Lacul Negru - Cheile Nărujei

Lacul Negru - Cheile Nărujei is a nationally protected area (IUCN Category IV) situated in the western extremity of Vrancea County, in the Munții Vrancei, on the north-western territory of the village of Vetrești-Herăstrău, Nistorești commune. Covering an area of 20 hectares, the reserve lies in the upper basin of the Năruja river, a tributary of the Zăbala, in the immediate vicinity of the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park. The reserve brings together several types of ecosystems: the gorges of the Năruja river (Cheile Nărujei I), with rocky walls and rupestral vegetation; Lacul Negru — a body of water with a characteristic dark colour produced by peat deposits in the basin — as well as peat bogs and mountain meadows. The ensemble shelters a wide variety of flora and fauna specific to the Subcarpații de Curbură mountain chain, including rare species of bog plants and mountain fauna. The reserve was established in 1990 and officially declared a protected area by Law no. 5 of 6 March 2000. It is accessed from the direction of Nistorești commune, in the western extremity of Vrancea County, approximately 80 km from Focșani.