Gârda De Sus: Caves, Gorges and Wooden Churches

Gârda De Sus offers nature and culture themes to help plan your trip: Apuseni Nature Park has a visitor center in the village, while caves, gorges and churches offer a range of different highlights. The seasonal way of life of the Moți can also be experienced at specific places and times of year.

Caves and Gorges

The Cheile Ordâncușei protected area covers 10 hectares and is located in Apuseni Nature Park. It was designated by Law No. 5 of March 6, 2000. A paved road runs through the gorge. Access to Poarta lui Ionele Cave begins in the center of Gârda De Sus via the DJ 750. As road conditions can change, check them before setting out.

Poarta lui Ionele is lit and equipped with walkways, metal stairs and railings. At the Cotețul Dobreștilor spring, the water outflow is easy to see; the cave entrance is 10 meters wide and 4 meters high. The flooded cave through which the water flows, however, can only be traversed by trained cavers with autonomous diving equipment.

In 1938, Ghețarul Scărișoara became the first cave in Romania to be declared a natural monument. It contains a permanent ice body with a volume of more than 100,000 cubic meters. Inside the cave are the Sala Mare and Sala Biserică chambers. As access conditions can change, check them before visiting.

Churches and Local Traditions

The wooden church “Naşterea Sf. Ioan Botezătorul” in Gârda De Sus dates from 1792 and was altered in 1863. Bisericuță Călineasa is also a wooden church; it stands on a mountain peak and can be reached by a paved road. It was consecrated in 2015 and is dedicated to Saint Elias. Services are held there only in summer, when the Moți are in the seasonal settlements of Poiana Călineasa.

Biserică Ocoale serves as a place to rest and pray for people climbing through Cheile Ordâncușei to Ghețarul Scărișoara Cave. For the church’s annual patronal feast, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Moți from Gârda De Sus and the surrounding areas gather for a service on August 6.

Poiana Călineasa and the Seasonal Cycle of Life

In Poiana Călineasa, the Moți move there with their animals and stay from May to September. The landscape includes coniferous forests, pastures, individual trees, seasonal settlements and free-grazing animals. Information about this place therefore covers both its landscape and its seasonal use.

The residents of Poiana Călineasa work with wood and make traditional preparations from milk and forest fruits. In Gârda De Sus, visitors can also learn the local craft of Ciubărărit. Alongside visits to natural sites and churches, local craft traditions are another distinct aspect of a trip here.

Discover more destinations: Pleși, Ponor, Mesentea, Blaj, Ohaba, Straja, Pleșcuța, Pianu De Jos

Go to the overview of the wider region: Alba.