Vratsa

The mountains and woods are ideal for developing a variety of tourist activities, including hunting and fishing, skiing, speleology, delta-gliding, and photo-tourism.

There are excellent options for climbing, cycling sport, and adrenaline seekers may go hanggliding and paragliding, or go to carting, buggy, and motocross racing circuits.

Rest and entertainment are given in the form of swimming pools for children and adults, water cycles, discos, bars, and restaurants, as well as outstanding hotel amenities and service. There are rope lines at the Parshevitsa Chalet to accommodate winter sports enthusiasts, and the skiing trails are considered to be well maintained.

Additionally, there is a History Museum and an Ethnographic and Revival Complex.

Vratsa Balkan Nature Reserve

The Vratsa Balkan Nature Reserve was established as a national park in 1989 and later as a nature reserve on November 13, 2003, by Decree No 987. The park encompasses a large area in northeastern Bulgaria, including practically the whole of the Vratsa region’s Balkan Mountain Range (The Stara Planina).

The reserve covers an area of 28,344 hectares and is home to a diverse array of animal and plant species. The park protects 57 kinds of plant life that are classified in Bulgaria’s Red Book (a list of all endangered and extinct forms of life within the country’s boundaries). Eight of them are listed as critically endangered, including scaly heather (Asplenium lepidum C. Presl) and long-leaved hare’s ear (Bupleurum longifolium)

The park features oak and beech belts that are home to 180 bird species, including 157 that are protected under the Biodiversity Act. The park is home to black storks (Ciconia nigra), rock eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and green woodpeckers (Picus viridis). The park is home to a variety of mammals, including deer, wild cats, badgers, otters, and black polecats.

There are around 170 waterfalls in the park between May and June, and 17 remain active throughout the year.

The Skaklya Falls, located around 10 kilometers north of Svoge, are Bulgaria’s tallest seasonal falls at 141 meters. On October 11, 1965, Decree No 3794 designated this waterfall as a natural landmark, and it is now classified in the Bulgarian Register of Protected Areas and Regions. Another noteworthy waterfall is Pine Rock Falls, which takes its name from a neighboring black pine. This 63-meter-high waterfall is situated near the hamlet of Zgorigrad.

Additionally, the park has the Vratsa Cliffs, 400-meter-high sheer karst cliffs that are the tallest on the Balkan Peninsula. The ruins of the medieval Vratitsa (or Vratsa) Fortress date from the tenth to the twelveth century. There are guardrails in place to assist hikers as they scale the cliffs. The Ledenika Cave is reached by the route that runs via the Vratsa Pass. There are around 140 routes for rock climbers of varied difficulties on the steep granite sides of the cliffs.

The Vratsa Balkan Nature Reserve is a popular location for ecological and alpine tourism due to its varied terrain, closeness to the city of Vratsa, and various inhabited regions. The Cart Rails are a series of four rock barriers located near the town of Lyutibrod. Local inhabitants dubbed the formations because their uncanny resemblance to a big ox cart; they also resemble the jagged walls of a destroyed castle due to their jagged appearance.

The Rashov Ravine, located near the Cart Rails, is a historical site involved with the 1876 April Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.

A medieval sheep corral has been restored on the top portion of the field, since this is where the fight was joined. A chapel is located on the field, and a memorial plaque honors those who perished during the revolt.

The Lakatnishki Cliffs are another protected location inside the park, offering several climbing routes. These cliffs are located on the left bank of the Iskar River, close to Dark Hole and Razhishka Caves.

The Holy Mother of God Monastery, commonly known as the Seven Thrones, is located four kilometers from the settlement of Osenovlag. It was probably established during the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1393). The monastery was established by seven rulers or seven brothers, according to mythology. The monastery church has seven distinct altars, making it the sole church of its kind in Bulgaria. The monastery provides lodging.

Saint Ivan of the Desert, commonly known as the Bistrets Monastery, is another monastery in Vratsa’s Bistrets neighborhood.

A stone cross honors the revolutionary Hristo Botev (1848-1876) and his involvement in the 1876 April Uprising atop the heights of Okolchitsa (1048), which have also been designated a nature reserve. Each year on June 2, the anniversary of Botev’s death, a memorial ceremony is performed at the foot of the monument in his honor. Botev was assassinated at Yolkovitsa, 2 kilometers from Okolchitsa Peak.

The Vratsa Balkans Nature Park has sixteen tourist trails that pass through a range of landscapes and natural sites. Eight of these routes have been developed, each with informative signs explaining the nature of the route: “The World of Ecology”; “Mountains for Beginners”; “A Fairytale Forest Trail”; Insurrection Gorge – Skaklya Falls – Vratsa; “Karst and Biological Diversity”; “The Forest – Where Life Is Welcome”; “In the Footsteps of Botev’s Revolutionaries”; and “Ancient and

Visitors may contact The Natura Nature Center for information about established tourist routes, cycling paths, guides, local communities, and hotels. Apart from providing important information, the center also conducts guided tours of the park and also holds exhibitions. The facility offers classes and seminars, as well as equestrian riding training. Additionally, air excursions, ultra-light flights, and other activities are provided.