In 2017 I was searching for rock climbing locations in Moldova by looking at satellite images of the country. I noticed this place. Marina and I rode here on our bikes and were impressed by the steep caves. In 2020 we rigged a highline and bolted the first sport routes.
По-русски: Скалолазание в Вэратик · În română: Escaladă în Văratic.
«Main Rocks» sit on the bank of the Chugur river (Costești water reservoir), across the river from Văratic village. The crag is 350 meters long and up to 35 meters tall. The rock is very compact: in places, the hammer throws sparks. Some of it is solid, but more often it is made up of many separate blocks of different sizes.
General information
You can reach the rocks from the bridge in Văratic or from Duruitoarea. Either way you drive a dirt road, which may be impassable for a normal car after heavy rain. Despite its condition, the road is quite busy because it is a shortcut between villages.
Good tent spots are marked on the map above. The only shade is near the forest (1.5 km towards Duruitoarea). Alternatively, you can stay at Duruita Camping in the village Duruitoarea (7 km), or at Casa Varatic (4 km).
It's best not to leave your things unattended.
The spring is a small hole under an arch of stones that slowly fills with delicious drinking water.
Conditions are the same as in Cobani, except that the wall only gets sun after 3 pm. Luckily, you can cool off with a swim right below the rocks.
Warning! Rocks can fall from above. Be sure to wear a helmet, belay from a safe place, be careful. Especially after rain and away from the routes.
Routes
Bolted sport routes are marked in red; a triangle marks the anchor. Dashed white lines are top-rope-only routes.
We spent quite a lot of time removing loose rocks, but something may still break off. Always wear a helmet and be careful. Feel free to bring a big brush.
| № | Name | Sector | Type | Difficulty | Length | Quickdraws | Bolted by | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | Balaur | lead | proj. | 25m | 12 | Maciej K. & friends | 2026 | bolted, needs cleaning |
| 2 | The Power from PRL | Balaur | lead | 7a+ | 25m | 12 | Maciej K. & friends | 2026 | |
| 3 | Robert from America | Balaur | lead | 6c | 25m | 12 | Maciej K. & friends | 2026 | |
| 4 | Katapulta (Catapult) | Banya | lead | 6b | 15m | 7 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | |
| 5 | Zagadka dyry (Hole puzzle) | Banya | lead | 6c | 13m | 6 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | finish at the first lower-off ring |
| 6 | Zagadka dyry (Hole puzzle) | Banya | lead | 7a+? proj. | 16m | 7 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | finish at the second lower-off ring |
| 7 | Zagadka dyry (Hole puzzle) | Banya | lead | 8a? proj. | 20m | 9 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | |
| 8 | Cușma lui Guguță | Banya | lead | 6b | 25m | 12 | Maciej K. & friends | 2026 | |
| 9 | Arigato | Banya | lead | 6b | 25m | 12 | Valentyn K., Mihail S., Ruslan S. | 2021 | |
| 10 | Pastushok (Shepherd) | Predbannik | lead | 5b | 13m | 7 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | |
| 11 | Rybachok (Fisherman) | Predbannik | lead | 6a | 13m | 7 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | |
| 12 | Lesovichok (Forestman) | Predbannik | top rope | 5c | 11m | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 | ||
| 13 | Moryachok (Sailor) | Predbannik | lead | 5c | 11m | 6 | Valentyn K., Danil Z., Artiom V., Daria Sh. | 2020 |
Route "Zagadka dyry (Hole puzzle)"
We really wanted a hard route in Moldova – a project that would motivate us to train. The route is 20 meters long and overhangs by 6 meters, and it gets harder the higher you go. Up to the sixth bolt it is 6c: steep climbing on good holds. The crux to the seventh bolt could be a 6c+/7a boulder problem on its own. Above the seventh bolt the holds are poor: slopers, small crimps and small pockets. To make it interesting for everyone, the route has three finishes: at the sixth bolt, at the seventh, and at the top anchor. The sixth and seventh bolts have rings, so you can lower off them. The first bolt is more than three meters up, on the roof – you need a stick clip. Use long quickdraws to reduce rope drag.
Balaur Sector
The leftmost sector, to the left of all the others. Polish climber Maciej Kowalczyk and his friends bolted three routes here. All are 25 meters long, with 11 bolts plus an anchor.
The middle route, "The Power from PRL" 7a+, is the most beautiful line of the sector. The left one is bolted but is still a project: it needs more cleaning.
I will add the sector topo later.
Potential
There is still potential for at least 10 more routes on the "Main rocks", from 5a to the 8th grade. In places the rock is badly weathered, and each route will take days to clean.
Nearby, on a high hill, there are the "Boulders" – freestanding rocks 5-8 meters high. They are no good for bouldering (the landing is a steep slope) and a bit short for roped climbing, but you can top-rope them from natural anchors.
Towards the Șaptebani quarry, there is a canyon of a small river flowing into the Chugur. On its sides there are two caves with steep roofs and lots of features, good for bouldering and hard sport routes. The approach is awkward.
There are rocks and a cave opposite the village of Gorodiste; they need to be explored in more detail.
If you have any comments, suggestions or additional information, please contact me on instagram.
Change Log
2.07.2020 – Added the "Arigato" route in Banya, top-rope only – a project that needs cleaning and bolting.
1.11.2021 – In spring, the "Arigato" route was bolted for lead climbing. Updated the information.
21.09.2026 – Added information about the "Cușma lui Guguță" 6b route.
28.09.2026 – Added the Balaur sector with three new routes by Maciej Kowalczyk and friends. Renumbered the routes from left to right and added a "Bolted by" column to the table.