A walk through the picturesque nature around the town of Lukovit [4k video]

We have so much to tell. This summer we again went on tours in our beloved Bulgaria. We will start with our walk to Lukovit. The nature there is known for its beauty. Whenever we walk in this area – we never regret it. We decided to visit one of our favorite eco-trails, namely “Iskar-Panega”. For at least 3 times now we are walking through the incredibly beautiful nature and every time I feel as if I am passing through this eco-trail for the first time. It is no coincidence that it is one of my favorites!

We combined the walk there with a visit to several other landmarks, because in the area of Lukovit there is something to see and maybe one day is not enough.

And so we left Plovdiv at 14:00, we arrived around 16:30. We left our luggage at the hotel, put our backpacks on our backs and there was no smoke. We were eager to breathe the fresh air and walk along the charming eco-trail.

Iskar-Panega Geopark is located 110 km from Sofia, 2 km from Lukovit and 55 km from Pleven. Traveling on the Hemus highway in the direction of Pleven, shortly after Yablanitsa, passing through the village of Zlatna Panega, the village of Rumyantsevo, the village of Petrevene and before the sign for the town of Lukovit on the left there is a parking lot that you can not miss. This is the starting point. Large information boards, a fountain, a gazebo and a caravan from which food or drinks can be bought are waiting for us in the parking lot.

Welcome to Geopark Iskar – Panega. The beginning of the trail begins with an arch, which is a mini version of the Prohodna cave. Then comes, perhaps, the hardest part. First are the steep stones, and then a few steep steps, made to provide additional assistance to tourists. There are wooden railings everywhere and it is well secured.

This part can be missed if you find it very difficult for you. In the parking lot, there is a gazebo, and next to it is the other path. The route is certainly not difficult, even easy, except for the steep part at the beginning. It is completely suitable for the most inexperienced tourists. After we have passed the steep section and some stones, the first gazebo and a wooden bridge can be seen on the horizon. Well here is the only place where you can go wrong, because you do not cross the bridge. There is a sign on the pavilion “Eco-trail ->”, which points in the other direction. A little disappointing that we have to miss it… We continue on a flat meadow and reach the first bridge that will take us to the opposite bank of the river Zlatna Panega. We saw that there were people going down the river in canoes.

From here there is a walk along the river. The water was mirrored, calm and calm with a milky blue color.

Truly unique! You just can’t help but stop every 100 meters for a photo. My favorite bridges start, the river shifts to the left, then to the right.

Lots of gazebos and places to relax. Not to forget the numerous seahorses that flew around us. The feeling is amazing!

We reach the most fabulous place – a sheer rock, with a bridge along it, and under the bridge the river. It’s time to walk touching the rock and leaning over the river. It is beautiful! There are two such bridges. I have no words to express how much I like everything…

At the end of the trail there is a cave, which has not yet been explored. We tried to see what was in the cave, but I was scared because it was dark. As curious as we were, we decided to give up our walk inside. Does anyone know there can be a big bear: D.

Shortly afterwards is the end of our favorite eco-trail. A large lawn with tables and benches and gazebos with barbecues. We sat down to rest, took pictures and video with the drone, and suddenly gray clouds appeared and it started to thunder. We packed our things and hurried in the opposite direction. It still doesn’t rain ..

Since we were in a hurry, we decided to go through the eco-trail once more the next morning. That’s what we did!

We got in the car, but we didn’t want to go back to the hotel, we wanted to go around as many sights as possible. So we went to Prohodna Cave, also known as the Eyes of the God. It is located 11 km from the eco-trail and 2 km from the village of Karlukovo. It is difficult to miss the turnoff for the cave, because there is a large sign with an arrow. Shortly afterwards there was a parking lot and signs “with a vehicle up to here”, but there were also cars right next to the entrance of the cave. We left the car in the parking lot and left. This is the third time we have visited this incredible phenomenon. Surrounded by the greenery of the picturesque Iskar Gorge, Prohodna Cave is the biggest attraction of the Karlukovo karst complex and unique in the world. Unique because in it, just like living things, two natural forms of eyes, resembling eyes – God’s eyes are gazing. The cave has two entrances – large and small. We enter from the main entrance.

Right in front of its entrance we came across a group of climbers capturing the surrounding rocks. It is also one of the few caves in Bulgaria where bungee jumping is practiced (I hope I will soon have the courage to jump too).

When leaving the cave, two paths start from the other end. The right one is for the Cave House, which reveals a wonderful view of the Iskar gorge, and the left one reaches a small cave. We could not walk along the paths, because when you are in the cave, time flies imperceptibly.

Then we decided to go to a beautiful gazebo with a unique view. Last year we happened to see her while walking around the area. We found our way to it and as soon as we got on we were calm and did not want to leave. That’s why this time we couldn’t help but spend time with her.

It is located about 2 km from Prohodna Cave or 4 minutes by car, of course. We set off on the road to Lukovit and soon there is a sign, we turn left and follow the signs. The road is narrow, but it is asphalt. There is something like a parking lot, we leave the car there and continue on foot on a dirt road. After about 500 meters it is so lonely on top of the rock – our favorite gazebo. The first thing we did was to leave our things and enjoy the divine view.

I have no idea how much time we spent there, but I know for sure that we could have stayed up all night (if there were no little flying bugs).

It was time for dinner, we left the fabulous Gazebo and headed to the restaurant “Rodina” in Lukovit. Their cuisine is very good! Every time we are in the area we always go to “score” something tasty.

In one afternoon we gathered so much energy and “filled” our eyes with a lot of beauty …

And here is the video from our visit to Iskar-Panega Geopark: