strandja mountain

A lovely place to visit. Great walks, beautiful sites and waterfalls. You will not make a mistake if you go. Be careful to bring IDs as it is close to the border and you might get pulled over. Otherwise everything is peaceful and magnificent!

Strandja is not just a mountain but a whole forested region in the south-east of Bulgaria, which has been designated as a national park and nature reserve. It runs from (approximately) Primorsko (on the Black Sea coast) southwards to the border with Turkey and stretches up to 100km or so westwards. It encompasses a few towns and many villages, some of which have seen little change in a century or more (in Communist times large parts of Strandja were in the border zone, and so were off limits to almost everyone apart from the military and people who were born there). Some of the flora and fauna are either very rare or unique to the region -- the plant of which the locals are most proud is a type of rhododendron that only grows in Strandja, but there are also bears, wolves, eagles and many other animals. One local tradition that survives is that of the "nestinarki" or fire-walkers: these religiously-inspired souls take part in a ceremony in which they walk across hot embers, apparently without ill effect. For the tourist there are other cultural sights, such as the village of Brashlyan, where houses are still built with the traditional appearance and singers regularly perform folk songs and dances for visitors; and in Malko Turnovo it's possible to hire a guide for a nominal fee and take a trip into a restricted zone to see the remains of an ancient settlement whose main feature is a large temple. There is also a well-attended annual festival of traditional Bulgarian music, which takes place in a large meadow about halfway between Tsarevo and Malko Turnovo. For walkers and flower and wildlife enthusiasts there are many trails through the region, which you can either walk on your own or do with a guided group, large or small. There are also boat trips on the Ropotamo and Veleka rivers, and in Sinemorets village you can hire horses and go riding alongside the river. The coast from Sinemorets to Rezovo (the village on the border with Turkey) is rugged and provides an interesting day's walk along narrow paths, often quite high above steep rocks and small coves, but sometimes dropping down to almost-unvisited beaches. In Rezovo you can watch the sun set over seemingly-endless ancient oak forest stretching westwards into the Bulgarian and Turkish interior. Strandja is truly one of Europe's undiscovered treasures.

Lovely undeveloped sandy coves & rugged coastline, Wild mountain forested park full of wildlife & fab autumn colours. Warm people & incredibly cheap to eat & live. Best villages are just 10 kilometers from coast in the park, authentic old houses, but sparsely populated. Weve been all over Bulgaria & this southern coast the best area, totally missed by most west eoropeans. (2nd best is Stara Planina near to Gabrovo) Weather in July & Aug tooo hot, but April May June, Sept, Oct are PERFECT, hardly any rain and consistent blue skies, In 2011 we had 15 degrees C in November & March! (we keep coming back) .HOUSEHUNTERS PARADISE, but very few here for sale, DONT be tempted by cheap houses in the north west, near the danube or in the central plain,they are worthless, its money down the drain, Location matters more here than any other country in europe ! - even ski areas and resorts north of burgas are stagnant and oversold.If you like ECO tourism this area south of ropotamo river is for you!

Except the bumpy road after Malko Tranovo, it's really excellent expirience to see some real old vilages that preserved the life style in last 400 years. A lot of trails along the river (I didn't check the shore) and the driving is most of the time in the forest. The recommended trip is going on the highway to Zvezdets and then to Malko Tranovo, then to Tsarevo and back to Burgas via Sozopol.

really value for money, great coming back down on the chair lift

Spent a couple of days exploring with friends, but barely scratched the surface of this huge area of forest. Spectacular views, great walks, beautiful flora and fauna - even saw wild boar and a black stork on the same day while exploring various areas.

Go there to enjoy the pure nature! Simply to find a real beauty or maybe to find the Rhododendron ponticum... Go to Ropotamo too

Beautifully situated at Black Sea along Bulgarian-Turkish border (formerly no-man zone) the mountain boosts virgin forests, rivers with many endemic plants and fauna. Our five-days trip to Stranja culminated with the "nestinari" festival held at village of Balgari on 3rd of June - the feast day of St.St. Konstantin and Elena. The tradition of dancing on hot embers originated centuries B.C. with Thracian king falling into a trance and walking into the fire thus showing theit divinity. Later the pagan custom interwove with Christianity. The day of processions and folk performances peaked with the dance of three nestinari under the bagpipe and drum accompaniment.

Sunny Beach er blevet et populært turistmål, elsket for sit strand- og natteliv. Men ikke så langt derfra finder du en af EU's bedste nationalparker på og omkring bjerget Strandja - eller Странджа, som det staves lokalt. Udsigten og naturen er unik. Det er et dejligt sted at revitalisere efter nogle dage i Burgas eller Sunny Beach

Место живописное, хотя бы один день там стоит провести. Невероятный воздух и восхитительные виды. Это место находиться на территории национального парка. Также тут устраивают джип-сафари.

В горах Странджа расположен уникальный природный парк, площадью 1161 кв.км. В нём много животных и реликтовых растений. Мы приехали, чтобы полюбоваться цветением рододендронов. Это единственное место в Европе, где эти кустарники сохранились в природе! Получили огромное удовольствие!

Очень советую всем любителям природы, шикарные виды, шикарные зелёные горы, воздух, съездите не пожалеете.

Небольшой приморский поселок Синеморец находится на юго-востоке Болгарии, вблизи турецкой границы. Он расположен на территории национального парка "Странджа". Благодаря особому статусу местности, поселок выгодно отличается от других черноморских курортов страны отсутствием безвкусных многоэтажных отелей, обилием зелени и тишиной. Приехав сюда, я сразу почувствовала, что нахожусь в заповедном месте: зеленые холмы (отроги Странджи) сбегают к Черному морю, превращаясь у его кромки в скалы, из которых природа создала причудливые каменные фигуры. В северной части поселка в море впадает река Велека. Ее устье отделено от моря широкой песчаной косой, являющейся одним из красивейших и, увы, немногочисленных диких пляжей Болгарии. На юге Синеморца берет начало живописная экологическая тропа, по которой мимо крутых скал и уютных заливов можно дойти до турецкой границы. Тропа маркирована, а наиболее интересные природные объекты снабжены табличками с их описанием. Посетить эту часть Странджи я хотела бы, прежде всего, тем, кто устал от суеты больших городов и ищет тишины и покоя. А еще мне хотелось бы обратиться с призывом ко всем туристам вести себя достойно, находясь на территории национального парка, с тем, чтобы уникальный природный уголок не превратился с Вашей помощью в очередную помойку.

Было джип-сафари с пикником у "горной" речки с посещением "этнографической деревни" (один дом), скромного водопада и труднодоступной пещеры (реально грот).

Замечательное место, прекрасная природа, отличные пейзажи! Лучше всего взят машину и кого-то местного, чтобы посмотреть самые интересные места.