Dealul Bălănești

What you see

If you are expecting a mountain peak, you are in for a surprise: the top of Dealul Bălănești is fairly flat and lies mostly in the forest. Its height is given as 429 or 430 metres; local sources speak of 429.5 metres. The highest point is right next to the northern of two transmitter masts, which can be seen from afar and make the summit easy to spot. About fifteen metres away, the Adam family from Bălănești put up a cross of almost ten metres, plinth included, on their own initiative. Through the trees you look out over the ridges of the Codri and the villages in the valleys.

Nature and landscape

The hill is part of the Codri, the wooded uplands in the middle of the country. Oak, ash, beech and lime make up the forests here. Because it rises only a little above its surroundings, Bălănești counts as a hill rather than a mountain, but it does feature on the list of the highest points of European countries, which some hikers set out to tick off one by one. Few visitors come here, precisely because the hill is so unassuming.

There are several protected areas in the vicinity, including the Dolna and Cazimir-Milești landscape reserves and the Cobac forest reserve. The Central Moldova hiking trail links them together.

Tips for your visit

By car you can get from Chișinău to Nisporeni in just over an hour, and from there it is about 22 kilometres to Bălănești. Direct buses to the village are scarce; going via Nisporeni gives you more options. From the village, walk north-east to the hill with the transmitter masts. Keen hikers take the Central Moldova hiking trail: from Nisporeni up the steps to Mârzoaia hill (green waymarks) and then north along the red waymarks over the wooded ridges. There is no hotel near the summit; you can stay overnight in Nisporeni or at a rural guesthouse. No permit is needed and the hill can be reached all year, but forest paths get muddy after rain.