Why this ride
A natural corridor of river bends, cliffs and historic settlements. It also links naturally to Iron Gates Natural Park.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Iron Gates Danube Road
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 106 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 07
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
High passes are seasonal. Verify surface, weather and construction status. Specific flag: rockfall; border traffic.
Seasonal context
Apr-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Serbia Danube Iron Gates Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 49 km this is Serbia Danube Iron Gates Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
- Named road
- Serbia Danube Iron Gates Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Orşova
The Orșova you ride into is not the old one. The original town lies under the Danube, drowned in the early 1970s when the Iron Gates I dam downstream raised the river by tens of metres, and the present town was rebuilt on the hillside above the new shoreline, with concrete blocks, a modern Catholic church shaped like a ship's prow, and a long waterfront promenade. The same flood swallowed Ada Kaleh, a small island just downstream that had been home to a Turkish community with a mosque, a bazaar and a reputation for coffee, figs and Turkish delight. People of a certain age in this part of Romania still talk about it with real sadness.
Read the complete Orşova write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Orşova sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Dubova.
2. Dubova
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.
Read the complete Dubova write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Dubova comes up 33 km in. Next is Moldova Nouă.
3. Moldova Nouă
Moldova Nouă is the western gateway to the Romanian side of the Iron Gates, a former mining town on the Danube where the river is still wide and calm before it enters the gorges further east. The town grew around copper mining in the hills behind, and the mines and their waste have left their mark: a large tailings pond near the river has been a long-running environmental problem, sending dust over the area on windy days. It is not the most beautiful town on the Danube, but it has a working, unpolished honesty and it is a useful stop on the long riverside road.
Read the complete Moldova Nouă write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
106 km in you reach Moldova Nouă.