If staying close to the Northern Black Seaside or anywhere in North-Eastern Bulgaria, a must-see natural sight is the natural phenomena Pobiti Kamani – also known as the Stone Forest. The spot, made up of numerous, up to 7 m high stones perched on a very flat area – is considered to be a highly energy-charged place. If you want to make the best of your visit, you can also walk it barefoot (the walking paths are naturally covered with sand).
Visiting the sight takes about 1-2 hours and is enjoyable for adults and kids alike.
How were Pobiti Kamani formed?
There are many theories about the origin of the stones but most say this area used to be the bottom of a sea. And indeed, if you take a closer look at the stones, you will see they have traces from crustaceans on them. With the years, these formations, said to be made up of seaweed and bacteria, were growing from bottom to top, shaping up columns that are up to 7 meters high and up to 3 meters in diameter.
How to reach Pobiti Kamani
Pobiti Kamani is an easy 30 km drive from Varna, using the highway. If you drive from other parts of the country, you still need to get on the highway to Varna and then get off a few kilometers before the sight. There are several groups of stones but only the biggest one is marked on Google maps.
There is a free car park located just next to the main group of stones, there is also the entrance ticket-selling pavilion where you can get basic guidance on the main, most impressive stones to see, as well as buy souvenirs.
In hot days make sure to take a sun umbrella and hat with you – all stones are out in the open and apart from a small cave on the way, you are not protected from the sun. Also make sure you take water with you – no water/food is sold on place.
What to see
Visiting this attraction has been made quite easy and entertaining thanks to the team at the entry point, I would say it’s entertaining for kids and adults alike. First you get a quick (5-min) introduction on the story behind this natural phenomena – how the stones were formed, the energy of this place, etc – both English and Bulgarian walk-throughs are available. Then, with your ticket you get a legend with the signs of the most important stones and the figures they resemble. Those signs are stamped on the stones themselves.
One of the stones from the must-visit list
Finding all stones is kind of challenging but I like how they made a treasure-hunting game out of the visit. We (including kids) enjoyed it a lot.
Where to stay
- Pobiti Kamani is very close to Varna, so you can base yourself there and have a day at the seaside
- If you want to explore other historical sights like Madara Rider, Sveshtari Thracian Tomb – base yourself in the city of Shumen
What else to do while in the area
- Visit Madara Rider – an amazing rock relief dating back to the 8th century
- Visit Sveshtari Thracian tomb
- Visit the fortified city of Veliki Preslav – the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom
- Visit the fortified city of Pliska – the capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom