Munții Ceahlău - Vârful Toaca

Toaca Peak, at 1,904 metres, is one of the highest and most spectacular points of the Ceahlău Massif, the sacred mountain of Moldavia, in Neamț County. With its pyramidal silhouette, remarkable among the other summits, Toaca rises above the Ceahlău plateau and offers, on clear days, one of the vastest panoramas in the Eastern Carpathians, taking in the Izvorul Muntelui reservoir, the neighbouring ridges and, in the distance, the Moldavian plain. The ascent is made on a long metal staircase, fitted to the final steep section, which eases the climb to the crest.

On the summit stands an old weather station, and nearby, on the plateau, rise a hermitage and a commemorative cross. The Ceahlău, a protected area, is bound to old Dacian legends and to the tradition of pilgrimages. Practical note: set out very early, dress for changeable weather and avoid the ridge in a storm, for fog can suddenly wrap the mountain at altitude.