A river gorge with 2,000 years of history
For nearly 150 kilometres, the Danube forms the natural border between Romania and Serbia, cutting through the southern Carpathians in a series of gorges collectively known as the Iron Gates (Porțile de Fier). At their narrowest point — the Cazanele Dunării, or "Cauldrons" — the river squeezes between limestone walls that rise almost 300 metres on either side. It is one of the most dramatic river landscapes in Europe, and it happens to be where our founders, Marian and Raluca Călinoiu, first began welcoming travellers to Romania.
Highlights of the gorge
Cazanele Mari & Mici
The narrowest, most dramatic stretch of the gorge, where limestone cliffs rise almost 300 metres straight from the water on both the Romanian and Serbian banks.
The Decebalus Statue
Europe's tallest rock sculpture, carved directly into the cliff face — a 40-metre likeness of the last king of Dacia, facing the ancient Roman inscription across the water.
Tabula Traiana
A Roman memorial tablet carved into the rock in 100 AD, commemorating Emperor Trajan's military road along the gorge — still visible from the river today.
Mraconia Monastery
A small Orthodox monastery on the water's edge, rebuilt in the 1990s on the site of a medieval foundation, and one of the most photographed stops on the river.