Parcul Naţional Buila Vânturariţa, Horezu

The Buila-Vânturariţa National Park, a site of the European Ecologic Network Nature 2000, was established by Gouvernamental Decision 2151/2004 and is administrated by National Administration of Forest Romsilva in partnership with the Kogayon Association. Buila-Vânturariţa is the smallest national park in Romania, with a total area 4186 ha, located in the Vâlcea County (south-western part of Romania), in the southern corner of Căpăţânii Mountains (the Meridional Carpathians), lying on the territory of the Costeşti and Bărbăteşti villages and of the Băile Olăneşti city.

The Buila-Vânturariţa National Park is located in the Valcea county, in the South-Western part of Romania.
The Park comprises the linear limestone ridge of the Buila-Vânturariţa Massive, 14 km long. It lies from the western corner of the Bistriţa Gorges to the eastern side of the Olăneşti Gorges (Folea), and it is dominated by the two peaks from whom the massive took its name: The Buila Peak (1849 m) and the Vânturariţa Mare Peak (1885 m).

The Massive has the specific characteristics of the karstic relief, with many exokarstic shapes (gorges, limestone slopes, dolines, lapiez fields, swallets, needles, detritus fields, straits) and endokarstic (caves and pitches).
Due to its isolated nature and difficult access, there are many entirely preserved elements of the natural patrimony: natural habitats, virgin forests, numerous protected species of flora and fauna, mineralogical and paleonthological sites and caves.
Elements of extra attractiveness and added value of the Park are the cultural-historical monuments on its territory or in its vicinity: the Monasteries: Arnota, Bistriţa, Horezu, Frăsinei; the Hermitages: Pătrunsa, Pahomie, Iezer, Bradu, Jgheaburi; the churches of the former hermitages 44 Izvoare, Păpuşa, Peri; the small church Ovidenia in the Bats Cave, the churches of the nearby villages.