- The Ceahlau Massif is one of the most notorious mountain ranges of Romania, often called "The Romanian Olympus", due to the many legends about these mountains. It is located in in Neamt County, in the Moldavia region. The two most important peaks are Toaca (1907 m altitude) and Ocolasul Mare (1904 m altitude). It is limited in the east by the river Bistrita and Lake Bicaz, in the south by the Bicaz River. The Ceahlau National Park shelters a large variety of flora and fauna; some of the species are endemic or rarely seen elsewhere in Romania. The Ceahlau forms a clearly outlined geographical unit, and although of moderate height,when the sky is clear it can be seen from great distance. Its form, of huge castle eroded by winds, rains and waters, attracts with an irresistible force. It is made up of pyramids and towers (Detunatele, Turnul Sihastrului), gorges and waterfalls (Duruitoarea, Stanile, Bistra Mare). Each rock on the top, interestingly shaped by nature, has its own dramatic legend. Several climber routes were opened towards these “extraordinary accidents of geology". There are also many accessible paths. Prince Dimitrie Cantemir of Moldova, a scholar of European repute, said about Ceahlau in his "Descriptio Moldaviae", "had the antique historians known of the legends of Ceahlau, it would have been more famous than the Olympus".
Durau resort is situated in a sunny glade at the foot of Ceahlau Mountains at an elevation of 780-800 m. The climate is mild sub-alpine, stimulating, with fresh air rich in ozone. In winter, snow is abundant, in December–April the layer of snow is 50 cm thick. There are many facilities for winter sports. In the spa it was opened an Ayurvedic health center.

- Masivul Ceahlău este cel mai înalt din Munţii Bistriţei din grupa Carpaţilor Moldo-Transilvani, fiind totodată şi unul din munţii cu cea mai mare importanţă turistică din Carpaţii Orientali.
Masivul Ceahlău este situat pe teritoriul judeţului Neamţ, la mică distanţă de oraşul Bicaz şi de lacul Izvorul Muntelui.
Vârful său cel mai înalt este considerat vârful Ocolaşul Mare, cu 1907 m, vârful Toaca măsurând numai 1900 m.
Muntele Ceahlău era considerat, de către daci, ca fiind sălaş al zeului Zamolxis. Numele străbun pentru Masivul Ceahlău este Pion, sau Peon, cuvânt care provine din limba greaca si care, în traducere, ar însemna "casa stâlpului". Astăzi, Masivul Ceahlău este considerat drept al doilea munte sfânt al creştinătăţii ortodoxe, după Muntele Athos. Poate şi din aceste motive numele său este des întâlnit în literatura română, printre cele mai remarcabile pagini ce i-au fost dedicate fiind cele scrise de Calistrat Hogaş, Alexandru Vlahuţă şi Mihail Sadoveanu

The road to Ceahlau (from Piatra Neamt), Bicaz dam - Drumul spre Ceahlau (dinspre Piatra Neamt), Barajul Bicaz
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Cotiso,

Thank you for sharing all your great pictures :), which I found after searching the net for information on the Ceahlau Massif.

This summer I had the privilege to visit Romania together with my girlfriend. She used to live close to Lake Bicaz, and part of her family still lives there. Since we traveled to Piatra Neamt a few times, I got the chance to see the Ceahlau Massif in distant, from the east side of the road going around Lake Bicaz, on a really bright and sunny day. I really liked the landscape in the region of where we stayed during our vacation, but the view of Ceahlau Massif in a bright and sunny day really hooked me! We also visited Durau one day - mostly to visit the monastery - but also to get close to the foot of the
Ceahlau Massif.

We have now decided to get up to the top next summer, when we visit her family again!

So, I have some questions I would like to ask you, so I hope you're still here to read and answer them! :) Neither of us have previously done something like this...

1: What was your starting point, i.e. what village did you start from?
2: At what time during the day did you start, and how long time did it take up to where you went?
3: Estimated time to get down?
4: How far up did you go, and what route did you take? As fas as I understand, there are a few places to start from, and some routes to chose from.
5: Can you recommend me any books, information, or links, so I can get any more information on the routes to the top?
6: How was you packing? What did you bring with you? Much water?
7: What about your gear, what did you bring with you?


Thanks in advance!
Regards,
//M-berg

Try this also http://www.visitneamt.com/category/the-national-park-ceahlau/

Great link Nebunul - I must have missed that one!

Thanx!

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^^ Nice photos, but, in the future, please try to post fewer per post, else the pages get really long and take a lot to download. Thanks.