1. What territory does the destination include and what is specific about it?

Țara Hațegului – Retezat, located in Hunedoara county, is the only ecotourism destination in the western region of the country.

Why Hațegului – Retezat? Because this space, “a Transylvania in miniature”, as it was described in Romanian literature by Ion Pop Reteganul, is surprising, especially through landscapes of rare beauty. Țara Hațegului is probably the area with the largest concentration of touristic, natural and cultural objectives in Romania. Here you can find bison, medieval churches, old houses and castles, a lot of historical and architectural monuments of national interest, and even fossils of dwarf dinosaurs, unique in the world, which give uniqueness to the Land of Hațeg.

In terms of geographical delimitation, the Haţegului Ecotourism Destination – Retezat represents the area that partially overlaps the territories of three important natural protected areas, being the only area in the country where this happens: Retezat National Park, the first national park in Romania, created in 1935 and became a Biosphere Reserve in 1979, the Haţegului Dinosaur Geopark Natural Park, which became a UNESCO site in 2015 and the Grădiștea Muncelului – Cioclovina Natural Park, much better known for the ensemble of Dacian fortresses in the Orăștiei Mountains, and these with UNESCO recognition.

The attractiveness of the area is given by the multitude of natural, historical and cultural objectives, but also by the more than 40 hiking or cycling routes, those for cycle tourism being approved by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, in a national first. The Ecotourism Destination Țara Hațegului – Retezat, the third such area in Romania certified by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, in June 2016, aims to offer visitors a unique experience, through ecotourism products and services at the highest standards, but also by promoting a responsible attitude towards the environment and the local community.