Moldova Holiday

HIKING ROUTE 3. CODRI OF ORHEI: DONICI – CURCHI – VATICI
This is a circular hiking route in the North of Moldova, from village Donici through the ancient ‘Codri’
forest of Orhei, monastery Curchi and the village of Vatici. With an optional visit to a fascinating unfinished soviet era military site.
Distance from Chisinau (capital of Moldova): (capital of Moldova): 43 km to the start point. Transportation time:1 hour, one way.
Difficulty: Medium. Walking through forest, over hills, with visits to villages. (For your convenience the map in the forested area is marked with
“terrain” sections).
Distance:
Option A = 20 km; option B = 30 km
Pension museum in v. Vatici
Estimated total time for the route:
8 hours for option “A”/ 10 hours for
option “B”, including hiking, lunch,
sightseeing, a visit to the monastery
and museums, photography.
Monastery Curchi
Refreshments and water supply:
There are no cafés or restaurants near
the path except at Vatici. Possible
places to buy refreshment would be
small private shops (’alimentara’) in the
villages. At the museum near your start
point and in the monastery at Curchi
there are fresh water springs with good
quality drinking water. It is possible to
take water from village wells though
this should ideally be boiled before
drinking. We recommend taking a
packed lunch and plenty of water (at
least 2 litres per person in the summer
months). There are lots of suitable
picnic areas along the route, particularly along the forest paths.
ed
nish
Unfi ary site
t
mili
Wild pigs farm
Starting point
v. Donici
2000ft
500m
Amenities:
Toilet facilities are only available at museums and at the monastery. For toilet stops in natural areas please move a distance from the path and 60 m
from any water sources, streams, lakes etc. Ensure that all solid human waste and toilet tissue is buried in a ‘cat hole’ to a minimum depth of 15cm,
disguise the hole.
‘Leave No Trace’ guidelines for outdoor activity.
• Visit in small groups when possible, consider splitting larger groups.
• Repackage food to minimize waste. Pack it in and pack it out. Inspect your rest areas for trash or spilled food. Take away all trash and left over food.
• Where fires are permitted use established fire rings, fire pans or mound fires. Keep your fires small, only use sticks from the ground that can be
broken by hand. Ensure that your fire is completely extinguished before you leave. Ideally avoid fires by using a lightweight stove for cooking.
• Keep to existing trails, even when wet or muddy. Walk in single file, in the middle of the trail.
• Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch cultural or historic structures or artifacts.
• Leave Plants, rocks and other natural objects as you find them.
• Observe wild life from a distance, do not follow or approach them. Do not feed wildlife, this damages their health and alters natural behaviors.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience. Be courteous, yield to others on the trail. Let natures sounds prevail, avoid loud
voices and noise.
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Competitiveness Enhancement and
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Routes prepared with the assistance of Explore Moldova
www.explore-moldova.com
Directions:
The hike starts in Donici village (formerly Bezeni), which is located in a picturesque part of the ‘Codru’ forest.
Donici was the birthplace of the famous Moldovan writer Alexandru Donici (1806 - 1865). Since 1976 there has been a museum at the family estate
in Donici, with exhibits related to the writers’ life.
In the museum grounds there is a small park and nearby, the Donici’s family church. In his youth Alexandru Donici followed a military career after
graduating from a respected Lyceum in St. Petersburg (Russia). After returning to Moldova he worked in Chisinau as a lawyer and began writing. He
also translated works by Dmitrie Cantemir and Alexandr Pushkin.
Near the museum there is a distinctive church. The hiking route begins here.
From the church follow the path leading uphill. After about 100 m you will reach aY junction, take the left turn and follow the village street and later
country road until you reach the forest edge. The road continues on the edge of the forest, (with the forest on your left), for about 2 km before
entering into the forest. After entering the forest, the path turns to the left, about 600 m further on, and on the right you will see the house of the
forest ranger. The road goes around the ranger’s house, before turning right and following the fence bordering the ranger’s estate. From here,
continue on the secondary road going downhill. Very soon you will come to a wooden fence. Inside the fenced area, wild boar are raised before being
released into the forest. If you walk silently along the fence you will probably see the boar inside the enclosure. They will keep away as they are wary.
From the wild pig farm you have two choices. Option A leads you straight to monastery at Curchi, (following the yellow dotted path shown on the map).
Option B
If you are interested in visiting the remains of the unfinished soviet era military site, you can take a detour here, (indicated with a dotted pink line
on the map). Construction of the military site began in the late 1980s. The site was supposed to be a command center for Russia’s anti-missile
defense system. There is a deep bunker below ground.
To visit the bunkers, continue along the path, (shown on the map). The path crosses several agricultural fields before coming to the forest again,
about 1.5 km after the pig farm. On the edge of the forest look for a military road made of concrete plates (see map). Follow that road, including
the left turn, until you reach a T junction. If you turn right (to the East), you will reach another smaller unfinished bunker.
If you take the left fork at the T junction, you will reach the main site. There are several unfinished buildings, about 5 stories high. One of the
buildings was intended to be living quarters, the other for offices.
As an abandoned construction site there are a number of hazards, take care when exploring the area. In particular children should not climb on the
buildings or approach the deep shafts leading to the underground bunkers.
To return to the main hiking route you have to go west along the ridge for 2.5 km, still following the pink dotted path until you cross a large forest
road. After that you still go west on the ridge for another 1.5 km before once more joining the main route (marked yellow on the map). Turn right,
towards the north.
Option A
If you want to follow the shorter route, from the pig farm follow the road on your right. This road runs level with the pig farm, below the ridge. After
about 500 m, this road will tend to the right, for about 100 meters, before turning to the left. Continue straight ahead along the road, heading north
as you climb the ridge. Keep this northerly direction until you start descending towards Curchi monastery. After the ridge there is a forest road that
follows your general direction (north).
At the edge of the forest you will see Curchi monastery. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful and famous Bessarabian monasteries.
Curchi Monastery
In 1958, the Soviets closed the monastery and the buildings were used as a psychiatric clinic. In 2002 the monastery was reopened.
There are at least two legends regarding the establishment of the monastery, both relate to the founder’s need to pay for his sins. The founder,
Iordache Curchi, built the first church from wood on his own land in 1773. In 1862-1872 the cathedral we see today was designed by the Italian
architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The main building, in Baroque style, is the highest cathedral church in Moldova –at 57 meters high.
After visiting the monastery, take the path which follows the monastic boundary (marked by a rock fence). From here, follow the path to the left, to
the edge of the forest. Walking along the edge of the forest, you will reach Vatici village after about 2 km.
In the center of Vatici village, you can visit a museum of traditional rural life. The museum also operates as a pension, offering traditional accommodation and local cuisine.
The rest of the route follows the yellow dotted path shown on the map. The route mainly follows the forest edges and through the forest itself. The
path is quite clear to follow; your general direction is south then east. When you finally come out of the forest you will see a large valley with a village
where you started your journey. Once more, head for Donici Church and the start point.