Krushuna Waterfalls

At Krushuna a karst spring emerges from the hillside and the water, heavy with dissolved limestone, has built a staircase of travertine terraces down the slope over a long period, with the deposit continuing to form so that the moss and roots in the water are gradually turned to stone. The result is a series of small falls and blue-green pools running through beech woodland, connected by a boardwalk and stair system that climbs from the bottom to the main spring and the Maarata cave above. It is the largest travertine cascade in Bulgaria. The site has become very popular and the boardwalks are busy at weekends and in summer, when the pools are also used for swimming despite the rules.

What you actually see

• Travertine terraces - limestone still forming around moss and roots.
• Blue-green pools - the water colour in the stepped basins.
• Boardwalks through the woodland - the route up the cascade.
• The spring and Maarata cave - the source at the top of the system.

When to go

April to October, with spring for the strongest flow and autumn for colour in the beech. Two to three hours. Weekends and summer are very busy and the boardwalks queue. Weekday mornings are far better.

Honest expectations

It is extremely busy at weekends and in July and August, with queues on the narrow boardwalks. Swimming damages the travertine and is discouraged but common. Parking fills and there is a charge. Boardwalks are slippery.

Nearby

Devetashka cave is a short drive; Lovech lies south-west.