1 day
Duration
Mountain Biking
Activity
Easy
Difficulty
Bulgaria
Location
March – November
Dates

One of the best ways for a special day in the outdoors is to go for a mountain biking day. You can do it in any season provided there is no bad weather, even on snow.

This is actually a most intriguing tour because we start in Romania but aim to bike in Bulgaria, just across the border, merely 70 Km from Bucharest, in a wonderful gorges sculpted by Rusenski Lom muddy river.

Highlights of the tour:

  • Biking through a natural reservation and along the river and lakes while at the same time observing the flora, the birds, the shells that still stay in the rocks since pre-history times;
  • Visiting the beautiful orthodox monastery of Saint Demeter, located right at the entrance in the gorges, with its monk’s cellars sculpted directly into the soft rock;
  • Visiting the medieval citadel of Cherven.
  • Not least, experiencing two countries in one day.

Do not worry, if do not have your own bike we can rent it for you just let us know about it.

This will be an easy ride but do not mistake us because we are not organizing walks in the parks. We want you to be tired at the end of the day, to still feel the saddle when you will throw yourself into bed late evening and especially we want you to enjoy it so much so as to include a mountain bike on your shopping list if you did not buy it already.

DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION Bucharest
DEPARTURE TIME watch 6.30
ARRIVAL TIME watch 22.00
Estimated duration of hike watcharound 5-6 hours
Maximum height mountain N/a
Elevation gained chart N/a
Individual equipment needed
equipment  
  • bike
  • 20l backpack
  • jacket
  • long trousers (short trousers will help in the summer months); special bike trousers will help
  • sunglasses
  • polartek blouse or something similar
  • synthetic t-shirt
  • water recipient
  • bike gloves
Accommodation houseIt is not the case. It is a one day tour. We will be returning at the end of the day.
Meals mealWe will eat dinner at a restaurant on the return way but some sandwiches and a couple of chocolate bars and/or biscuits will help.
INCLUDED  Transport from and to Bucharest by car, including the bikes

Customs fees and vignette for Bulgaria

Customs fees and vignette for Bulgaria

Bike maintenance kit (spare camera in case of flats, repairing kit, etc.)

 Guide

 

NOT INCLUDED  Bike; If do not have it, we can rent it for you at an additional 15 Euro/day cost.

  Other meals

  Pieces of individual equipment

  Insurance

Discount policy wallet For group bookings we apply a discount based on the number of the participants. Please book the tour and/or contact us to negotiate the discount.

Other good to know issues:

  • A cross-country bike is also suitable; you do not need necessarily a mountain bike.
  • If you are a beginner we will learn you the basics of mountain biking and let you have the fun of it. Of course, you still need to know in advance how to ride a bike.
1

Day 1

We depart from Bucharest as early as possible, 6.30 preferably, so as to make of the day as much as possible. We expect to arrive there in 2 hours or so.

The border crossing is only 60 km from Bucharest and the Danube is to be crossed by the long bridge that links the two banks of the river. Once in Bulgaria, we will pass by the city of Ruse aiming for the village of Basarbovo. Here is where the gorges begin.

We leave the car right in front of the Monastery of Saint Demeter, which we will visit. Then we start biking on a paved narrow road through a wonderful forest following the river downstream. The river is dammed into a natural lake which gives us wide views all around. The soft rocks of the gorges are littered with birds’ nests. Further on, hidden behind a tree line, we can actually see the remaining of the sea which used to cover this place at some distant point in Earth history. The shells are still embedded into rocks. This is a geological monument.

The trail narrows and it gets more interesting. The gorges open up in a wide agricultural field. We turn back the way we came enjoying once more the beauty of the gorges.

We put the bikes on the car and head towards our last objective of the day, the medieval citadel of Cherven. It is fine end of the tour with a local history lesson. Remember that for long centuries these places were under Ottoman rule.

On the way back we will stop in Ruse for a fully deserved dinner. We estimate to arrive in Bucharest by 22.00, depending on the traffic.