Some lists say 13, others 14. Both are right — they use different rules. Flip the rule and watch the answer change, on real relief.
Why do you find 13 and 14? The two lists are nearly identical. The 14th is Capul Morarului, a point of about 2,501 m very close to Omu, which some sources count as a separate peak and others don't. And there is one more borderline case: Dara, published at 2,500 or 2,501 m depending on the source.
The 3D map needs WebGL. The list, ranking and ridge profiles below read in full without it.
Find your bearings
Where are these mountains in Romania?
The four ranges lie in the Southern Carpathians, along the southern part of the Carpathian arc. This map places them within Romania; next, we explore each range, from Făgăraș to Parâng.
1Retezat
2Parâng
3Făgăraș
4Bucegi
The Southern Carpathians within Romania. Numbers locate the four ranges without defining their boundaries.
1All of them on one mountain crest
The 14 peaks stand in four Southern Carpathian massifs: Făgăraș, Bucegi, Retezat and Parâng. From Moldoveanu, 2,544 m, down to the 2,500 m line there are only 44 metres — almost the whole dispute happens at the edge of the threshold.
2Făgăraș · 8 peaks
The country's four highest peaks sit here on one ridge: Moldoveanu, Negoiu, Viștea Mare and Lespezi. Further down the list: Vânătoarea lui Buteanu, Hârtopul Darei, Cornul Călțunului and Dara, which closes the 13-list.
3Bucegi · where 13 or 14 is decided
Omu, Bucura Dumbravă and — on some lists — Capul Morarului, about 200 m from Omu. Three points on the same high plateau; the question is what counts as a separate peak.
4Retezat · 2 peaks
Peleaga, 2,509 m, and Păpușa, 2,508 m — one metre apart in the ranking, divided by a true saddle. Nobody disputes their place on the list.
5Parâng · 1 peak
Parângu Mare, 2,519 m, the massif's only representative above the line. The country's fifth peak, far from any dispute.
The map
Where the 14 peaks stand
Four massifs, one altitude frontier. Colours show the massif; the ringed pin shows the stake: Capul Morarului, 14th on some lists only.
Făgăraș · 8
Bucegi · 3
Retezat · 2
Parâng · 1
The relief is real: an elevation model draped over the Southern Carpathians, with the peaks pinned at their coordinates. Both 3D maps use roughly 2–3× vertical exaggeration for legibility; exact figures are in the ridge profiles. Open the explorer to search a peak, fly to it and read its card.
Two decisions, both reasonable, give four answers. Make them below and the map, the ranking and your collection rewrite themselves on the spot.
14 · List of 14 · ≥ 2,500 m
Decision 1: is Capul Morarului a separate peak?
The 13-list leaves it out: a bump very close to the Omu plateau, which the 13-list does not count as a distinct peak. The 14-list counts it, quoted at about 2,501 m. No single authority settles it; mountain projects go with 14, trail guides with 13.
Decision 2: does the threshold mean “at least” or “strictly over”?
Pages write “over 2,500 m” but include Dara — published at exactly 2,500 m in some sources and 2,501 m in others. With the strict “over” rule and the 2,500 reading, Dara drops out and every count loses one peak.
The count under each pair of decisions (Dara read at 2,500 m)
≥ 2,500 m
> 2,500 m
List of 14
14 peaks
13 peaks
List of 13
13 peaks
12 peaks
With Dara read at 2,501 m, the “over” column gains one peak: 14 and 13.
Case 14
Where is Capul Morarului?
About 200 m east of Omu, on the ridge toward Bucșoiu, at the head of the Morar slopes. Measured in a relief model with ~25 m cells, it rises under 3 metres above the saddle toward Omu.
The Omu plateau in 3D: Omu, Capul Morarului (approximate position, measured in the relief model) and Bucura Dumbravă. Vertical relief exaggerated; drag to rotate.
East ridge profile: Omu – Capul Morarului – toward Bucșoiu
Heights from the relief model (~22 m below maps); the shape is the evidence.
Heights from the relief model (~22 m below maps); the shape is the evidence.
The comparison sets the scale: Bucura Dumbravă, accepted by every list, stands about 290 m south of Omu with a saddle of about 7 m in the same model. Capul Morarului is closer and flatter — one plateau with a ripple, which some lists count and others don't.
We found no published coordinates for Capul Morarului, and the relief model under-reads sharp summits by about 22 m here (Omu comes out at 2,483 in the model, against 2,505–2,507 on maps). So the model proves the shape — bump and saddle — while the metres stay the published ones.
Threshold case
Is Dara 2,500 or 2,501 m?
Both values appear in sources: some lists give 2,500 m, while OpenStreetMap gives 2,501 m. A single metre decides whether the “over 2,500” rule keeps it or drops it.
