Women’s Cave, Baia de Fier, Gorj

A cave dear to me

Location

Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave) or Muierii Cave can be found at the foot of the Parâng Massif, in the village of Baia de Fier, Gorj county. It is located 50 km by road from Targu Jiu which can be traveled in 1 hour via DN67, 30 km by road from Horezu (VL) which can be traveled in 45 minutes via DN67 and 250 km away from Bucharest, which can be traveled in 4 hours via E81. There are many signs that lead you to the cave. The cave can only be visited against a visitation fee accompanied by one of the cave guides. Visiting hours: daily 9 – 18 from May to September and 9 – 16 the rest.

About Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave)

From a panel in 6 languages, we can document ourselves about the cave we are about to visit. Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave) is made up of a labyrinth of galleries, strung on 4 levels and totaling 8 km. The cave is known due to the discoveries from the Neolithic era and the fossils of the cave bear, a species that lived 40,000 years ago. The visitable route, marked on the map between points 2 and 3, is 573 m long. The cave takes about 30 minutes.

The attraction of the cave

The Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave) is a cave located “by the road”, therefore accessible by car until close to the entrance and exit. It is a cave that can only be visited with a cave guide. It enters on one side and exits on the other. Apart from the spectacular cave formations, here you will find a reconstructed skeleton of a cave bear.

Route Map

(click on objectives for extended version)

Technical Box

Difficulty: easy, but with several portions of crouching

Duration / distance: 30 minutes / 1 km

Marking: unmarked, can only be visited with a guide

Water sources: there are none

Minimum altitude: 580 meters above sea level, upon arrival

Maximum altitude: 730 meters above sea level, in the cave

Difference in level: +130 m / -150 m

Remarks: accessible all year round

1. Valley of the Yellow River (râul Galbenul) – the entrance to the cave

This is what the landscape looks like on the left bank of the Galbenul river near the parking lot at the entrance to the cave, which is on the right bank of the Galbenul river (râul Galbenul). In the parking lot we are greeted with “welcome”. First, you go up for 10 minutes, on a 300-meter long path, to the entrance of the cave, where you can also find the ticket office. You can also buy magnets at the ticket office. Entrances are at a fixed time from hour to hour. From the short ascending path to the entrance, halfway up, there is a marked trail to the right, which leads to the Ranca Resort, in the Parang Mountains. I’ve reached point 2 on the map.

Your welcome!

left bank of the Yellow River

2. Hall of Electricians and Hall of Altar

We enter through the northern entrance and we will strictly follow the arranged route, at first a leisurely one through Sala Electricienilor (Hall of Electricians). We pass by the small pools (bazinele mici), which we found almost dry, and then by the organ. The Hall of the Altar (Sala Altarului) or La Altar is a passage. More and more interesting calcareous formations appear.

Hall of Electricians

Small pools

organ

Hall of the Altar

column

stalagmites

3. Tourist Gallery

A longer stop follows in the Tourist Gallery (Galeria Turistica). Here the guide has the first broader presentation, and … the last. The cave presents many specific formations such as stalactites (those that start from the ceiling), stalagmites (formed from the bottom up) and columns (resulting from the union of stalactites and stalagmites). Discoveries are displayed in the showcases that attest to the existence of Neolithic life in these area. In continuation of the showcases and exhibition tables, a reconstructed skeleton of a medium-sized cave bear is exposed. On the last visit, the guide treated us “fast forward” and I say this because I visited the cave several times and found another guide, who gave a more extensive presentation, with stops and explanations in each room. He also slipped a lot of jokes into his presentation. Practically at this point, he toured us all that we would have to see during the visit of the cave until the exit. In a cave it is fun to look and find interesting formations, then according to your own imagination you can compare them to animals, objects, etc.

traces of life

Discoveries from the Paleolithic era

Skeleton of Ursus Spelaeus

fortress

lamps

4. The Turk’s Hall and the Guano Hall

We pass by the Petrified Waterfall (Cascada impietrita) and then reach a large hall – Sala Turcului (Hall of the Turk) – where there are several “attractions”. In the Hall of the Turk we meet the Great Dome, the Turk or Santa Claus. I also noticed others… Up until here there were several sections where we bent down to sneak into the lower areas of the cave opening, but from now on we really have to crouch well in some passages and be careful not to bump into each other to the head or back. Isn’t that cool? A larger room on the tourist trail is the Guano Room. Guano is the droppings of bats. Three species of bats live in the cave, which are insectivorous animals, hunting outside the cave at night.

The Great Dome

The Petrified Waterfall

jellyfish

Santa Claus

Turk

head down!

glove

horse head

The Guano Room

5. The Hall of Vaults (Sala Bolților) and the etymology of the name of the cave

The Hall of Vaults (Sala Boltilor) presents some limestone vaults from mother nature. The entire arranged route takes place on a cemented path bordered by two cables. Before the exit (which years ago was the entrance) I took a selfie, so I stopped by here at … the women. Here is the “”south entrance”‘. In this room at the exit, women, children and the elderly took shelter during enemy invasions. This is where the name of the cave comes from – Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave).

Hall of Electricians

Small pools

6. The exit from the cave – the valley of the Yellow river (râul Galbenul)

We leave the cave. We are at point 3 on the map. We follow the well-defined path that descends into a clearing, where cars park “at the exit”, where there are several kiosks. We are at the edge of the Yellow Valley (Valea Galbenului).

exit from the cave

the glade in the valley

Personal assessment

I really like Muierilor Cave (Women’s Cave), because it is a cave rich in formations and because of the stories related to the discoveries in the area and the reconstructed skeleton of a cave bear. If you find a good-natured and funny guide, you will leave the Muierilor Cave super enchanted. Visit the Muierilor Cave, bring the children here to learn applied geography and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature! Also visit the city of Târgu Jiu! All the best!

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