Atanasovsko Lake Reserve

Atanasovsko Lake Reserve protects the northern part of Lake Atanasovsko, a salt coastal lake just north of Burgas, next to the Black Sea. A strip of sand divides the lake in two, and a road between Varna and Burgas crosses it. The northern part has been a nature reserve since 1980 and is linked to the sea by a canal, while the smaller southern part is used mostly for salt production, which has gone on in the lake since 1906, and serves as a buffer zone. The lake is known for the diversity of its plants and animals, including the Etruscan pygmy shrew, and is one of the key ornithological locations in Bulgaria.

Visiting Atanasovsko

The salt pans are private property, so access is from a few points only. The easiest is the lake bank by the petrol station at the roundabout on the exit towards Burgas Airport, and the Poda Centre of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds can give up-to-date information on viewing points. The greater flamingo can be seen here all year (225 in September 2019, the highest count in Bulgaria then), and the water's pink look comes from the salt works and the brine shrimp the flamingos eat. Spring and autumn are the best birding periods, with autumn migration strongest at the northern point.