Danube River and Black Sea

Day 1: Arrival in Tutrakan

Individual arrival in international airports in Bucharest, Romania or Varna, Bulgaria. The Sofia Airport is an option, but using this airport requires an extra night in Sofia and a longer trip to Tutrakan.

You will arrive to Tutrakan, a small northeastern town in Bulgaria, where Bulgarians, Turks, and Romanians have tamed the Danube floodplains for centuries. These people have worked the fertile land of the wild forests of the Ludogorie Plateau for centuries. Local traditions of farming and fishing continue to form the social foundation of local life. We will focus on the Fisherman neighborhood of Ribarska mahala and learn about the remains of the fortress of Transmarisca, which was founded by Romans in 200 AD in order to strengthen the Danube Limes of the Roman Empire.

For those that arrive early, a visit to the Tutrakan WWI memorial and WWI trench experience hall can be arranged. Another option is a boat/kayak trip along the Danube for an additional fee.

You will have a delicious welcome dinner along the Danube, where you will also have an itinieary review and a safety meeting to ensure that all travelers have the same understanding.

Day 2: Tutrakan to Popina, Kayak & bike
31 mi/50 km, +1475 ft/450 m, moderate route

Today begins with a kayaking tour down the Danube, with the Turakan river zone offering pleasant conditions for kayaking. As the route progresses, we will glide with the current through canals, past the islands of Pojarevo Nature Reserve. This area has easy paddling and allows you to also enjoy some birdwatching.

In the case of rain, you will cycle directly from the hotel in Tutrakan, riding along unforgettable views and the remains of the ancient Roman road towards the Malak Preslavets Lake. Upon arrival, you are awarded a riverfront hotel in the village of Popina, where you can enjoy swimming by the river and an open-air restaurant with a menu filled with local fish.

Day 3: Popina to Silistra
28 mi/45 km, +1150 ft/350 m, mostly easy

You will begin the day with a long incline towards flat terrain where you adventure through sections of dirt roads. You will pass beautiful apricot and cherry orchards on your way to Srebarna Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, representing Lower Danube wildlife. On your ride around Srebarna Lake towards the village of Aydemir, you may even see the precious Dalmatian Pelican colony.

As you continue your cycling journey, you will enter the town of Silistra, which sheltered one of the earliest European Christian communities. This town later became a seat of the Bulgarian Church in 870 AD when it was recognized as autonomous by the Constantinople Patriarch. This town is rich in Roman, Bulgarian, and Ottoman history. The pre-historic Thracin village, then known as Durostorum, was where Roman general Flavius Aetius-- the "Last of the Romans"-- was born. Flavius Aetius was known for defeating Attila the Hun on June 20, 451 AD in Gaul. The Ottoman Silistra fort overlooks the Danube from atop a hill. This fortress, built in the 1830's during the reign of Sultan Abdul Mejid, commemorates the last decades of Ottoman presence in the Danube.

Day 4: Silistra to Adamclisi
44 mi/70 km, +1970 ft/600 m, terrain with rolling hills

You will cross from Bulgaria into Romania through Silestra in the morning. From there, you can expect ride along the Danube, passing by energetic villages and breathtaking lakes. On the high bank of Garlica Lake, you will see the striking Dervent Orthodox monastery of Romania's Dobrogea region. This monastery was founded by a Bulgarian monk in the 1920's, where it became equally worshipped by Bulgarians and Romanians for its vast collection of holy relics and its healing spring, lvzor.

Continuing on, the path leads past several lakes and villages. At lunchtime, the group will stop for lunch at an outdoor restaurant near the protected Negureni Forest. After lunch, you will ride alongside vineyards and back towards the Danube. Finally reaching your evening destination, Adamclisi, where your accomodations sit close to the Tropheum Traiani and a monument to commemorate the victories of Emperor Train.

Day 5: Adamclisi in Romania to Krapec in Bulgaria
37 mi/60 km, +1150 ft/350 m, flat terrain

After you embark on the next section of your journey along the Danube, the group will board the van and drive to Mangalia, where land meets the Black Sea. This town was once the Ancient Greek polis of Kallatis and heavily fortified by the Romans in 2 AD. There was a major life gap in this town until the small fishing village enlarged during Ottoman rule.

