Hiking Bucegi Mountains: the Sphinx

Hiking Bucegi Mountains can bring you a lot of pleasant surprises. It is also a way for you to discover it’s mysteries, the flora and fauna. Today we are going to talk about the most known touristic megalith: the Sphinx.

The Sphinx of the Bucegi Mountains is an anthropomorphic megalith located at 2216 m altitude, in Dâmbovița county, on the administrative territory of Moroeni commune. The origin of the Sphinx’s name is due to its resemblance to a human head, more precisely to the Egyptian Sphinx, its formation being due to wind erosion. Formed from a large block of stone that took on its present shape over a very long period of time, the Bucegi Sphinx, located on the Bucegi Plateau, measures 8 metres in height and 12 metres in width.

The legends and myths behind the Sphinx

Why choose Hiking Bucegi Mountains? From a historical and even mystical point of view, the Sphinx is the representation of a supreme deity from Pelasgian times. Its human-like appearance is associated with an expression of sovereignty and power, this is evidenced by its proportioned face, severe lips and voluntary chin. The Pelasgians predated the Greeks, their tribes were mostly spread in the Aegean area.

Many historians go so far as to say that the Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, is a copy of the one on the Bucegid platform.This is based on some similarities that are more or less coincidental, such as the fact that the Sphinx of the Bucegi is the same height as the Egyptian one at Giza.

Its resemblance to a Sphinx (when viewed from certain angles, marked around it), as well as the legends and history of the place, have made this geological formation an important tourist attraction.

Hiking Bucegi Mountains: Access to the Sphinx of Bucegi

The easiest way to reach the Sphinx is by cable car Bușteni – Babele, a route that is 4350m long, has a level difference of 1235m and takes about 15 minutes. The cable car has a capacity of 25 people.

The Babele hut is the best known hut in the area, with a capacity of 108 beds. From Busteni, the access road to Sfinx is very easy to follow, as you will find a path marked with a blue triangle along the Urlătoarea Mică and Urlǎtoarea Mare valleys until you reach the Jepi canton. This route is only recommended in summer. However, compared to most mountain tourist regions where there is difficult access, as far as the Sphinx of Bucegi is concerned, we are certainly talking about relatively easy access, thanks to the notion of plateau, namely the Bucegi Plateau, where it is located.