Durankulak Lake

Directions

Дуранкулашко езеро

Lake Durankulak is a brackish lagoon, a liman, in north-eastern Bulgaria, near the village of Durankulak in Dobrich Province in Dobruja, not far south of the border with Romania. Sand dunes and a beach strip separate it from the Black Sea. It is shaped like the letter Y, with two main arms, and it formed in the early Holocene as the land sank and sea water entered the mouths of nearby rivers. It is a protected area with many rare plants and animals and also holds the archaeological site of Durankulak, on the larger of its two islands.

History

People settled on the Big Island about 7,000 years ago, and stayed for thousands of years. Stone foundations of Eneolithic houses are well preserved, and the excavations from 1974 to 1997 recorded 1,204 prehistoric burials in the necropolis, among the largest of their age in south-eastern Europe. There are also remains of a fortified Bronze Age settlement and a rock-cut Hellenistic cave sanctuary of Cybele.

Nature

The lake lies on the Via Pontica flyway, and it is one of the best-preserved coastal wetlands in Bulgaria. Noted for wintering red-breasted geese and the paddyfield warbler, it also holds pygmy cormorants and great white pelicans. Terns, herons and ibises pass on migration, and winter can bring bustards.

Gallery

3 photos

Photo: Original uploader was Svilen Enev at bg.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: iwwaka · CC BY 3.0

Photo: Eola · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Visit

Getting there

Nearest settlement: Durankulak

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Durankulak is about 100 km from Varna and best reached by car. Drive north from the village, then east towards the beach, park and walk along the beach and lake; it is an easy site on foot, by bike or by car, and a telescope helps. A walkway leads from the shore to the Big Island. The BirdLife watch platform is closed to stop poachers using it, and a ringing camp on the southern edge takes visitors from August to October.

The lake is a nature reserve and swimming is not allowed in it, but the nearby sea beaches are shallow and quiet. There are small guesthouses, a campsite, bungalows and fish taverns. Migration and winter are best for birds, dress for wind in winter, and bring strong mosquito repellent. The lake is a Ramsar site close to the Romanian border.