The Buila-Vânturarița ridge: a 17 km circuit

A limestone ridge in the Căpățânii mountains, as a 17 km circuit from Cabana Cheia in ten hours. The crest is waymarked but not certified, and the exposed sections have no chains.

Alex

Alex

— 2 min read
The Buila-Vânturarița ridge: a 17 km circuit

The Buila-Vânturarița massif sits in the north of Vâlcea county and forms part of the Căpățânii mountains — a limestone ridge that most foreign visitors to Romania never hear about.

We walked it as a circuit from Cabana Cheia: about 17 km, and it took ten hours.

17 km · 10 hours · Hard, summer only · crest not certified

  • Circuit: About 17 km
  • Time: 10 hours
  • Route: Cabana Cheia – Curmătura Comarnice – Curmătura Oale – Vf. Vânturarița Mare – Șaua Ștevioara – Vf. Buila – Curmătura Builei – Poiana Fața Piscului – Cabana Cheia
  • Crest section: Hard, summer only
  • Access: Cabana Cheia by car, but you need at least 20 cm of ground clearance — the forest road is in poor shape
  • Gear: A climbing helmet is recommended for the ridge
The Buila-Vânturarița ridge
The Buila-Vânturarița ridge
⚠️
The ridge is waymarked but NOT certified. The signpost says as much: nobody guarantees your safety on it if you lack the experience. There are exposed sections where you climb and downclimb or cross narrow ledges, and they are NOT fitted with chains — you use the rock, roots and dwarf pine.

The stages, with times

  • Cabana Cheia to Curmătura Oale — red stripe then yellow dot, 2 hours, easy. The path climbs in switchbacks; it narrows and gets rougher just before the saddle.
  • Curmătura Oale to Vf. Vânturarița Mare — red stripe, 3–4 hours. This is the hard part.
  • Vânturarița Mare to Curmătura Builei via Șaua Ștevioara and Vf. Buila — red stripe, 1.5 hours.
  • Curmătura Builei back to Cabana Cheia — yellow dot then red triangle, 3–4 hours.
On the crest
On the crest

What the crest actually demands

If you have a fear of heights, unsuitable footwear or a heavy pack, the exposed sections will be a serious problem — especially on wet rock.

Loose stones get dislodged and hit people below, so either keep real distance between you or stay very close together. A climbing helmet is sensible. The waymarks can be lost in places, so pay attention.

Limestone on Buila
Limestone on Buila

When

Summer. The crest is explicitly summer-only, and the approach road is bad enough that you do not want it in poor weather either.

Part of our guide to hiking in Romania beyond Brașov and the Bucegi.

🇷🇴
Căutați în română? Acest traseu este descris pe larg, cu mai multe fotografii și track GPS, pe greuladeal.ro.
Looking for the Romanian version? This route is written up in full, with more photos and a GPS track, at greuladeal.ro.

Read more