At Dubova the Danube does something remarkable: it narrows from a wide lake into a channel only a couple of hundred metres across, squeezed between limestone cliffs that rise straight out of the water. These are the Cazane, the Cauldrons, the most dramatic part of the Iron Gates gorge, and the small village of Dubova sits on a bay between the Big Cauldron and the Small Cauldron. Before the dams were built the river here was a mass of rapids and whirlpools, one of the most dangerous stretches of water on the whole river, and boatmen had to navigate it with great care.
The Romans knew it well. On the Serbian bank, almost opposite, a plaque carved into the rock, the Tabula Traiana, records the road that Trajan built along the gorge in the early second century to move his legions toward Dacia. On the Romanian side, a huge face of the Dacian king Decebalus has been carved into a cliff near Dubova, a modern sculpture completed in the early 2000s, and it is now the most photographed sight on the Romanian bank. A little further downstream, the small Mraconia monastery sits right on the water's edge, a rebuild of an older monastery that disappeared under the reservoir.
The road through Dubova is the best part of the Danube ride. It hugs the shore and the base of the cliffs, with curves that follow every bend in the river, short climbs over headlands and sudden views down the gorge. The surface is variable and the road narrow, so watch for oncoming traffic on blind corners and for rocks that may have fallen from the slopes. Traffic is generally light, though summer weekends bring tourists and coaches to the viewpoints. Early morning is magical, with mist rising off the water and the light coming down the gorge.
Dubova is tiny: a row of guesthouses, a couple of terraces and boatmen offering trips into the gorge and to the caves in the cliffs, such as Ponicova. It is a lovely place for a break, but it is not a place to fill up the tank; the nearest reliable fuel is in Orșova, about sixteen kilometres downstream. Fish soup and grilled carp or catfish are the obvious choices if you stop for lunch. In summer the heat can be fierce, so bring water.