Moldova
Codrii Nature Reserve
Half of Moldova's characteristic flora survives in one hill forest of oaks, ravines and wildcats.
Sessile oaks and hornbeams close over ground that folds into ravine after ravine, the hills the old word codru names. Around a thousand plant species grow inside this one protected forest. At Lozova, a museum of five hundred specimens opens the door to it.
Codrii is Moldova's oldest scientific reserve, set aside in 1971 across 5,177 hectares of the Codru hills, where the land rises to 380 metres and breaks into countless valleys and hollows. The forest runs to sessile oak with hornbeam, lime, ash and maple; about a thousand plant species grow here, close to half of Moldova's characteristic flora, and red deer and wildcat move among 225 recorded vertebrate species. Visits centre on the Lozova side: a nature museum of some five hundred specimens, a dendrological park and marked tourist routes, with guided walks arranged in advance. This is a working scientific reserve rather than an open playground, and the managed paths are the deal.
Solo
Arrange the guided walk and let a reserve naturalist read the forest for you; take the museum first, then the marked route.
Couple
The museum and a slow forest walk make a green half day, with lunch waiting across from Căpriana Monastery in the same hills.
Family
The nest and taxidermy cases hand children the cast list before the walk; tracks in the mud do the rest.
Friends
Come as one booked group, walk the dendrological park and routes, then finish at a long table in Căpriana.
- Moldova's oldest scientific reserve, founded in 1971, protects 5,177 hectares of sessile oak, hornbeam, lime, ash and maple.
- About a thousand plant species grow here, close to half of Moldova's characteristic flora, ninety of them rare or endangered.
- Red deer and wildcat head a recorded fauna of 225 vertebrate species across the reserve's zones.
- The Lozova museum sets out some 500 specimens, from 34 mammal species to 23 kinds of birds' nests, with guided visits arranged ahead.
The reserve provides no catering, so carry water and the day's lunch in with you.
Cuib, facing Căpriana Monastery in the same Codru hills, cooks traditional Moldovan dishes and its chef's own specialities; book the table.
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