A gateway to another beautiful Romanian destination, Țara Făgărașului, Middle Olt - Cibin - Hârtibaciu is a protected area (site of community importance - SCI) located on the administrative territories of three counties: Sibiu, Brasov and Valcea. 

For the Transylvanian Highlands destination, this site extends to the accumulation lakes on the surface of the Voila, Beclean and Mândra communes, but also along the Hârtibaciu river, on the territories of the Alţa, Bârghiș, Marpod, Nocrich, Roșia, Șelimbăr communes and of the cities of Avrig. 

The natural area covers 2,826 hectares (rivers, lakes, marshes, peatlands, natural grasslands, pastures, deciduous forests, mixed forests and transition forests). Middle Olt - Cibin - Hârtibaciu represents a natural area that preserves: Beech forests of the Luzulo - Fagetum type and alpine and boreal bushes; also protects a wide range of wildlife. 

At the base of the site designation there are several fauna species such as river otter (Lutra lutra), fish species: avat (Aspius aspius), mullet (Barbus meridionalis), hawthorn (Cobitis taenia), wading pig (Gobio uranoscopus), boar (Rhodeus sericeus amarus), fusar (Zingel streber and Zingel streber and Zingel zingel), petroc (Gobio kessleri; ridge triton (an amphibian of the species Triturus cristatus) and turtle frog (Emys orbicularis); a shell of the species Unio crassus (small-river-shell, considered to be at high risk of extinction in the wild; it is included in the IUCN red list); two gastropods: the snail with hook (Anisus vorticulus) and the banatean snail (Chilostoma banaticum); as well as a dragonfly of the species Ophiogomphus cecilia. 

Also called the Olt Delta, the southern boundary of the destination represents an important stage of one of the three European lane of bird migration that goes up north each spring, coming from the warm continents. You can see dozens of species nesting here, that you would normally expect to only see in the Danube Delta. The best places for birdwatching are Voila, Viştea and Scoreiu accumulation lakes and the wetlands around Şona villages (where you can also visit the famous Pyramids or Guruieți, as the locals call them, Lazăr's smithery or the blue house of well-known Romanian visual artist Ștefan Câlția), Cincşor (do not miss the Evangelical Church and the Weaving Workshop of Simona Ciuban), Rucăr (from where you have one of the most beautiful views of the Fagaras ridges, if you follow the marked touristic route about 2 km at the exit of the village, a place where you can also visit a mini - local museum, in the house of the Orthodox priest from the village), Colun, Nou Român or Feldioara.