Trip at a glance
Distance~150km from Bucharest
DurationHalf day (6h)
Best SeasonYear-round
Travel StyleEasy
From PriceFrom €70 / car
MinivanFrom €90 / minivan
Payment💳 Card · 💵 Cash · 🏦 Transfer
About this trip
A lunar world of bubbling mud — Romania's strangest natural wonder
The Muddy Volcanoes (Vulcanii Noroioși) near Berca in Buzău County are one of Romania's most extraordinary natural phenomena. Natural gas from underground seeps upward, pushing mud to the surface and creating hundreds of small grey cones that bubble and erupt continuously — looking exactly like tiny volcanoes on a grey lunar surface.
The site at Pâclele Mari and Pâclele Mici covers several hectares of desolate, ashy mud plateau dotted with bubbling craters. The landscape is so alien that it has been used as a stand-in for the Moon in Romanian films. It is entirely unlike anywhere else in Europe and absolutely fascinating — especially for children and anyone who appreciates geological wonders.
- Pâclele Mari — largest mud volcano field
- Hundreds of actively bubbling mud cones
- Completely unique lunar landscape
- Fascinating geological explanation from your driver
- Can combine with Buzău city and Amber Museum
- Can add Berca Monastery on the return
- Accessible year-round — most dramatic after rain
- Only 150km from Bucharest — perfect half-day