The Rarău Massif is a subgroup of the Moldo-Transylvanian Carpathians, located in the Eastern Romanian Carpathians. The highest peak is Rarău, with an altitude of . and the lowest altitude is , in the Moldova River valley

Location and geography

The Rarău Massif is located in northern Romania (

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county (') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat and the ...

), in the historical region of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

, between the valleys of the

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

and

Bistrița (; , archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , ) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of 78,877 inhabitants as of 2021 and administers s ...

rivers. The closest population centers are the towns of

Câmpulung Moldovenesc Câmpulung Moldovenesc (; formerly spelled ''Cîmpulung Moldovenesc'') is a municipiu, city in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Câmpulung Moldovenesc is the fourth largest urban settleme ...

and

Vatra Dornei Vatra Dornei (; ; ; ) is a city in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Vatra Dornei is the fifth largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 12,578 inhabitants, according to ...

and the commune of

Pojorâta Pojorâta () is a commune located in the western part of Suceava County, in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania. With a surface area of 13,770 hectares, it comprises the villages of Pojorâta—as its chief commune—and Vale ...

. The total surface of the Rarău Massif is ca. 160 square kilometers. The peak is easily accessible on foot on marked trails. By car, the Massif is accessible up to an altitude of 1520m, via the Transrarău road (DJ175B). The Massif is known for its many picturesque

limestone formations Limestone is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science), crystal forms of calcium carbo ...

. The best known is Pietrele Doamnei, a group of three large limestone pillars located at a height of 1400m, close to the peak.

Climate

The average temperature in January is at the Rarău Meteorological Station, with significant differences are registered between the slopes with northern and southern orientation. The average temperature for July is for the Rarău station, with minimal differences between the slopes with northern and southern exposure. Precipitations at the Rarău Meteorological Station have a multi-annual average of , with an average of 163 days of snow cover per year.

References

{{reflist Carpathian Foothills Carpathians Bukovina