Of the dozens of caves found in Buila-Vanturarita National Park, the smallest national park in Romania, Pestera Ursilor (Bears' Cave) is regarded as one of the most beautiful and accessible, yet little explored, which is why the park administrators plan to revitalise the area this summer and promote it more effectively.

Bears' Cave is located on one of the most spectacular and picturesque tourist routes in the commune of Costesti, a few hundred metres from the much better-known Bat Cave or Saint Gregory Decapolite Cave near Bistrita Monastery, which is also a natural reserve with rich cave fauna.

The route starts in the village of Bistrita, in the immediate vicinity of the monastic settlement founded at the end of the 15th century by the Craiovesti boyars, follows the fast-flowing Bistrita River through the gorges it carved between the limestone walls of Mount Arnota and then continues through the Costesti Gorges to the village of Pietreni.

'Part of this route is also included in a thematic trail - The Gates of Buila-Vanturarita National Park: Nature and Spirituality, as we called it - a trail that starts in the Bistrita Gorges and ends in the Costesti Gorges, on the other valley. Tourists can enjoy nature, but also anthropic tourist attractions. The starting point is near Bistrita Monastery, a few kilometres from Arnota Monastery, while in Pietreni, the village where the ecotourism trail ends, visitors can see the 44 Springs Hermitage. As for natural attractions, in spring we can see snowdrops - there is even a snowdrop meadow in the Priboi area - maiden pinks and, if we are lucky, even large animals such as the chamois,' explained Magdalena Popescu, biologist with the Buila-Vanturarita National Park Administration and our guide for the day.

Bears' Cave can be reached after about one kilometre from the entrance to the Bistrita Gorges. Carved by water into the rocky wall, the cave does not feature spectacular mineral formations, but offers other remarkable attractions for speleologists and tourists, the size of the entrance portal being particularly impressive, according to representatives of the national park.

'What is impressive about Bears' Cave is the entrance, which is very high, measuring 35 metres. The gallery is not very large, only about 400 metres can be easily explored before it narrows. It was carved by the Bistrita River and has no stalactites or stalagmites, while bat colonies are quite rare. There are only a few scattered specimens sheltering here during summer. What are tourists looking for? I think first of all the novelty. Usually they do not come here with a guide, they come on their own. Few request accompaniment and they find it quite an unusual experience to explore a cave. There are also many microorganisms that can be studied. The cave fauna is very interesting and little researched and I imagine the cave's microclimate is also of interest,' added the biologist from the Valcea park.

Access to the cave is via a path climbing around 50 metres above river level and is currently quite difficult for visitors not equipped at least with hiking boots, as the wooden handrail has broken and there is a risk of slipping.

Park administrators say they plan to refurbish the area this summer in order to increase visitor numbers to this important tourist attraction.

'The path was arranged several years ago and requires repair works. This summer we intend to repair the steps and the handrail on the path through a partnership between the park administration and the Kogayon Association. It is a frequently visited attraction in the area and people regularly climb up to this cave. Several hundred tourists reach this area during summer and one of the reasons why we preferred to direct tourist traffic to this cave was that Bat Cave hosts many bat colonies and we want to give them some peace so their numbers can recover,' Magdalena Popescu also said.

Historical artefacts dating from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages have also been discovered inside the cave, together with fossils of prehistoric bears (Ursus spelaeus), from which its name most likely derives.

Buila-Vanturarita National Park was established in 2004, covers an area of 4,186 hectares and is located in the southern Capatanii Mountains within the administrative boundaries of Baile Olanesti, Barbatesti and Costesti.

Tourists have access to several tourist and thematic routes, as well as numerous climbing areas in the gorges carved over time into the mountains by the rivers Bistrita, Costesti, Cheia and Olanesti, with the Bistrita Gorges standing out as the narrowest limestone canyon in the country.

There are also around 100 caves in Buila-Vanturarita National Park, ten of which are protected areas under Law 5/2000, as well as numerous natural reserves, including the Trovants Museum in Costesti commune and the Mosoroasa Marsh in the resort of Baile Olanesti. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Ramona Dinca; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)