Gura Râului Nature Reserve

The Gura Râului Nature Reserve is located in Sibiu County, near the village of the same name, at the foot of the Cindrel Mountains, part of the Southern Carpathians. The protected area includes the Gura Râului reservoir lake, built between 1973 and 1980 on the Cibin River, with a capacity of about 15.5 million cubic meters and a surface area of roughly 65-68 hectares. The dam, 73.5 meters tall, is Romania's second-tallest buttress dam, after the one at Poiana Uzului (80 m), and supplies drinking water to the city of Sibiu, as well as the communes of Gura Râului, Cristian, Șura Mare, Ocna Sibiului, and Șelimbăr. The reserve holds significant biological value, home to plant and animal species typical of mountain and subalpine areas, including amphibians, reptiles, and waterfowl that use the lake for feeding and breeding. The surrounding conifer and beech forests provide habitat for deer, roe deer, wild boar, and wolves. The area's altitude ranges from about 550 to 800 meters around the lake, with the surrounding slopes rising toward the Cindrel ridges, which reach over 2,000 meters. It is reached from the city of Sibiu via county road DJ106A, about 17-20 kilometers to the southwest, passable year-round. The reserve is worth visiting for the rare combination of large-scale hydrological infrastructure and well-preserved natural habitats, offering the chance to observe aquatic and terrestrial wildlife in an accessible mountain setting.