STAFF / EUROPE / Water

Bridal Veil Waterfall, Mărgău, Transylvania

By staff writer Estrella Azul. Photos Copyright © Estrella Azul.

LEGEND HAS IT a bride once fell off the steep cliff, with her veil left hanging from the rocks. Her wedding guests stopped in their tracks and started crying, forming a waterfall with their tears.

This is the Răchiţele Falls, commonly known as Bridal Veil Waterfall. Located near the village of Răchiţele in Mărgău, Transylvania, it is said to be one of the most beautiful smaller waterfalls of Romania.

My friends and I decided to go for a short road trip there in July. We started out from Cluj-Napoca and reached the waterfall in about two hours, on the E60.

Signs at Bridal Veil Waterfall, Transylvania

Signs near the waterfall. We started from the purple X I added there,
and arrived to “You are here” – I love these signs, don’t you?

The weather was gorgeous and, despite having to wake up at 7 a.m. to pack, meet our friends and avoid traffic and the heat wave the weather channel warned us of, the whole experience was well worth it. (I was also excited because it was my new travelogue’s very first trip.)

Bridal Veil Waterfall, Transylvania

Bridal Veil Waterfall

Bridal Veil Waterfall is located in a beautiful mountainous area in Apuseni. You can access it from Răchiţele either by foot or by car/bike on a dirt road. The roughly 7 km scenic forest road is well marked for tourists. On this road there are several mountain meadows where you can stop, have a picnic and enjoy the scenery. Hostels and cabins can be rented in the village and along the route leading up to the waterfall.

Bridal Veil Waterfall flora and fauna

Near the cabins, hiking trails, flora and some fauna which startled me
when it jumped by my legs (lower left corner)

Situated at an altitude of 1,000 meters in the mountains, the waterfall consists of two steps. Looking from the bottom up, the first step is the most spectacular; the second forms a water tank above the first one. This is what ensures the scattering of water, just like a veil. Together the two steps account for a drop of 30 meters.

Forest roads pass near the falls and some go over it. You can hike higher up to take pictures from different/better angles and, if one hikes all the way up, you can admire the waterfall from the top down (although carefully, as there have been fatalities recorded).

Bridal Veil Waterfall collage

Like I said before, the waterfall isn’t massive, yet it offers a wonderful sight.
And it does resemble a bride’s veil.

The mountain rescue teams have an organized area you can hike up to and give ziplining (the flying fox sport) a try, and on specific ridges you can practice mountain climbing.

Flying fox above Bridal Veil Waterfall, Transylvania

Boy, did I stand around waiting with my camera ready for a
long long time before capturing this flying fox :~)

Unfortunately it started raining while we had our picnic lunch, so we headed home early.

When I read up about the place at home that evening, I realized the waterfall must offer a breath-taking view even during winter, when it freezes to an ice wall. I’m sure this is an excellent place for those passionate about ice sports, as a round of the national ice-climbing championship is held here each winter.

I’d like to go back during winter to see the waterfall all icy, and this year it will be easier to plan a trip there than it would be to travel back to Lillafüred Waterfall.

I’ll leave you with a message I read on one of the “Tips for hiking” signs I saw near the waterfall:

If you are in the mountains leave nothing but your footsteps behind, take nothing but pictures with you, kill nothing but your time.

———

Estrella in the Greek Amphitheatre ruins,
Taormina, Sicily


Estrella Azul is a young emerging writer, passionate about reading, floral art and photography, with an artistic personality and a soulful outlook on life. She is a Hungarian girl living and writing from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the capital of historical region Transylvania. Estrella is our European correspondent, and she dreams of embarking on a round-the-world trip. To read more of her creative writing, her thoughts and daily happenings, visit Life’s a stage – WebBlog©.

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13 Comments

  1. Hi, Estrella.
    I loved all the pictures with all that green. I so miss the green areas of any country. I really liked the photo with the purple flower in focus and the waterfall in the background.

    It sounds like it would be an amazing place during the winter so it looks like you’ll have to go back and take more pictures to share. Can’t wait to see them since I also miss the ice and snow.

    Sigh. All we get is sun and more of it.

    • Sun and more of it is what we got all summer long, and it wasn’t pretty with the drought…
      This place was indeed just wonderful, and I, myself, can’t wait to see it during winter as well!

      PS: that’s my favorite photo as well, that flower was just so pretty!

  2. Hi Estrella,
    This place looks so green and peaceful. I don’t know if I would visit it in the winter though.
    I’ll leave that up to you and I will enjoy the fun story on it and all the great pictures you took. Just like this one!

    Thank you.

    • Well I’m not climbing up ice, but will see if it’s as interesting as it sounds during winter as well. The frozen waterfall must be something amazing to photograph!

  3. Pingback: Let’s have tea over at Milliver’s Travels | Life's a stage – WebBlog

  4. Hey Estrella! What a beautiful place! And I LOVE the legend of the bridal veil. Your writing here is just lovely…..it goes perfectly with the photos ! Thanks for sharing this unique and wonderful place.

  5. This looks like a beautiful place to visit. I would love to try the zip line!

  6. That story of the origin of the name to that place is just so cool. I’d love to pay Bridal Veil Waterfall a visit someday.

    • Yes, I really like legends like this one, and how the name fits the views/shapes of things here in Romania (and other parts of the world as well, I’m sure!) 🙂
      If you do get to visit, let me know, Reese!

  7. Judith Shaw says:

    Another peek at Romania, and another site to visit.

    Thank you, Estrella!

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