00 – 20, 00

Rowing in the boat on the Danube at the sunset.

Objective: Riding on the Danube by the boat with oars before the sunset in the Bazias village area; immortalizing (filming, photographing) of the sunset as an emblematic image of West Danube Gorges.                                 

20, 30 

Diner at the accommodation place

FIFTH DAY

Thematic path III (PT III )
  At the junction of Danube with Nera

8, 30 – 9, 30  
Breakfast at the accommodation places

10, 00 – 13, 00

Baziaş – a village which survives thanks to nature potential and memories of his history.

 Objectives

-Walking on the paths of Bazias forest heritage (1 Km) including identification of rare protected species as fluffy lime tree, Turkey     oak tree, Banat peony;

-Bazias memories as Saint Sava monastery; ruins of rail station, ruins of old Bazias Hotel and ruins of the oldest Romanian rail way,

-Socol village nedeea and Campia village nedeea in August 2th, Bazias village nedeea, in August 19^th, Carnival (Fashanck) at Socol, Campia, Zlatita in February or Mart.                    

13, 30 –15, 00 

 Lunch in Socol village including Serb traditional menu.

Cheese pie, pumpkin pie, beam pudding, pancakes, fowl giblets stew, mulberry brandy.

16, 00 –19, 00

Mysterious world of natural heritage Balta Nera – Dunăre (Nera Pool – Danube). Objectives  

-Walking on the distance of 4 Km on the heritage tourism paths

-Presentation of heritage, identifying of the rare protected species as small egret, big cormorant, otter.

20, 00                  

Fish menu diner on the Danube bank, in the Bazias village area, accompanied by the tambourine murmur of Serb folk music.

SIXTH DAY
From Bazias toward to Berzasca

8, 30 – 9, 30 
Breakfast and departure from accommodation places

10, 00 – 14, 00
Tourism rout Bazias - Moldova – Nouă  – Coronini – Berzasca (Thematic path IV)

Objectives

-Travel by the bicycle or microbus, on the national road, on the distance of 45 Km   

-Gaura cu Muscă (Flays) Cavern, Chindia Cavern, Babacaia   Stone;

14, 30 – 16, 30

 Diner and accommodation

Walking in the villages from Danube bank area. 

Objectives

Ruins of Ladislau and Golubat fortresses, ruins of Sichevita Roman fortress, ruins of Drencova fortress, Coronini village nedeea in July 20^th , Coronini Fashanck in February, Sichevita village nedeea in June, Sichevita Fashanck and Mask Festival  in February, Gornea village museum, Berzasca ecological informing center of Iron Gate Natural Park, Berzasca  old orthodox church, Berzasca village nedeea of May 13^th  – 14^th, , Bigar folk festival of Danube Gorges minorities in August, wood mills on Liubcova river, Gornea ethnographic museum.

HUNTER CHALET

of Berzasca Forest District

♠♠

Access: at the right from national road, at the enter in Cozla village, coming from Berzasca.

Tourism offer: 21 accommodation places, parking, bar, restaurant with terrace, traditional hunter menu, ridings on the Danube by the boat with oars or motorboat.

IZABELA TOURISM PENSION

♠♠

Access: at the right from national road, at the exit from Berzasca village, toward to Moldova Noua.

Tourism offer: 25 accommodation places, parking, camping, bar, restaurant, traditional peasant menu, ridings on the Danube by the boat with oars.

15, 00 –18, 00

 Tourism routs Valea Berzasca (Berzasca Valey) -Thematic path V.

Objectives

 - Travel by the cocheea on the rural road, on the distance of 7 Km having max.  slope of 30%   

 - virgin forest including East beech, alder, Danube Gorges wild lilac, Turkish hazel tree, ash tree, fir tree,

- Forest fruits as blackberry, wild strawberry, nut raspberry

- Salashes

-belvedere point Cracul Boului (Ox Pick)

19, 00 – 20, 30 

Diner at the salash including an another Banat traditional menu from Almaj Mountain Range: mamaliga (corn pudding), sarmale (sauerkraut leafs filed with mince of smoked pork meat), tzuica, apple juice

20, 30 – 22, 00 

Return travel by cocheea from Valea Berzasca (as optionally the tourists can sleep at salashes in the hayricks)

SEVENTH DAY
Good by Danube Gorges

  8, 30 – 9, 30     Breakfast at the accommodation places

10, 30 – 11, 30 

Did you like in Danube Gorges area Interactive evaluation of the ecotourism program together with the tourist group at Berzasca ecological informing center 

12,00 – 13,30  

Lunch and departure from accommodation places

Departure connections from the area of Iron Gate Natural Park 

From Moldova Noua city till Resita, Timisoara or Orsova, the tourists can travel, beginning from 14, 00 o’clock, by the bus. In same time from Moldova Nouă till Orsova the tourists can travel by the steam.

From Moldova Nouă till Veliko Gradiste, the tourists from Serbia can travel by the ferry bout, beginning from 15, 00 o’clock.  

Price of ecotourism program

-          240 Euro – for full program including accommodation at the program locations

-          150 Euro – for full program, including accommodation in the own tent 

-          40 Euro/day  - for part program including accommodation at the program locations

-          25 Euro/day - for part program, including accommodation in the own tent