Dara closes the 13-list and neighbours Hârtopul Darei (2,506 m) on the ridge. Switch on the strict “over 2,500 m” threshold above and watch its ranking row change.
Ranking
Which are the 14 peaks over 2,500 m?
All of them by altitude, with published variants and list membership. Dimmed rows fall outside the active rule.
The 14 peaks by altitude
Rank
Peak
Massif
Altitude
Lists
1
Moldoveanu
Făgăraș
2,544 m
2
Negoiu
Făgăraș
2,535 m
3
Viștea Mare
Făgăraș
2,527 m2,524 m (OSM node)
4
Lespezi
Făgăraș
2,522 m2,517 m (Wikipedia EN, older value)
5
Parângu Mare
Parâng
2,519 m
6
Peleaga
Retezat
2,509 m
7
Păpușa
Retezat
2,508 m
8
Vânătoarea lui Buteanu
Făgăraș
2,507 m
9
Hârtopul Darei
Făgăraș
2,506 m
10
Omu
Bucegi
2,505 m2,507 m (OSM node; Munții Noștri trails; 2018 military survey, rock by the hut); 2,514 m (Wikipedia EN, older value)
The 14 records carry a name, massif, published altitudes, coordinates and membership in the two lists. Coordinates and some altitudes come from OpenStreetMap (the same extract as Can you see the mountains?); display altitudes follow the mountain lists cited under sources, with variants shown alongside, in the open.
The ridge profiles are measured in a Terrarium elevation mosaic (zoom 13, ~25 m cells) on the Omu plateau. The Capul Morarului position is the model's highest bump on the Omu–Bucșoiu ridge within 300 m of Omu: an approximate identification, without the standing of a land survey.
What was not done: no “official” definition of a peak was invented, and no prominences were weighed from data that doesn't exist in public. The absence of one standard is the story, and the page shows it instead of hiding it.
A third count circulates on English Wikipedia — 12, with old altitudes (Lespezi 2,517, Omu 2,514) — but it is a list with stale figures. There is no third rule.
Sources
Where the figures come from
Relief: NOAA NCEI, ETOPO 2022 (public domain); Romania boundary: geoBoundaries ROU ADM0, World Bank / ANCPI, CC BY 4.0. The locator reuses the relief and projection of the historical atlas.
Peakery, the “Romania 2500m Peak Challenge” — the 14-peak set over 2,500 m in the Southern Carpathians. peakery.com
Stafeta Munților, the 2023 Arcul Carpatin answer key — the 8 Făgăraș peaks over 2,500 m. stafetamuntilor.ro
The Romania mountain list, English Wikipedia — altitudes and Dara at 2,500 m. wikipedia.org
OpenStreetMap — peak-node coordinates and altitudes; Capul Morarului is missing from the public base. openstreetmap.org
Munții Noștri, “Drumeție de o zi pe trei vârfuri din topul 2500m” (19 July 2023) — why Capul Morarului stays out of the 13-list: it lacks the “elevation and separation” from the Omu plateau. muntii-nostri.ro
GSP, 20 July 2026 — Adrian Ahrițculesei's race over “the 14 highest peaks in Romania”, with Capul Morarului at 2,501 m. gsp.ro
Relief: a Terrarium mosaic (SRTM family) for the Bucegi close-up; the same relief lineage as Can you see the mountains for the Southern Carpathians panorama.
The 2018 military survey of Omu (2,507 m, rock by the hut included), via “Pe acoperișul României”. independența română
Questions
The shortest answers
How many peaks over 2,500 m does Romania have?
13 or 14. The two lists are identical except for Capul Morarului, a point of about 2,501 m very close to Omu that some sources count as a separate peak and others do not.
Why do some sources say 13 and others 14?
Because there is no single official definition. The 14th entry, Capul Morarului, rises less than 3 metres above the saddle toward Omu in the relief model — one plateau with a ripple, which some lists count and others don't.
Which are the 14 peaks?
In Făgăraș: Moldoveanu, Negoiu, Viștea Mare, Lespezi, Vânătoarea lui Buteanu, Hârtopul Darei, Cornul Călțunului and Dara. In Bucegi: Omu, Bucura Dumbravă and Capul Morarului. In Retezat: Peleaga and Păpușa. In Parâng: Parângu Mare.
What is the highest peak in Romania?
Moldoveanu, 2,544 m, in the Făgăraș Mountains — 44 metres above the 2,500 m line.
Is Dara 2,500 or 2,501 m?
Both are published: 2,500 m in some lists, 2,501 m in OpenStreetMap. With a strict over-2,500 rule and the 2,500 reading, Dara drops out and every count loses one.
Where is Capul Morarului?
About 200 m east of Omu, on the ridge toward Bucșoiu, at the head of the Morar slopes. We found no published coordinates for it; the pin on this page marks the highest bump of the relief model there and is labelled approximate.