In the south of Bulgaria, right up against the border with Turkey, lie two wild and fairly uninhabited mountain areas. From the Black Sea and westward, you’ll find Strandzha, and then the Rhodope Mountains take over as you approach Greece.
Books are often an inspiration for wanderlust. We read a wide range of genres and are often inspired by a good book. We enjoyed reading *Border* by the Bulgarian author Kapka Kassabova, which inspired us to visit this somewhat mythical border area in the mountains between Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Here, history has shaped many destinies, and different cultures, peoples, and languages are closely intertwined for better or worse. Kassabova writes vividly and excellently, and the book is an easy read.
In early May 2024, we embarked on a trip through Europe with this area as our goal. First, we spent a few days in Romania exploring fortified churches in the Brasov area.
Read here: Fortified Churches in Transylvania – Romania
About the Carpathians: Romania, road trip and off road in Carpathians
Lisi Vrah, «Fox and Frog» Campsite
When we travel, we prefer to avoid big cities, so when we needed a stop midway through Bulgaria, we used Google Maps to find a campsite out in the countryside. This led us to a beautiful place, Lisi Vrah Campsite, near Bulgaria’s oldest town, Pliska.
The campsite is run by an enterprising Scottish couple who bought a run-down smallholding here 19 years ago and built a campsite. The owners, Tracy and John, were very friendly and helpful. They were tired of rainy Scotland. As John said, in Scotland, it rained both from above and below, while here in Bulgaria they had 300 sunny days a year.
We also met two other British couples who had also bought a place in the area. Bulgaria is one of Europe’s poorest countries, and combined with the depopulation of the countryside, it becomes very affordable to buy a place here.
The Black Sea
An attempt to camp by the Black Sea, south of Burgas, went much worse. Everything was closed, but we managed to sneak into a winter-closed spot and stayed overnight among caravans partially buried in sand and cabins made of planks and billboards. A very rustic experience.
We also visited the coastal town of Nessebar. The town is on UNESCO’s list and is said to have a fantastic old town. It was a disappointment. Apart from an old closed church, the town was an over-restored tourist trap, a shopping center in Disneyland style.
Strandzha
Strandzha is dense forest, deep ravines, small waterfalls, deserted villages, and poor roads. In other words, an excellent destination for those who like to explore “hidden spots.” In addition to grand nature, the area is rich in cultural heritage, particularly the Thracians, who left their mark with many burial sites. Southern Bulgaria was the core area for this mysterious people who lived here from around 1000 BC. They did not have a written language, but the Greeks described the Thracians as barbaric warriors. They were not only that; they left behind many richly decorated graves and artifacts.
In such a remote area, folklore and superstition continue. If you’re lucky, you can experience fire dancing, a major annual festival that likely originates from the Thracians, where people walk on embers.
Strandzha has a turbulent past. Under communism, many people from the east went on holiday to the Black Sea with the aim of crossing the border here, and many of them lie in unmarked graves in the forest after being shot by border guards. The area has also experienced many migrations between the different countries that collide here. Now there is a certain pressure of migrants from Turkey into the EU.
Several roads lead into the area, and we chose to drive road 99 from Tsarevo on the Black Sea coast. The road was narrow and winding but in reasonably good condition. A bit potholed and with small surprises, like a herd of wild boar in the middle of the road around a bend.
There are many villages, but what they all have in common is that they are largely deserted. For us as tourists, it’s like traveling back in time to the 1950s-60s. As we turned off road 99 to take a side road to the village of Kosti, we were stopped by the police. They wanted to know where we were going and where we would stay overnight. Wild camping is allowed in Bulgaria, but not in national parks. But we planned to rent a place, and the police officer was satisfied with that. Closer to the Turkish border, there were more checks to catch illegal migration.
Read about fire dancing: fire-dancing-the-beautiful-pagan-custom-in-the-strandzha-mountain/
Kosti
Upon arriving in Kosti, we struggled a bit to find the accommodation. There were three private rentals on Google Maps, but we couldn’t figure out which houses they were. We followed the map and drove around among old houses, many clearly deserted. But the map was inaccurate, and there were no signs. At the last place, we got lucky. We found the house, but seemingly no one was home. An old lady came shuffling along and pointed to the neighboring house. That’s where we were supposed to knock. So, we got a cozy, old house to ourselves, complete with a garden and chickens next door.
The house was several hundred years old and had a lot of history in the walls. It had been inhabited by both Turks and Greeks throughout time. Changing political conditions have led to the replacement of the population. As late as the 1980s, the country was to be bulgarified and the Turks were forced to change to a Bulgarian name. This in turn led to a mass emigration to Turkey where around 350,000 Turks left Bulgaria.
When it comes to finding accommodation, use Google Maps. Booking.com and similar sites have almost no listings.
Margo Guest House, Kosti
Margo Guest House
Hiking
From the square in Kosti, there are many options for hiking. We prefer to walk on trails, but most routes were on forest roads. However, the hike to Kazancheto waterfall is partly on a trail. The terrain is very hilly and densely covered with deciduous forest. There is a mystical atmosphere, especially at the waterfall, which is located at the bottom of a narrow valley. The waterfall cannot be called impressive with a drop of a few meters and very moderate water flow, but the overall atmosphere compensates for that.
Malko Tarnovo
After a couple of days in Kosti, we headed toward Malko Tarnovo, the largest town in Strandzha, located close to the Turkish border. On the way, we stopped at the “Rhododendron Kingdom” in the national park. A very nice loop trail that takes you through lush deciduous forest and large thickets of wild-growing rhododendron.
The town is a bit worn, like most of the buildings in this remote area, but has several pleasant dining places. A short drive towards Turkey is a Thracian burial site. A narrow road through a tunnel of blooming bird cherry led us there.
Rodopifjellene
We eventually realized that we had mistimed our trip a bit. Mid-May was too early. Quite cold and a fair bit of rain. People said it was unusually cold for the season, but that didn’t encourage us much.
In any case, our stay in Strandzha was shorter than we wanted. The next stop was the Rhodope Mountains, which lie west of Strandzha, towards the Greek border.
Like Strandzha, the area is desolate, with small villages and narrow roads. The mountains are higher than in Strandzha, with the highest peak at about 2,200 meters. The mountainous area is covered in dense forest and intersected by narrow gorges with fast-flowing rivers. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking.
Unfortunately, our visit to the mountains was quite short as the long-term weather forecast predicted rain and fog. But we did manage to stay overnight at Eco Camping Batak, beautifully situated by Lake Batak. We were the only guests and could enjoy the view over the partially fog-covered lake where wild horses roamed along the shore. Until the campsite owner chased them away. It was certainly exotic, but their droppings were not popular.
The owner had lived in the USA and spoke fluent English. According to him, Bulgaria was the freest country in Europe. Here, everything was allowed, unless it was strictly forbidden. And maybe even then a little allowed too.
The wild horses are due to the fact that when Bulgaria joined the EU, horse-drawn carts were no longer allowed on the main roads. And there were quite a few horses. Instead of turning them into sausages, the farmers simply set the horses free, perhaps as a protest, and they have thrived and multiplied in the Rhodopes.
The next day we drove into a large herd of horses walking right in the middle of the road. We continued a bit further into the mountains, but the weather was miserable, and according to the weather forecast, it was sunny in North Macedonia, so we set course for the west.
Review of Border: border-kapka-kassabova
Inditravel.org is a non-commercial blog. When we mention accommodations and campsites, it’s only because we want to describe an experience, while also supporting places we enjoyed visiting. Not all places are equally pleasant. Those we do not mention.
