"Maarata" Nature Park - Krushun Waterfalls
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Location: See on map
Description
- Duration: 1 day 0 hours
The “pearl in the crown” of the Letnitsa municipality is the natural landmark “Maarata”. It is located 8 km. from the town of Letnitsa in a southerly direction and 34 km. in an easterly direction, in the southern part of the village of Krushuna. The karst plateau falling within the territory of the municipality is extremely karst and here in one place as if under the open sky one can see all karst forms - kari, vortices, valos, blind, semi-blind and dry valley, canyon (gorge), precipices, cave galleries and halls. For about 25 years they have been the subject of systematic speleological study. It is no coincidence that the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, in particular the Geographical Institute and the Foundation Center for Karstology, has chosen the region of the village of Krushuna as a model region of karst protected areas in Bulgaria with a view to their sustainable development. This is indicative of the representativeness and importance of the karst near the village of Krushuna - a standard of protected karst area in Bulgaria.
The natural landmark with an area of 5.7 ha aims to preserve the characteristic geomorphological formations. The area is included in the forest park “Maarata” with an area of 430 decares. In the immediate vicinity of the area there are caves and waterfalls: “Boninska” (Popska) – 2,753 m long with an altitude of 254 m with the longest underground lake (about 800 m) in our country about 1 hour and 20 minutes walk from the village of Krushuna in a southwesterly direction; “Gornik” – 1,080 m long and 258.5 m above sea level: “Urushka” (Proynovska) cave - 1,600 m long and 173 m above sea level. This cave is also home to the highest waterfall in the region with an altitude of about 20 m, whose waters fill the local dam.
In the area of the Natural Landmark “Maarata” there is one of the few eco-trails in the country. It consists of 15 picturesque bridges installed along the entire length of the extremely beautiful and picturesque Krushuna Waterfall, the largest water travertine cascade in the country with many thresholds, water pools, unique vegetation and limestone rocks. The exceptional attractiveness of this entire area, whose feature is the limestone terraces, forms the most picturesque waterfall in the area.
The limestone rocks surrounding the area, the life-giving waters of the waterfall and the forest massifs are the reason for the refreshing coolness during the hot summer days and protection from the cold winds in the winter.
The area known as “Marata” is a corner with a lot of charm. The vestibule of the high rocks describes a huge horseshoe on the edge of the Devetashko plateau. The virginity of this wonderful place shelters lovers of natural beauty, climbers, speleologists for recreation and attracts the attention of local tour operators.