CYCLING ROUTE #1 IN BULGARIA
740 KM JOURNEY IN SPACE AND TIME ON A BICYCLE
“…A TRULY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE – THE PERFECT DESTINATION FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE CYCLING ODYSSEY”
Best in Travel 2024 – Lonely Planet
DUNAV ULTRA MAP
740 KM FROM KUDELIN TO DURANKULAK
ABOUT
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR IN TOURISM
Dunav Ultra is the winner of the “Innovation of the Year in Tourism” award of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria.
RECOMMENDED BY LONELY PLANET
Dunav Ultra is recommended – Top 50 destinations in the world – “Best In Travel – 2024” by Lonely Planet, with a suggestion for travelling by bike.
EUROVELO 6 AMBASSADOR
The route of the Dunav Ultra overlaps the continental route Eurovelo 6. We support the development of Eurovelo in Bulgaria.
“TRAVELLING THE DUNAV ULTRA ROUTE IS BOTH A CHALLENGE AND AN ADVENTURE, AS WELL AS A PHILOSOPHICAL RETURN, DEEP INTO THE ROOTS OF OUR OWN ESSENCE.”
BORIS BEGAMOV
DUNAV ULTRA FOUNDER
KILOMETERS
SETTLEMENTS
VILLAGES
CITIES
PLAN YOUR TRIP IN ADVANCE
Plan your trip and prepare to visit one of Europe’s most exotic regions. Get ready for a real adventure
SET A REALISTIC TIMETABLE
Determine the purpose of the adventure. Depending on the pace, you will get into different situations and encounters in different places.
equipment
Road, gravel, or electric bike. Choose the appropriate equipment and your favorite type of bicycle.
EXPLORE the main locations
Get to know the main characteristics of the region – geographical, historical, local traditions or food.
ready for adventure
Don’t be hesitant and start the adventure! Embark on a journey that will last a lifetime.
DANAV ULTRA BOARD – THE ESSENTIALS
Classic or Adventure
The Dunav Ultra route can be done in two ways (two different tracks) – Adventure and Classic. The Classic option is best suited for riding a standard road bike – here you sometimes move away from the Danube, but the route is on a fully laid artificial surface. The Adventure version involves crossing some secondary roads and dirt roads and/or those without a laid artificial surface. The adventure ride requires a more specific attitude, skills, time and equipment – this type of experience presents an even deeper immersion in the Danube region of Bulgaria.
Stages
For more convenient planning, we have divided the route into a total of 14 Stages. Eight of the Stages offer an Adventure version of the route. Each Stage ends in a settlement with the necessary logistical infrastructure for such an experience. The longest Stage is the section Silistra – Dobrich – 102 km and the shortest one is the Adventure version of the Stage Nikopol – Belene – 28 km. Detailed information about all Stages can be found in the Dunav Ultra mobile app.
Nature
The route crosses a large geographical area: tributaries of the Danube, protected areas, nature parks and reserves, lakes, wetlands and/or agricultural areas. Encountering the Danube and Dobrudzha region, in the right season, is an exotic and unforgettable experience for any explorer of new places.
The flora and fauna offer a specific and rich diversity of animal and plant species, and among the most interesting areas are: Nature Park “Persina”, Biosphere Park “Srebarna”, protected area “Kalimok-Brashlen”, the mouths of the rivers Timok, Iskar, Osam, Yantra and Cherni Lom, the swamp near the village of Malak Preslavets, the canyon Sukhata Reka and Durankulak Lake.
Cuisine
The region offers a specific cuisine based on local land and river bounty. Fishing is an everyday occurrence here and fish soup is a brand. Fish is most often offered fried, and is generally catfish, carp, grass carp, turbot, whitefish or chub.
The influence of the Vlach cuisine along the Danube is strong – various types of sarma (сарми), kachamak (качамак), jumerki (джумерки), Vlach salamura (саламура, a spicy dish between stew and soup) are present on traditional menus. In summer, fruit trees, vineyards and vegetables grow everywhere, including apricots, peaches, plums, melons, watermelons, etc.
In Vidin you can taste prosenik (просеник), in Silistra watermelon or beetroot madjun (маджун), and on the Black Sea coast – fresh horse mackerel and caragiose.
