The White River Eco Trail is one of the best made and stable eco trails in Bulgaria I have ever gone through. The route of the trail has the shape of the figure 8 and runs in the picturesque gorge of the White River near the town of Kalofer. The gorge resides under the famous Dzhendema Reserve in the Central Balkan National park. You can see several waterfalls along the route. The air is clean and fresh. Moving up and down the wooden bridges and stairs warms the body blood. The good mood is guaranteed.
How to get to the Eco-trail White River
The trail is located about 6 kilometers north of Kalofer. To get there, in Kalofer you should take direction to the monastery The Nativity of the Virgin Mary. There are road signs to the monastery. If you enter Kalofer coming from Karlovo, you should turn left at the beginning of the city. Be careful, the well-known Panitsite area (starting point to the Botev peak) is also in that direction, but the two roads – to the monastery and to Panitsite get separated on the outskirts of the town.
For the monastery you continue on the narrow asphalt road. Keep in mind that the road is in very bad conditions – with a lot of holes, in one small section the asphalt is completely missing and the road there is quite rough. However, in dry weather, slowly and carefully it is not a problem to get away by a car. In the area of the monastery the road is better preserved.
You can either leave the car next to the monastery or continue about 200 meters further to the beginning of the trail. There is a convenient parking space near the both places.
Travel resources
You can visit some of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria via organized daily tours. Have a look here for several options from the biggest Bulgarian provider for day tours from Sofia – Traventuria.
Rent a car for your trip to Bulgaria from Top Rent A Car, the major car hire provider in Bulgaria with loyalty program for the returning customers. Click here to rent a car.
You can find the best accommodation choices at Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel companies. Click here to look for the place to stay in Bulgaria.
On the path
Now, forget the troubles with the bad road, because “White River Ecopath” adventure begins.
The hiking route starts from the camp White River, and the eco trail itself – shortly after.
The eco-trail has a circular route that describes a peculiar figure 8 along the river. There is no risk of confusion, as multiple arrow-signs indicate the right direction.
You go on many wooden bridges and stairs, alternating climbing and descending.
All the while you enjoy the beautiful views of the canyon.
The river forms a very high and several lower waterfalls.
The path is well marked and equipped with information boards.
There are several places to relax.
The whole route takes about an hour and a half of walking.
The White River Eco-trail also has a short route – this is the first round of the 8. It takes less than an hour of walking and does not miss the beautiful waterfalls.
