The Krushuna waterfalls, no doubt, are one of the most beautiful and interesting places to see in Bulgaria. In addition, they can be reached quite lazy – by car. Beside that, you can walk around them on a relatively short eco path without much efforts. All this makes them one of the most visited natural landmarks in our country in the recent years.
Krushuna waterfalls are the largest water travertine cascade in Bulgaria. They are several, the highest one is 15 meters tall. The falls are located in the Maarata area, on the northern slope of the Devetaki Plateau, near the village of Krushuna, hence the name.
The area of the village of Krushuna is known for one of the shortest eco-trails in Bulgaria and one of the longest caves – the Boninska cave.
Those Bulgarian waterfalls “work” all over the year – there are enough water to feed them 🙂 . What is more, the walk around the waterfalls always brings freshness and pleasant experience.
During the last 13 years I have visited the Krushuna falls several times and each time they were so beautiful. In this article I share some insights from our various visits. You will find here all the information you need to visit the Krushuna cascade, how to get there and what to expect.
Table of Contents
How to get to the Krushuna waterfalls
The eco path along the waterfalls
Where to stay
The Green Rock: one more Krushuna waterfall
Other interesting places near the Krushuna waterfalls
How to get to the Krushuna waterfalls
You basically have two options for getting from Sofia to Krushuna waterfalls:
- drive on your own;
- join a tour.
The falls are located in the surroundings of the village of Krushuna, Lovech region. The distance from Sofia to Krushuna is about 190 km. It takes approximately 2 hours and a half of driving.
Sofia to Krushuna waterfalls Map
To have an idea of the Sofia to Krushuna distance and path involved, have a look at the map for getting from Sofia to Krushuna waterfalls.
Driving From Sofia to Krushuna falls
To get there, you should take the main road to Veliko Tarnovo via the Hemus motorway. After about 140 kilometers you should take the turn to the city of Lovech and after passing Lovech, you have to take the road to the town of Levski. Krushuna village is located about 35 km far from Lovech.
You’ll need to purchase a vignette. There are a lot of websites for buying e-vignettes in Bulgaria, but I would advise you to do it from the official website of the National Toll Authority.
When you get to the village, you will find well visible road signs to the park Maarata and to the Krushuna waterfalls. There is a parking lot near the Maarata park. The entrance fee is 5 BGN.
👉 Tip: you can rent a car for your trip from Top Rent A Car, the major car hire provider in Bulgaria with loyalty program for the returning customers. When renting a car, you don’t need to care about vignettes, because it is included in the service.
Click here to see rental car options and current prices.
Joining a tour
Tours to Krushuna waterfalls will include your transportation together with picking up from the hotel, they will have the entire itinerary planned for you, and will include entry prices. On the other hand they can be a bit pricey, but if you cannot use a car or you don’t have much time for trip planning, this could be a suitable option. In addition, the most of the tours include visiting one or a couple of other more places nearby like the Devetaki Cave and/or the region capital Lovech.
Have a look here for tours.
The eco path along the waterfalls
The place is very beautiful. The eco-trail leads tourists along most of the Krushuna waterfalls. You can see so many interesting natural formations – waterfalls, springs, rapids, entire cascades. Some of them are a prototype of various water decorations – fountains, water walls and bubbling springs that can be found in city malls and other public buildings.
The eco path starts at the lowest part of the cascade and gradually climbs to the top of the cascade, then it descends down to the starting point of the route.
It takes about an hour and a half to get around all the sights along the eco-path without being in a hurry. As I have already said, the Krushuna waterfalls are active during the whole year, but the most suitable time to visit them is in the spring.
The waterfalls’ river is called Maarata and it springs from the cave at the top of the eco path. The Maarata river has given the name to the whole area that has been declared a natural park.
Definitely, Krushuna waterfalls are a wonderful place full of freshness and incredible views, especially in the early spring, when the waterfalls are the most abounding in water.
Where to stay
The Krushuna falls is a good idea for a day trip, but if you’d like to spend a couple of days or the whole weekend in the region, please consider the following accommodation places:
- Guest house Krushun – 0.3 km from Krushuna Waterfalls, Booking.com rating: 9.2, price per night: 45 EUR.
- Guest house Krushunska panorama – Booking.com rating: 9.4, price per night: 39 EUR.
- Guest house Ongal – in the central part of the village of Karpachevo that is 5 km far from Krushuna. There is also a restaurant. Booking.com rating: 8.5, price 139 EUR for 2 nights.
- The Herbal house in Gorsko Slivovo – the village is close to Krushuna, and the Herbal house for me is synonymous with both home comfort and delicious home-cooked food, there you will understand what the rural tourism really means in its best version. I highly recommend. Booking.com rating: 9.9, price per night: 60 EUR. Book here.
The Green Rock: one more Krushuna waterfall
Very close to the Krushuna falls, in the neighboring valley, flows the Green Rock waterfall, that is not so popular. The waterfall is over 20 meters high. It can be reached by a well-formed path with old faded markings. A little above the waterfall is a small cave called Urushka Cave, which can also be reached. A curious fact is that the river that feeds the Green Rock waterfall springs from the cave.
How to go to the waterfall? The starting point is the parking lot next to Krushun waterfalls. You follow the path towards the waterfalls and after 150 meters you have to take the first fork on the right just in front of a hotel. You pass the hotel, leave the asphalt and follow a path that after a few meters takes you to the local dam – it is the Krushuna reservoir. You continue along the path to the left of the dam. You pass the remains of fortress walls at ground level.
The path leads to a bridge in poor condition, but still passable. Shortly after the bridge, you reach the Green Rock waterfall.
👉 Approximate coordinates of the waterfall: 43.245747713372111, 25.028400337323546.
Other interesting places near the Krushuna waterfalls
Near the very close village of Karpachevo, you can take a walk to several caves.
An interesting landmark, just 30 km away from the village of Krushuna, is the Devetashka Cave – a popular place recently. The cave is located near the village of Devetaki and is also accessible by car. Tickets for the cave are also priced at BGN 3.
You can also stop at the city of Lovech for a walk. There are several interesting sites there. I would point out only three:
- the Covered Bridge – one of the city’s symbols;
- the Architectural and Historical Reservе Varosha;
- the Lovech medieval fortress Hisarya.