You will begin your ride along the tourist seaside of Mangalia, where you will first stop to visit Esmahan Sultan Mosque. Built in 1575, this is the oldest building in the town. You will then cycle from Mangalia to Vama Veche village, an artistic community of Romania and Bucharest. A mile from there is the Bulgarian border, where you will soon experience the peaceful Durankulak Lake, a sharp contrast to the bustling Romanian resorts. Durankulak Lake is a protected ornithological site and an important wintering habitat for Red-breasted Geese. In the lake stands an island where scientists have traced cultures from the 5th millenium to the Middle Ages. They have even excavated the largest pre-historic cemetery in Europe on this lake.

You will then approach the exuberant seaside village of Krapec as you drift across a picturesque dirt road. Here, you can enjoy the open-air pool and Bulgarian specialties in a seaside restaurant. You will spend the night in the village of Krapec.

Day 6: Krapec to Balgarevo village
31 mi/50 km, + 984 ft/300 m, flat terrain

As you ride across the flat cliff coast of Bulgarian Dobrudja, you will see a plethora of natural, historical, and archeological sites. Next, you will embark on the most thrilling part of your tour.

As you bike to Yailata archeological reserve, you will pass remarkable cliff bridges and rocky pillars emerging from the sea. The momentous terraces left by the Thracian culture emerge from the water. This once holy place had carved sanctuaries and grave chambers in the cliffs. You will continue riding through the marvelous landscape of Rusalka, where a coastal lagoon stretches between the sea and the lofty cliffs.

As the day progresses, you will focus on Cape Kaliakra-- an enormous 60-meter-high cape, located two kilometers under the sea. This is the most exceptional landmark on the European Black Sea shore. You will see ruins of old and medieval fortresses arising from the rust-colored rocks. The night is spent in Balgarevo village, a village famous for mussel farms and melon fields.

Day 7: Balgarevo to Balchik
28 mi/45 km, +984 ft/300 m descending terrain with ups-and-downs

You'll begin by cycling from Balgarevo to Balchik. A steep decline sends you from a plateau to an attractive, hilly seaside. When you arrive in Balchik, a town spreading from the beach to the top of the plateau, you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich culture of this quaint town. Balchik is ancestor of the Hellenistic Dionysopolis, the town of the ancient God of wine and wilderness Bacchus-Dionys. You can learn about Balchik's abundant history and find the best-preserved temple for the Mother Goddess on the Balkans and the small streets lined with limestone houses. You will take a walk in "The Quiet Nest" Royal Villa of Queen Maria of Romania and explore the nearby Botanical garden.

Day 8:Balchik to Varna
19 mi/30 km, + 1315 ft/400 m, mostly hilly with more traffic as you approach the city

The route today will lead you into Varna, the oldest cosmopolitan city along the Western Black Sea. Leaving Balchik, the bike path leads to the near by resort of Albena. The route offers amazing views and an option to have a detour to Ak Yasili Baba Tekke - the remains of a Dervish monastery and a mausoleum of an Alevi Muslim saint, known as baba. On the way to the accommodation you will ride amidst the Baltata swamp forest to the sandy beaches of Albena.

Follow along a panoramic seaside road that ascends across the subtropical forest of Golden Sands Nature Park. Sitting in the middle of the park is the Aladja Monastery, establish amongst the remains of early Christian catacombs before later being used as a comastery during medieval times. The monastery has earned its place as a popular site among tourists due to how it was constructed by carving caves into the soft white rock walls.

After departing the park, you will make your final descent into the city of Varna. The city is the ancestor of the large Greek-Roman city Odessos and dates back to 5000 BC. Varna has a vast history among many different cultures. The monumental heritage of the city consists of spectacular Roman Baths, remains of medieval monasteries, the Orthodox Cathedral and other smaller churches, old town architecture and the Public Baths (early 20th century), the royal Euxinograd Palace, along with one of the biggest Communist Bulgarian-Soviet monuments. All this history is situated alongside lively beaches and fine restaurants with delicious seafood.

Day 9: Transfer to Varna Airport