Day Trip to St. Anna Lake and Bears Watching - Shared

Discover the Volcanic Lake Saint Anna, the Mohos Peat Bog and watch Wild Bears from a safe hide, in a very nice guided program from Brasov.

Itinerary

You’ll be picked up by the guide from any hotel in Brasov and head to Tusnad area, to Saint Anna Lake. you’ll stop to the lake parking.

In May – October you can visit also Mohos Peat Bog, a very interesting nature reserve.

Lake Saint Anna is one of the most magnificent natural treasure of Romania, the only volcano lake in Central and Eastern Europe, formed in the bottom of Ciomatu Massif southern crater. Near the lake, in the northern crater, the Mohos peat bog is, where rare Ice Age relic plants are located. Both sights are part of the Mohos Nature Reserve. The area of the craters is protected, being included in the Natura 2000 network.

he flora and fauna of the Lake are rather poor, which is due to the reduced mineral content. But the grass snake, warty newt, ranatra linearis and some species of inferior Crustaceans found the perfect habitat in the sludgy reed of the lakeshore. The brown bullhead is not native of this region, but it is the result of artificial breeding. The surroundings are famous for the quite frequent visits of the bears from the surrounding woods. The bears got used to tourists, so, they are brave and come close to the campings or even people. This is why late night walks are not recommended.

The nutrient-poor soil is strongly acidic (PH 3,8-4,1). This is all due to the four Pleistocene eruptions, which resulted in the formation of Tundra flora. These flora relicts can be depicted even in the present times.

Due to the existence of several particular flora species, the peat bogs was declared a flora reserve and a natural monument. On the carpet of moss (Sphagnum) there are several relict plant species such as the small bur-reed (Sparganium minimum), Reed Bent-Grass (Calamagrostis neglecta), moor grass (Eriophorum gracile), species of the insectivorous plant commonly known as the “Sundews” (Drosera obovata, Drosera rotundifolia), bushes of bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), of blueberries (Vaccinium axycoccos). The vegetation is completed with downy birch species (Betula pubescens) and dwarf birch (Betula nana), dwarf pine (Pinus silvestris), their heights being generally inversely proportional to the layer of peat on which they strive to maintain balance.

It can only be visited with a guide and only on marked trails and bridges made of wood. It can be dangerous to step out of the trails. There is a tricky soil that, in some places, can be very soft and can act like quicksand.

The Mohos Swamp is famous for its ice-age relict plants. Moreover, specialists have proved that the area is interesting not only from a botanic, but also from a zoological point of view, being the habitat of a number of rare arthropods.

The Bears Hide

It is the best option in the area, a professional hide where you’ll watch the bears through one-direction glass (the animals can not see you so the stress over bears is minimum). In winter, warm clothes are required.