Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

With a boat on the Amazon, a picnic in the Maldives

The fishermen in ‎Bulgaria’s Nikopol on the Danube attract tourists

Photo: Veneta Nikolova, BNR

A motorboat ride on the Danube, watching rare species of birds, visiting ‎uninhabited islands, having a picnic in the wild or simply sunbathing on the ‎beach – Bulgaria’s small town of Nikopol has established itself as a destination ‎for adventure tourism. When spring approaches, the town starts bustling with ‎visitors. Bulgarians, and more and more often Romanian tourists, come ‎for the biggest local attraction – a boat trip around the Nikopol ‎archipelago. The experience is saturated with many emotions, and its ‎organizers are the fishermen from the Amur-Nikopol association

‎"This year's season started very early, we ourselves did not expect such great ‎interest," аdmits Biser Georgiev, chairman of the association. He says that the ‎first boat ride already took place at the beginning of March and that in just a ‎month there were dozens of people who wanted to join the adventure. ‎


‎"We don't have a weekend without requests," says Biser Georgiev and adds:‎

‎"This is already our third season. Every year, the number of tourists increases ‎and we are glad that in this way we are helping the municipality and the local ‎business, so that the town develops as a tourist destination. These boat rides are ‎starting to become popular as a form of tourism also abroad. Last year we had a ‎group of 20 people from Israel. This year we expect guests from Israel again, as ‎well as a large group of 50 Italians. They have signed up for a river trip. They ‎want us to take them along the Danube all the way to the town of Oryahovo - ‎it's a journey of 80 km..."‎

Biser Georgiev, chairman of the Amur-Nikopol Association
While the motorboat is ploughing the water, flocks of birds are circling above ‎the tourists. Some of them nest in the nearby Persina Nature Park. This year, a ‎pair of white-tailed eagles - a very rare species – has settled on Lakut Island. ‎

In the summer, when the level of the Danube falls, wonderful beaches can be ‎found on the islands. The most visited is Katunara beach, known among ‎the locals as the Maldives, because of the wide beach with sand as fine as ‎stardust. In the spring, when the river level is high, another attraction is offered ‎‎- a river trip to the Amazon on the “cherry waters”, which coincides with ‎the cherry picking season:‎

‎"When the water is higher, we move along the Bulgarian coast near a strip of ‎wicker or willows. If there is a way to cross, we go to the so-called Amazon. ‎We enter some narrow channels, like the Amazon River, with overhanging ‎trees, sharp turns are made and it is very beautiful there. The place is ‎overgrown with a kind of willow trees, we call it rakitak. There is also ‎amorpha fruticosa (indigo bush) – more characteristic of countries like China. ‎Years ago, this plant was not growing there. It is a honey plant that blooms ‎with purple flowers,"  explains Biser Georgiev.‎

The fishermen from the association are great organizers, boat captains and ‎captivating guides. They will tell you all about the birds that fly around, the ‎fish, the islands and the fickle temper of the Danube. And they will take you to ‎the rock church St. Stephen dating back to the 10th century, which offers a ‎breathtaking view of the river. ‎

Watch the short video report of our boat trip around the Nikopol Archipelago, ‎St. Stephen's Rock Church and Persin Island (video is in Bulgarian).


But there is one attraction that everyone looks forward to - the picnic by the ‎river:‎

‎"It's a picnic, fishing, fish soup cooked on site, fish baked on site. Therefore, a ‎request is made in advance so that there is time for the drinks to cool down - ‎whether it will be white wine or brandy... There is also another option. As long ‎as they wish, we stay for the tourists to bathe and go to the beach and then we ‎take them home," says Biser Georgiev.‎


‎‎‎In addition to the fish soup, which is a trademark of Nikopol fishermen, the ‎menu also includes white barbel on a skewer, baked and fried grass carp, caviar ‎buns, homemade bread and quince brandy. Biser says that there were cases ‎when their clients did not want to leave the islands, and several German ‎women stayed overnight alone on one of them.

 Tourists led by Bulgarian tour ‎operators who organize excursions with environmental protection causes are ‎also included in the river trips to the Nikopol Archipelago. 

Also contributing ‎to the promotion of Nikopol are the jet and motor boat competitions organized ‎by the municipality as well as the annual festival "Danube - People, Nature and ‎Traditions", which shows the livelihood, cuisine and lifestyle of the population ‎of the riverside town.‎


Read also:
Photos and video: Veneta Nikolova


Translated and published by Rositsa Petkova


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria's Burgas is hosting Golden Age Gym European festival

Over 3,200 participants and guests of different ages and nationalities filled the Summer Theater in Burgas for the opening of the 9th edition of the European Gymnastics Festival for people over fifty - Golden Age Gym Festival 2024 .  The festival..

published on 9/23/24 10:55 AM

Travel bloggers urge us to explore Bulgaria's most magnetic places with an exhibition

"Bulgaria - magnetic and beautiful" - under this title Bulgarian travel bloggers present some of the most photogenic places in this country. The exhibition with unique images taken by the travelers will be opened on September 24 at the entrance of the..

published on 9/18/24 12:40 PM

Bulgaria featured in a tourist exhibition in France

Bulgaria will take part in the International French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa 2024 , which starts today, and will continue until September 19 .  Participation in Bulgaria's information stand, which will have an area of ​​85, 5 square meters, has..

published on 9/17/24 5:05 AM