Cheile Carașului, Nature reserve in Anina Mountains, Romania.
Cheile Carașului is a nature reserve featuring limestone walls carved by the Caraș River over thousands of years, with vertical cliffs rising sharply above the valley floor. The winding river canyon contains diverse rock formations at different heights, creating a complex landscape with multiple layers and passages.
This location holds remains of an ancient fortress called Gratul Carașului, built at high elevation to watch over mountain passes in the region. The structure reveals how this strategic location has been recognized since antiquity as an important control point for routes through the mountains.
The villages bordering this place show how local communities have adapted to living alongside dramatic limestone cliffs, with traditional farming and herding practices shaping the land use in surrounding settlements. People from Carașova village continue to work the nearby areas, keeping longtime connections to the land visible in their daily routines.
You can reach this place following a marked hiking trail with blue blazes that starts near a metal bridge in Carașova and runs along the Caraș River. Sturdy footwear is essential as the path crosses rocky terrain, and it helps to check weather conditions before visiting since wet rocks can be slippery.
The reserve contains numerous caves at different elevations, including Pestera Liliecilor, which shelters substantial bat colonies living in passages that require careful navigation. These underground chambers reveal an entire hidden world beneath the surface that few visitors fully explore.
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