Bălănești Hill
430 m
Moldova
Also known as Баланешти, Dealul Bălănești, +4Also known as
Баланешти · Dealul Bălănești · Monte Balanesti · Bălănești · ბალანეშტი · Гора Бэлэнешть
- Elevation
- 430 m
- Prominence
- 285 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 1
WorksReported 11 Jan 2026
The Regional Development Agency Centru put out to tender the concrete paving of 2.7 km of road on Bălănești Hill, with a cycle track and a 0.5 ha park and car park at the top (estimated cost 17.7 million lei). Bids were due 19–29 January 2026. No start or completion dates have been published, so the access road may be under construction.
ipn.md
Routes
1An easy walk from the village of Bălănești (Nisporeni district) up the hill's access road and field tracks. The top is a broad, rounded crest at about 430 m with mobile-phone masts and wide views over the Codri hills. About 2.5 km and 100 m of ascent. The hill is also the high point of the waymarked 40 km Nisporeni–Milești hiking trail.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 2.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +184 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 430 m
- Time Up
- 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start in the centre of Bălănești, near the village church, about 60 km west of Chișinău. Walk north-east out of the village on the road that climbs to the summit area. The 2.7 km access road on the hill is due to be paved, with a cycle track and a small park and car park at the top (tender January 2026). It rises gently over orchards and pasture to the broad crest. The highest geodetic point (429.5 m, often rounded to 430 m) lies beside the mobile-phone masts. The summit is a rounded hump rather than a peak, with a 360° view over the forested Codri hills. Return the same way, or continue north-east on the waymarked ANTRIM trail network through the Cazimir–Milești landscape reserve to Milești, where there is transport and a campsite. A shorter walk of about 2 km with 60 m of ascent starts near Găureni, south of the hill. For a full day, follow the red-waymarked trail from Nisporeni. Climb the steps to Dealul Mîrzoaia on the green route, then go north on the red route past the Dolna and Cobac reserves and the old beech 'La Fag' to the summit, and down via Bălănești to Milești. That is 40 km in all, and it can be split over two days with guesthouse stays in Ciorești or Bălănești.
Start
Biserica Bălănești251 m
- Buses and minibuses run from Chișinău to Nisporeni; local services to Bălănești and Milești are infrequent and should be checked locally.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biserica Bălănești → Dealul Bălănești | 2.3 | 184 | 7 | 55m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Biserica Bălănești251 m
Village centre of Bălănești
- Summit: Dealul Bălănești430 m
Equipment
0/2 packedDownloads
Route confidence 55%Overview
Moldova's highest point (about 430 m) is a broad, rounded hill above orchards and beech forest in the Codri uplands, 60 km west of Chișinău. Mobile-phone masts stand on top. It is an easy walk from the village of Bălănești, or the high point of a waymarked 40 km trail from Nisporeni.
Dealul Bălănești, also called Vârful (or Piscul) lui Miron and nicknamed 'the Everest of Moldova', rises in Nisporeni district in the hills of the Codri plateau, about 30 km from the Romanian border. It is a rounded hump rather than a peak. The crest is open farmland with mobile-phone masts at the highest point. It gives a 360° view over the wooded Codri, the most forested part of Moldova, with natural beech stands rare for the region.
The village below is known for orchards of bălănele, small, juicy apples that ripen in July. The national tourism agency and local partners have waymarked about 48 km of hiking trails around Nisporeni, Ciorești, Milești and Bălănești. They pass through the Dolna, Cobac and Cazimir–Milești reserves, past Moldova's oldest beech tree and a 19th-century manor park. Guesthouses in the villages and a campsite in Milești make it possible to spend a weekend.
The summit itself takes little effort. The appeal is the gentle landscape, the forest reserves and village hospitality. A project to pave the 2.7 km road up the hill and add a cycle track, park and car park at the top was put out to tender in January 2026.
Climbing Notes
No special preparation is needed. From Bălănești village the summit is roughly 2.5 km on a road and tracks, with about 100 m of ascent. For a full day or a weekend, walk the waymarked trail from Nisporeni: green waymarks up the steps to Dealul Mîrzoaia, then red waymarks north to Dealul Bălănești and on to Milești. It is 40 km in total, and accommodation can be found in Ciorești (La Nașu guesthouse), Bălănești and Milești (Pe Toloacă campsite); book ahead. Dirt roads and forest paths are very muddy after rain and in spring. Summers are hot, with little shade on the crest. Carry water, as there are few shops between villages. Paving works on the summit road may affect access once the 2026 project starts.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Cold; snow or mud
- Feb
- Cold; muddy tracks
- Mar
- Thaw; very muddy
- Apr
- Orchards in blossom
- Jul
- Hot; apple harvest begins
- Aug
- Hot
- Oct
- Autumn colours in the beech forests
- Nov
- Mud and fog
- Dec
- Cold; short days
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The trails cross state nature reserves (Dolna, Cobac, Cazimir–Milești); stay on marked paths
- Getting There
Nisporeni (district town, south of the hill)
Chișinău International Airport (RMO)
- Car: from Chișinău west towards Nisporeni (about 60 km), then local roads to Bălănești
- Bus: services from Chișinău to Nisporeni; onward local buses to Bălănești and Milești are infrequent, so check locally