Early morning pick-up from your accommodation in Bucharest. Head south, toward the Bulgarian border. We cross the Danube river on the Friendship Bridge, not far from the Bulgarian border town of Ruse. Ruse is the gateway to the Rusenski Lom, a twisting canyon where medieval monks turned caves near Ivanovo into a rock-cut complex of monasteries. In the 14th century a large community of monks lived here. At the peak of the monastery complex, the number of churches was about 40, while the other premises were around 300, most of which are not preserved today. Only the Tsurkvata cave has been kept as a museum and is filled with vivid New Testament frescoes. During the winter season, when one can't visit Ivanovo rock-hewn church, we visit instead the Rock Monastery of St. Dimitar Basarbovski. Built into a sheer cliff east of Basarbovo, this is the only still functioning rock monastery in Bulgaria. The iconfilled church founded in the 15th century and named after the holy man and healer Dimitar of Basarbovo, is reached by a zig-zagging stone staircase.

Continue toward the ancient city of Lovech, one of the oldest Bulgarian settlements. Before reaching Lovech, leave the main road and you will discover that the rolling hills hide intriguing natural phenomena. First on our itinerary - Krushuna Waterfalls, the place where tiny streams make mighty and beautiful falls. During centuries, water has forced its way through the rocks creating a series of spectacular cascades. The Krushuna Waterfalls is a cascade carved by the Proynovska River into the soft travertine rock, the largest formation of this sort in Bulgaria. Emerging from a large cave called Maarata, the first of the waterfalls is also the highest. It cascades from 15m, and is also the only one with its own name, Praskaloto, or The Sprinkler. The rest of the falls remain nameless. An easy to medium difficulty walk through the gorge leads you to the falls, with viewing platforms near each one. The waterfalls are always spectacular, but visit in the spring season or after a heavy rain to witness the most dramatic effects.

Next on our itinerary is Devetashka Peshtera or Maarata. A huge, impressive cave, which is 1,5 km NW of Devetaki on the right bank of Ossam river and on the northern slope of Devetaki Plateau. The entrance has a semi-elliptic shape of 30 x 35 m. The gallery widens into a colossal chamber (25 000 m2) with height of the ceiling up to 58 m. The chamber is lit by seven holes, called “okna”, the biggest one (Kilika) being 73 x 48 m. The volume of the chamber is 800 000 m3, making it the biggest cave chamber in Bulgaria. A stream runs in the cave, forming deep pools and huge sinters.

Late in the afternoon we reach Lovech. Because its position gave it control of the Troyan Pass, to the south, the site that Lovech occupies has been inhabited since Thracian times. In the 16th century the town’s population was swelled by the arrival of thousands of OttomanTurks, who stamped their mark on Lovech’s cultural life by building mosques and Muslim schools here. Lovech’s Bulgarian minority remained in the Varosha quarter, the old town on the slopes of Hisarya hill. Short orientation tour on the way to the hotel and evening at leisure.