Day 3: Around Bulgaria in 14 days

Did you notice that when you are in the mountains you wake up very early? It is always like that when we are out of town somewhere we wake up ready for new adventures. It was like that throughout our vacation. The third day began at about 7 o’clock. This day was a little more special than the other days because we would try to cross the Devil’s Eco Trail for the second time. The first time was unsuccessful because we did not choose the season very well (winter). This time we were determined to succeed. We had lunch at the hotel and talked to the two women who worked there. One was about 60 years old and told us that she passed the whole trail last year. Honestly, it was a little hard for me to believe, but it’s not impossible.

The Devil’s Path

By 10 o’clock with great enthusiasm we made our way to the path. From the village of Borino, the beginning is very close. The road to it is nice though with a few holes. There is a large parking lot before the walkway. The Devil’s Eco Trail has two entrances, one is the one we chose and the other is from the Buinovo Gorge. I would recommend that you come from the village of Borino as well – later you will find out why. Before leaving, prepare water and food, because there are fountains on the road, but they are dry and you will be climbing a lot.

This is where our adventure began. Already at the beginning of the trail we saw a beautiful waterfall.

After the waterfall there is a wooden bridge that passes over the river Chatak Dere, followed by the first arbor.

The devil’s eco-trail has two circles – small – 3.5km and large – 10km. Naturally we chose the small circle and immediately passed through a narrow and long wooden bridge. Climbing started from here. We started at an altitude of 800 m and reached 1200m. Already at the beginning of the path on one of the signs it was written that there was a tree called “The lyre of Orpheus”, I was looking forward to see what that tree would be and I kept looking for something different, but alas. I even thought we missed him. At the top, there is a beautiful and large lawn with several gazebos. We rested on one of them and continued on our way. And by surprise the tree was there. It has very interesting grown branches like a pound, you can not help noticing.

After 10-15 minutes of walking we came to a wooden arbor with a very nice view of the Eagle Eye. We stopped to admire the view. It was really beautiful.

This is where the great descent begins. The trail is unique, descending steep wooden stairs with wooden barriers, which are stuck literally in the rocks.

When we reached the lowest point of the Devil’s Eco Trail it was time for a short break right by the river, as we were about to climb the canyon of the river. Two very high sheer cliffs along which there are wooden stairs, and when you look down you see the flowing river. It was definitely the most extreme steps I have ever climbed. It crosses a wooden bridge from one rock to another and you can see a waterfall hidden between the rocks. The waterfall splashes keep you cool and it’s really nice, but when I looked down, my legs went down. The steep ascent of the rocks begins. Here I recommend that you only look up.

We dealt with this obstacle and after a little more walking in the woods we finally reach the Devil’s Bridge. It is a rock arch about 18 meters high. A steep wooden ladder descends below the bridge if your adrenaline rush comes in more than one country and has another path.

After a little more walking, we reached the starting point. This is how the Devil’s Eco Trail ended. We were very, very happy, this was perhaps the most exciting eco trail I have ever gone through. I would definitely visit her 100 more times. We didn’t stop talking about our adventure all day. We returned to the hotel at noon and headed to our next destination – Ognyanovo village.

Ognyanovo

From Borino village to Ognyanovo the road is 1h 30min. The resort is located in Southwestern Bulgaria, Garmen Municipality. It is known for its mineral springs. The mineral water is hot 43 ° C, clear, colorless, odorless, slightly mineralized and with low overall water hardness. It is used for the treatment of a number of diseases: neurological, bone-joint, gastrointestinal, endocrine and others

The guest house we stayed at was TWIN HOUSE. The houses are new, clean, well-furnished rooms with balconies and a swimming pool. After we settled down and rested for a while, it was time for dinner. We looked at dinner websites and opted for the Waterfront Restaurant. Located next to the rowing base (at least that’s what people call it) A very nice place to ride a water bike or just sit for a break. The service was level and the food was delicious, combined with the beautiful view and the setting sun was fabulous.

After a long day full of adrenaline and a nice dinner, it was time for a well-deserved rest. Thus ended the third day of our trip to Bulgaria.