Nature park Stranja: Tourism
The Strandja Natural park offers visitors, tourists and participants in ecological, ethnographical or archeological expeditions its touristic and recreational resources providing an opportunity for an unforgivable experience in this beautiful spot of Bulgaria.
You can gain the park`s natural and cultural landmarks along the main thoroughfares. The highway № 9 /Е87/ is one of them. It is a first-rate road, passing along the southern Black sea coast to Tsarevo town and from there branching off to Malko Tarnovo in direction to the Republic of Turkey. The highway № 98 is the other thoroughfare – a first-rate road that branches off from Е87 in Poda locality near Bourgas and leads to Malko Tarnovo through Bosna locality and Zvezdets village. Travelling along it, you can enjoy a typical Strandja scenery, rest by road fountains and shelters and pass over the beautiful Kovach locality along the big viaduct above Veleka river. Travelling along Е87 is more fascinating because the road runs mostly by the sea coast, leads to Tsarevo and from there to the recesses of Strandja. The Bourgas airport is situated within 75 km of the northern park`s border. If your trip starts from Bourgas and you do not have a vehicle of your own you can travel by bus from the Yug bus station to Tsarevo and Ahtopol and from the Zapad bus station to Malko Tarnovo.
The Strandja Natural park Directorate will offer you mountain, ecological, ornithological, sport, cultural routes, tourist guides, information on accommodation and catering facilities. You can put up at cosy private rooms or small family boarding-houses along the Black sea coast. There are also camping-sites and bivouac-sites in the valleys of Veleka and Mladejka rivers.
Places of interest
Brashlian village is an architectural and historical reserve. You can enjoy well preserved Strandja houses from XVIII–XIX century proclaimed architectural monuments. The old-time church St. Dimitar with a small school built up as early as the end of the XVII century is an architectural monument as well. The ethnographical collection and the information visitor centre of the park Directorate are of interest.
Malko Tarnovo is a municipal centre. You can visit the architectural museum complex, Golemiat vris fountain in the town centre, the orthodox church Uspenie Bogorodichno, which is an architectural and historical monument, the Eastern Catholic cathedral Sveta Troitsa, the natural science museum, in which many photos and pleasant games introduce children to the unique Strandja nature. The Thracian tomb in Propada locality situated within 4 km north-west of the town and the Thracian beehive tomb in Mishkova niva locality are archeological monuments. The latter is of national importance. The puddles that represent traditional washing in the open, are tourist attractions.
You can visit the following architectural monuments in Ahtopol town: the remnants of an ancient fortress in the town, the Vaznesenie Hristovo church, the fortress wall, the museum collection, the building of the old Greek school.
Indipasha locality is interesting because of its ancient Thracian consecrated ground. Ancient thracians made offerings in this deep, sunless glen, under the overhanging rock with a gushing healing spring. The locality was still visited during the Christian age by hundreds of pilgrims looking for healing. It is situated within 18 km of Malko Tarnovo in direction to Slivarovo village.
The places of interest in the historical locality Petrova niva are the Memorial of the heroes who died in the Preobrajensko uprising in 1903 and the museum collection. The locality is situated within 14 km of Zvezdets village.
The clear and swift-flowing mountain river Mladejka takes its source from karst springs situated near Mladejko village. There are caves and remnants of an early Byzantine fortress in the region.
You can enjoy the forest collection in Gramatikovo village, which will introduce you to Strandja nature in an interesting way.
Balgari village is the only place where the enigmatic fire-dancing ritual is performed in its authentic manner. You can see it every year on St. St. Konstantin and Elena Day /old style/ – 3 June.