Latoriței Mountains – Voineasa – Chica Lupului Saddle – Ciunget
Route: easy, accessible even in winter
Trail marking: blue triangle
Duration: 1½ hours
For a short and relaxing walk where you can enjoy step by step the beauty of the Voineasa resort, this is the ideal route. We start from ZAN Hotel, head toward the bridge at the entrance to Voineasa, and then follow the road toward Brezoi for about 400 meters. We turn right onto the small road that climbs along Cărării Stream, and after passing the last house we continue on the forest road that climbs gently in switchbacks until reaching the path that enters the sparse beech and hornbeam forest. From here we will be guided by the blue triangle trail marking.
Soon we reach a clearing from which we can admire to the east Pleșa Peak (1,025 m), covered with a beautiful spruce forest dotted here and there with larch and birch trees. The trail climbs through the forest, passes several small springs, and crosses Cărării Stream, then leads us toward the meadows below Chica Lupului Saddle. After a short break at the spring near the barns in the meadow, we follow the path that winds through flower-filled grasslands until reaching the saddle at an altitude of 1,012 m.
From here a superb panorama opens up: to the north stretches the basin of Voineșița Valley, dominated by Sterpu Peak (2,142 m), while to the west we can see Buceci Saddle, Dobrunu Peak, Negovanu Peak, and Balindru Mare Peak, all part of the Lotru Mountains. To the west rises the sharp silhouette of Fratoșteanu Mare Peak (2,053 m), while to the south stands Vânăta Mountain, with its television relay station. Beyond it lies the deep Latoriței Valley, guarded by Târnovu Mare Peak (1,846 m).
After enjoying the panorama, we continue east along the ridge road for about 200 meters, then leave it and follow south the high-voltage power line descending toward the village of Ciungetu. The trail leads us into the area of the village gardens, where the houses can be seen below in the valley. We cross Lazului Stream and enter a small road that follows Rudǎreasa Valley, passing through the village from one end to the other.
We stop in Ciungetu to visit the beautiful wooden church, known for its paintings depicting the founders dressed in traditional folk costumes, before returning to ZAN Hotel.