LOCATION

Iron Gates Natural Park is situated in south-western part of Romania, at the border with Republic of Serbia, covering about 115.655 ha within Caras-Severin and Mehedinti counties in southern part of Locvei and Almajului Mountains and south west of Mehedinti Plateau.

The limits of the Iron Gates Natural Park are represented by the Danube’s course to the South, the river Nera to the West, the Danube’s tributaries watershed limits to the North and a winding line from downstream Gura Vaii to the Motarat Peak to the East.

Iron Gates Natural Park reaches within 21º 21' and 22º 36' longitude E and 44º 51' si 44º 28' 30'' latitude N. The main access points are nearby Drobeta Turnu Severin and Orsova Town in Mehedinti County and also through Socol and Naidas village from Caras Severin.

• The Danube defile - Europe’s longest defile (134 km);
• Romania’s largest Hydropower Plant and Reservoir (Iron Gates I Hydropower and Navigation System);
• The highest ethnic diversity in a Romanian protected area;
• High geological diversity that might grant the statute of open-air geological museum statute;
• High biological diversity – over 1600 vegetal taxa (superior plants) and over 5200 fauna taxa;
• High vegetation associations diversity – in the Natural Park area 171 vegetation associations were identified, of which 26 are endemic for Romania and 21 of communitarian interest;
• The presence of wetlands that constitute important habitats for protected aquatic  bird species;

• Marks of Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic human settlements - historical evidences of human habitation: fortresses, monasteries, churches;

• Buildings with high historical and architectural value, water mills with a unique grinding mechanism.