The Buzău River – Nehoiașu–Valea Lupului Rafting Route

The Buzău River, known in Antiquity by the Greek name Mousaios, is the most important watercourse of Buzău County. It rises in the Curvature Carpathians, below Ciucaș Peak, at around 1,800 m altitude, and flows into the Siret after a course of more than 300 km, crossing the counties of Brașov, Covasna, Buzău and Brăila. In its mountain sector the river is highly dynamic, especially during floods, and between Sita Buzăului and Nehoiu it carves a beautiful gorge between the Siriu Mountains to the west and the Podu Calului Mountains to the east. The river's best-known and most spectacular section, however, is the whitewater stretch between Nehoiașu and Valea Lupului. The route starts at the Nehoiașu hydroelectric plant, downstream of the Siriu dam, very close to the confluence of the Bâsca with the Buzău, and descends through Nehoiu, Chirlești and Mlăjet to the Valea Lupului area, near Pătârlagele, over a distance of about 12–13 km. Specialists consider it the best rafting and kayaking route in Romania, suitable both for beginners and for experienced paddlers. A great advantage of the Buzău is its relatively steady flow, ensured by the hydroelectric plant, which uses the waters of Lake Siriu almost daily — so rafting can be enjoyed throughout most of the season, from spring to late autumn. Along this section the riverbed narrows and the water builds into large, churning waves, with rocks rising from the water like markers to be steered around, alternating with calmer sectors where the remarkable scenery of the valley can be admired. The highlight is the rapid just before the Chirlești bridge — a cascade in several steps, nicknamed by the rafting and kayaking community the "Washing Machine". With its whirlpools, twisting waves and rocks, this rapid (graded WW III+) is the most technical and spectacular moment of the descent, generally reserved for the more experienced, offering a few good minutes of adrenaline hard to find on other rivers of comparable flow in the country. Thanks to these qualities, the Nehoiașu–Valea Lupului stretch has become, year after year, the host of numerous competitions, national championships and stages of the European Rafting Cup held at Nehoiu. It is worth visiting for an authentic whitewater experience, for the wild beauty of the Buzău valley and for the encounter with the "Washing Machine", one of the best-known challenges of Romanian rafting.