Lakatnik 2021

What a change in the weather again! After the cold and snow, Saturday and especially Sunday were warm and sunny and glorious! I spent Saturday on a tour around the fabric shops downtown and on Sunday we took the train to Lakatnik - a small village in the Balkan mountains, situated in the picturesque gorge of the river Iskar. The village is known for the interesting steep canyon walls and numerous caves, an attraction for climbers, speleologists and ordinary tourists. 

As the day was absolutely gorgeous, the place was brimming. Climbers in action:

:The Iskar river has carved into the limestone a canyon, which is the main pass through the chain of the Balkans in this area.

: The lockdown was lifted from the cafes and restaurants at the beginning of the month and on such a warm Sunday the local cafe at the skirts of the rocks was full. It was nice to see people enjoying themselves, happy in the sun.

:The entrance to the Temnata Dupka (Dark Hole) cave. We had brought a fairly powerful flashlight and entered some 30 m into the cave with a group of other tourists.

: A colony of bats

: This cute little guy was hanging from the rock literally 30 cm from me and I hadn't noticed him, until the guide showed it to us.

Hike info:

Destination: Lakatnik Eco Trail

Mountain: the Balkans

Total length: 9 km

Elevation gain: 240 m

Total duration (plus rest): 3 h

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: boxers, socks, orange hat in the backpack

I: Black Grasser T-shirt, lingerie, socks, knitted hat and gloves in the backpack

:The trees in Sofia still haven't started to blossom and I was amazed to see trees in bloom in Lakatnik. Spring is definitely ahead there.

There were lots of late spring flowers, while the early flowers like snowdrops and crocuses had wilted.

The trail starts at the foot of the rocks and gradually climbs up to the top. And do not worry, I'm not sitting on the edge, there is a three layered terrace under, but I like the illusion of danger this picture creates :)

The views from the top of the rocks are magnificent - the endless chain of the Balkans, the meandering Iskar below and the steep canyon walls above it - it's breathtaking!

The road and the railway tracks follow the curves of the river through the pass

A memorial to the climbers and mountaineers, who have lost their lives

A memorial, built during the communist era, to the victims of the workers' revolt in 1923

Krushuna Waterfalls

The last place we visited on our way back from the Black Sea were the Krushuna Waterfalls. This is a series of travertine waterfalls on the Krushuna river, in the Balkan mountains. I had read a lot about the place and every year we travelled east I had an idea to pass through the waterfalls, finally this year we managed it. It would have been better to go there on a work day and not on a Sunday in August, when the place was packed, but it couldn't be helped. Still, we enjoyed the two hours walk through the park.

: The Krushuna River

:The Blue Pool

:The Waterfall

: Maarata - the cave, where from Krushuna river springs

:The limestone rocks, which give rise to many rivers, waterfalls and caves in the region

:The upper part of the Waterfall

:The Secret Waterfall

:The end of the trail :)