Apricot brandy is considered an elixir and wine is an integral part of the local people’s lifestyle. Among the most interesting places offering delicious fish soup are in Vidin, Svishtov, Ruse, Tutrakan, Popina, Vetren, Silistra and Durankulak.
The 100 Dunav Ultra Highlights
In 2018 we announced for the first time a list of the “100 Dunav Ultra Highlights”. A special selection brings together sites and themes characteristic of the region that we can touch with all available senses: cultural and historical sites, fortresses, archaeological sites, temples, museums, natural phenomena, animals, birds, local customs and food – all of them representing the identity of the Dunav Ultra route.
The list is updated annually, and detailed information about each site is included in the Dunav Ultra Mobile App.
Mobile application
The Dunav Ultra mobile app is the official guide to the Dunav Ultra route. The app offers a rich information base and geolocation of various logistical and recommended places – “bicycle friendly” accommodations, restaurants, local shops, bike repair shops, sights, and places of interest.
By accessing the Checkpoints functionality in the app – everyone who has traveled the route can get a Certificate.
Access to Control Points is obtained with a Personal Code included in the “Dunav Ultra Adventure” kit.
A Certificate
In 2018, for the first time, we introduced the issuance of a Certificate for each Dunav Ultra route traveled during the summer season. The certificate is a way of supporting our cause, and a proof of participation in the effective development of the region.
Anyone who verifies their passage through 26 previously announced Checkpoints along the route can obtain a Certificate. Marking is through our Dunav Ultra Mobile App, and access to Checkpoints functionality is obtained with a unique code – included in the Dunav Ultra Adventure Kit.
The other way to get a Certificate is to participate in the mass route ride that takes place annually, at the end of each summer.
Our cause
Invariably, since the creation of the Dunav Ultra, our cause is to promoting over 110 settlements where the route passes.
Our love for the Danube and Dobrudja unites our experience, vision, and dreams, to develop the region where the route passes as an attractive destination for cycling tourism.
Acquiring a Dunav Ultra Certificate allows you to participate effectively in the evolution of the region, and to be part of the Dunav Ultra community.
List of all settlements through/around which the Dunav Ultra route passes
Kudelin, Vrav, Novo selo, Florentin, Yassen, Negovanovtsi, Kapitanovtsi, Gomotartsi, Koshava, Slanotrun, Kutovo, Antimovo, Pokraina, Vidin, Dunavtsi, Simeonovo, Botevo, Archar, Dobri Dol, Slivata, Orsoya, Lom, Kovachitsa, Zlatia, Gorni Tsibar, Kozloduy, Harlets, Glozhane, Mizia, Oryahovo, Leskovets, Ostrov, Gorni Vadin, Dolni Vadin, Krushovene, Baikal, Gigen, Zagrajden, Dabovan, Brest, Gulyantsi, Milkovitsa, Dolni Vit, Somovit, Cherkovitsa, Nikopol, Dragash Voivoda, Vabel, Lyubenovo, Lozitsa, Byala Voda, Dekov, Belene, Belene NPP site, Oresh, Svishtov, Vardim, Novgrad, Tsenovo, Krivina, Batin, Gorno Ablanovo, Obretenik, Dve Mogili, Ivanovo, Basarbovo, Ruse, Marten, Sandrovo, Slivo Pole, Ryakhovo, Babovo, Braslen, Nova Cherna, Tutrakan, Pozharevo, Dunavets, Dolno Ryakhovo, Malak Preslavets, Raven, Popina, Vetren, Turnovtsi, Bogdantsi, Zafirovo, Kolarovo, Srebarna, Aydemir, Silistra, Kalipetrovo, Kainarja, Bogorovo, Voinovo, Strelkovo, Sredishte, Kolartsi, Onogur, Telerig, Efreitor Bakalovo, Krushari, Ovcharovo, Paskalevo, Hitovo, Karapelit, Dobrich, Stefan Karadja, Gen. Kardam, Lyulyakovo, Preselentsi, Goritsa, Velikoovo, Sirakovo, Sarnino, Chernookovo, Spasovo, Bezhanovo, Zahari Stoyanovo, Staevtsi, Durankulak.
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