Cape Kaliakra

Kaliakra is a long narrow headland of red limestone running about two kilometres into the Black Sea south-east of Kavarna, with cliffs of around seventy metres on both sides and a fortress at the tip whose walls, cisterns and gateway survive from Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman phases. It was a Thracian and later a Bulgarian stronghold and is attached to a legend about forty maidens who tied their hair together and threw themselves into the sea. The cliffs hold nesting seabirds and the cape is one of the most important bird migration points on the western Black Sea, with large raptor and stork passage in autumn. Bottlenose dolphins are regularly seen from the point and the surrounding sea is a protected area.

History

On 11 August 1791 the cape gave its name to a naval battle of the Russo-Turkish War. The first modern lighthouse was built here in 1866 by the Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman, and the present one, a 10-metre stone tower with its light 68 metres above the sea, went up in 1901 (Wikipedia, Kaliakra).

What you'll find

• A two-kilometre red limestone headland - cliffs on both sides to the tip.
• Fortress walls and cisterns - the surviving fabric at the point.
• Autumn raptor and stork migration - the cape as a flyway bottleneck.
• Dolphins offshore - bottlenose seen regularly from the cliffs.

When to go

April to October, with September and October for migration, which is the best reason to come. Half a day. Summer weekends bring coach groups. Mornings are quieter and better for birds.

Before you go

Cliff edges are unfenced in places and the drop is serious. There is little shade. Coach parties fill the point in summer. Interpretation is limited. The restaurant at the tip is priced for visitors.

Nearby

Bolata cove is a short distance north; Yailata lies further north.

Key facts