Overview
The route leaves Bușteni beside Cabana Silva at the foot of the cable-car station and follows a broad forest road past Complex Turistic Gura Diham, climbing steadily on a blue-triangle trail through beech and fir woods to the wooded saddle of Șaua Baiului, at 1,363 m the highest point of the outward leg. From the saddle the path eases down slightly through spruce forest to Cabana Diham, a timber hut built in 1934 that sits in a wide clearing below the hillside of Măgura Cenușie; the clearing opens a genuinely wide panorama, with the rocky western crest of the Bucegi plateau visible across the forest on one side and the long, forested ridgelines of the Baiu Mountains rolling away to the east on the other, a view earned without any of the exposure found higher on the massif. The return leg avoids retracing the ascent, instead climbing gently past the Pichetul Roșu junction to the currently unstaffed Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor at 1,455 m, the loop's true high point, before dropping steadily back through the forest to Gura Diham and Bușteni. Streams cross the path on this descent and the ground turns muddy quickly after rain, but the trail itself never leaves well-marked forest paths and old forest roads, with no scrambling, ladders or exposed sections anywhere on the loop.
At a glance
- Distance
- 18.9 km
- Time
- 6 hr 40 min
- Elevation
- ↑ 613 m · 885–1455 m
- Route
- Loop
Route and directions
Numbered markers trace the waypoints from the trailhead. Use the buttons to open the trailhead in an external map app for driving directions. Links open in a new tab.
Access, season, and cautions
Access
From Brașov, drive south on DN1/E60 through Predeal to Bușteni, about 37 km and 45-50 minutes. Park near Cabana Silva at the base of the Bușteni-Babele cable car station, on the western edge of town. The signed blue-triangle trail toward Gura Diham and Cabana Diham starts right there, following Bulevardul Nestor Urechia and then a forest road; no cable car or shuttle is used anywhere on this route.
No permit is required. The upper part of the loop, around Șaua Baiului and Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor, lies within the wider Bucegi Natural Park buffer area, so stay on the marked paths, keep dogs leashed, do not light open fires outside the huts, and pack out all rubbish.
Season: Best from May through October, when the beech and fir forest paths are dry and the two higher points, Șaua Baiului (1,363 m) and Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor (1,455 m), are clear of snow. Snow and ice can linger into April and return from November, when the saddle and the approach to Poiana Izvoarelor can be slick even though the lower forest around Gura Diham stays walkable most of the year. Spring meltwater swells the streams crossed on the Poiana Izvoarelor-Gura Diham descent and can leave that stretch muddy for days after rain.
Cautions
- Brown bears are common in the forested lower Bucegi, including directly on this loop: hikers descending from Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor toward Gura Diham have encountered a mother bear with cubs on the path; make noise while walking, keep dogs leashed, and consider carrying bear spray, as Salvamont recommends for this area.
- Several small streams cross the trail on the descent between Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor and Gura Diham and can run high and slippery after rain or spring snowmelt.
- The path turns muddy and slick after rain, especially on the steep 'panta prostului' switchbacks above Gura Diham and on the red-marked descent past Pichetul Roșu.
- Șaua Baiului and Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor, though still forested, sit high enough to catch sudden wind, fog or afternoon thunderstorms in summer; carry a rain layer even on a clear morning.
- Ticks are common in the beech and fir forest from spring through autumn; wear long trousers tucked into socks and check for ticks after the hike.
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Bușteni (Cabana Silva) — Beside Cabana Silva at the foot of the Bușteni-Babele cable car station (about 885 m); the blue-triangle trail toward Gura Diham and Diham begins here on Bulevardul Nestor Urechia.
- Cabana Gura Diham — Complex Turistic Gura Diham (982 m) at the confluence of the Cerbului and Seacă valleys, about 4 km up a gentle forest road from Bușteni; the ascent to Șaua Baiului and Cabana Diham forks here.
- Șaua Baiului — Wooded saddle at 1,363 m between the Bucegi and Baiu Mountains, the highest point of the outward leg, marked by a small radio relay hut.
- Cabana Diham (1,320 m) — Timber mountain hut built in 1934 on a wide forest clearing below Măgura Cenușie; open year-round with a bar and simple rooms, and the turning point of the loop.
- Pichetul Roșu junction — Signposted junction of red-marked paths at about 1,445 m on the return leg, where the trail toward Cabana Mălăiești branches off from the Poiana Izvoarelor descent.
- Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor — Forest-clearing hut at 1,455 m, the loop's highest point and currently unstaffed; the red-band trail turns steeply downhill from here toward Gura Diham.
- Cabana Gura Diham (return) — The red-band descent rejoins the outbound forest road at Complex Turistic Gura Diham (982 m); several small streams are crossed on the way down.
- Bușteni (Cabana Silva) — Return to Cabana Silva at the foot of the cable-car station, closing the loop.
Gallery
Babele Bucegi Romania by VIOREL1974, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Sources
- Traseu Bușteni - Cabana Gura Diham (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Traseu Gura Diham - Cabana Diham (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Traseu Gura Diham - Cabana Diham - Poiana Izvoarelor (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Cabana Diham (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- O ursoaică cu pui (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Traseu din Bușteni spre Poiana Izvoarelor și Pichetul Roșu (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Distanța Bușteni Brașov (ro, retrieved 2026-07-02)
- Bușteni - Poiana Coștilei - Pichetul Roșu - Diham (ro, retrieved 2026-07-03)