Țuțuiatu Peak

Țuțuiatu Peak, also called Greci Peak, is 467 m high and is the highest point of the Măcin Mountains and of all Dobruja. It stands on the western edge of the range, directly above the village of Greci, seat of Greci commune in north-western Tulcea County, inside Măcin Mountains National Park. The Măcin Mountains are the oldest geological formation in Romania, a remnant of the Hercynian and Cimmerian folding. Țuțuiatu belongs to the largest granite body in the Măcin Mountains, formed about 295 million years ago. Around Greci the granite has been worked in quarries, and the "Tales of Măcin" thematic trail shows the contrast between natural areas and those where stone was extracted. The Țuțuiatu trail, waymarked with a blue triangle and 19 km long, climbs to the summit: Greci village centre, Morsu Valley, Țuțuiatu Peak, Piscul Înalt Valley, Seacă Valley, Fagilor Valley and the Cetățuia information point. Camping places are in Seacă Valley and in Fagilor Valley, by the DJ222A road. From the summit you can see the Pricopan Ridge and the peaks of the main crest, the towns of Galați, Măcin and Brăila, the Greci Depression, Iacob Deal Peak, the Chervant-Priopcea reserve and the arms of the Danube. Along the trail grow golden alyssum (Alyssum saxatile), the Dobrujan peony (Paeonia peregrina) and the dwarf pink (Dianthus nardiformis); the fauna includes the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera), the green lizard, the four-lined snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata), Romania's largest snake, the wildcat and roe deer, as well as insects protected in Europe: the Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina), Morimus funereus and the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo). The summit is a good spot for watching birds of prey: the saker falcon (Falco cherrug), the long-legged buzzard and the short-toed snake eagle. The nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes montandoni) also lives in the park. An entrance fee is charged for the park's trails; tickets can also be bought from the machines at Greci and Cetățuia. The peak lies in Măcin Mountains National Park (declared by Order 68/1998, delimited by Government Decision 230/2003, about 11,150 ha), managed by the Măcin Mountains National Park Administration. The area is also part of the Natura 2000 sites ROSCI0123 Munții Măcinului and ROSPA0073 Măcin-Niculițel. Did you know that the Măcin Mountains lie on the Via Pontica migration route and are, according to the park administration, the only documented place in Romania where more than 30,000 soaring birds pass on migration every year, over 10,000 of them birds of prey and the rest white storks? Twenty-nine species of raptors have been seen on migration here, more than anywhere else in Europe, and Țuțuiatu Peak is, according to the park administration, a very good spot for watching birds of prey.