The Carpathian Mountains and Transfagarasan Pass

My very own Hot wheels track   the Transfargarasan Pass

The Carpathian mountains are a large set of older mountains that run east /west through Romania. They are very beautiful and provide many of the same picturesque views as the Swiss Alps, without the above treeline component. Water and green foliage are plentiful.


And the Transfargarasan pass was built by Nicolei Ceausescu between 1970-74 after the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia in 68 to quell an uprising. It was a strategic military road, apparently kept hidden from Soviet knowledge. Over 40 soldiers died in its construction. Wikipedia has a very good piece on it. Elevation at the summit 2034 meters.


Our route took us thru Campulling from Rasnov and was very scenic (E574). Excellent route for motos with many on it.  We then chose to take route DN73C over to Curtes De Arges. It was a very bad choice. This 42 kms is nothing but potholes with vehicles dodging them by jumping into your lane, buses strewn about, what a mess. It took about 45 mins to travel the distance.

Countryside in the Carpathians near Rasnov

When we arrived in Curtes De Arges it was just after 1:00pm. And the sun was popping out in spots from the overcast skies. The route DN 7c to the north over the Transfagarasan looked promising.


We decided we’d ride it the Pass today and not chance a poor day tomorrow. About 20 kms north of town it began to sprinkle a bit and then stopped. The road in this part is also very bad, so you don’t want to do this part on a sport bike if you can help it.

VStrom on the Transfargarasan

First of many tunnels through mountains

As we headed north the pavement improved with sections of repaving. With each section there seemed to be a rain shower and then it would stop. There were a lot of southbound bikes on the pass at this time.


As we got closer to the summit it got a bit sunnier, but colder, we were nearing 2034 Mtres. The switchbacks were extreme, and the scenery spectacular. Waterfalls, alpine vistas, tunnels, rock, viewpoints, and sheep by the hundreds. You definitely want to take this road for the experience.


As we neared the summit I could see that the road entered a tunnel. And then the GPS indicated a straight road for awhile then many switchbacks. What we found was the road did enter a tunnel that went clear through the mountain (straight)  to the other side. When we came out we were faced with fog so thick it was hard to tell if the road went left or right. About 2 switchbacks down (about 200 meters descent) the fog lessened to the point I could take a picture of the remaining ones. This is one spectacular area and I now I understand why it is rated the #1 motorcycle road to travel in the world by a British publication. You will not see anything as spectacular as this.

Sheep near the summit

Looking Back down south

The Big Tunnel ahead

The rest of the ride to Sibui was pleasant with our favorite hotel in our radar. The IBIS. It did not disappoint either, with the staff wanting to move the bike into their private yard for protection. We are staying here awhile. It is gorgeous. Both the town and the hotel.