Tyulenovo

Tyulenovo is a small village on the northern Black Sea coast where the limestone cliffs, around twenty metres high, are pierced by arches, caves and blowholes cut by the sea, with a rock shelf at the base and deep clear water directly off it. The name comes from the Mediterranean monk seal, which used the caves until the mid-twentieth century and no longer occurs here. There is no beach: swimming is off the rocks and out of the caves, which is the reason people come, along with cliff jumping, freediving and climbing on the walls. The first Bulgarian oil was drilled nearby in 1951 and a few nodding donkeys still work in the fields behind. The village is tiny with a handful of guesthouses.

What you actually see

• Sea arches and caves - the cliff cut through in several places.
• Deep clear water off the rocks - swimming without a beach.
• The monk seal history - the animals the village is named after.
• Oil pumps in the fields - the first Bulgarian wells behind the village.

When to go

May to September for swimming; the coast is dramatic in autumn storms. Half a day. Weekends in summer bring divers and jumpers. There is no shade on the rock shelf.

Honest expectations

There is no beach and entry to the water is off rocks, which is difficult for weaker swimmers. Cliff jumping causes injuries every year. Facilities are minimal. The monk seals are long gone despite the name.

Nearby

Yailata is south; Shabla and its lighthouse lie north.