Șipote Waterfall

Șipote Waterfall, also known as the Șipote Travertine Waterfall, is a complex karst phenomenon in the Trascău Mountains, in the Arieș Valley, about 2 km downstream of the village of Sălciua de Jos (Sălciua commune), Alba County. In the local dialect, "șipot" means a spring gushing from the rock. The phenomenon begins on the Bedeleu Plateau, at 1,100-1,200 m, where a catchment area full of sinkholes and swallow holes absorbs rain and snowmelt. The water crosses the thick limestone and emerges 400 m lower, through 3 karst springs below the rock face. From there a stream runs steeply for 800 m, from 700 m down to 430 m, forming a series of waterfalls up to 15 m high, rimstone pools and natural travertine dams, that is, limestone deposits. The last stretch of waterfalls flows into the Arieș and can be seen from the DN75 road (Turda-Câmpeni), where it crosses the narrow-gauge railway line, and where there is a car park. From Sălciua de Jos, a 2 km road towards Huda lui Papară leads to Valea Morilor, from where the path marked with a red cross climbs in about an hour to the Șipote clearing, at the springs below the Bedeleu cliff.