Overview
Lolaia Fall
Cabana Genţiana ("Gentian Hut") is the highest and centermost located mountain hut in the
Retezat Mountains.
Open: The hut is open 24 hours a day, around the year.
Lodging: The hut has two dormitories. The one at the basement has bunk beds for 18 persons, the other one in the attic offers accommodation on mattresses for an additional 22 people. 2014 prices: 30 RON in the basement, 25 RON in the attick (per person, per night). Pre-scheduling with the managers is recommended, especially in the summer season (although they do not speak any other language than Romanian, some guests may be around to help in translating).
Catering: The hut has a very limited offer: chocolate, beer, some soft drinks and tea. If you plan to stay here longer, bring your own food and stove.
Water: Drinking water is available, although it comes from the nearby stream, so the effects depend on the sensitivity of your digestive system and the actual state of the creek. I had no problems so far.
Location: The hut is situated in the popular
Pietrele valley, just by the main trail that traverses the
Retezat Mountains from north to south. With dayhikes you can reach the peaks of
Peleaga,
Papusa,
Bucura,
Retezat and
Judele as well as several of the breathtaking tarns that Retezat is famous of.
Access: The hut can only be approached on foot. The easiest access is from the north. The asphalt road reaches until
Nucşoara village (more exactly, a little bit beyond it), from there you can continue driving on a gravel road to a place called
Cârnic (tourist hut and a few pensions). The rest of the route is a 2-3 hour long hike on signed trails (blue stripe and blue triangle), along which you will have the chance to see the picturesque
Lolaia fall as well.
Facilities: This is a basic chalet, so the toilet (latrine) is located outside the hut, and bathing can only be solved in the nearby (cold) stream.
Contact
Owner: Montan Club Floarea Reginei Valea Jiului
Phone: +40-733-963292 (cell phone, permanently in the hut)
External Links
You can read a detailed review about this hut in
English, in
Polish and in
Hungarian.
Discover more mountain huts from Europe on
mountainhuts.info