Here are the European Maldives on the Danube

It turns out that there are places in Bulgaria that are so poorly known that if they were shown to you in a photo, you would think they were on another continent.

There is no doubt that Bulgarian nature is one of the most unique and beautiful in the world. There are hundreds of proofs of this and we can find them in many corners of our country.

However, perhaps very little is known about one of them.

It is about the so-called Nikopol Maldives, which was told by the forecaster of „Nova TV“ Nikolay Vasilkovski. They are becoming more and more popular, being known to both Bulgarians and Romanians.

They are located near the Danube city and represent a large number of islands in the river.

The place can be seen perfectly on a boat ride and is suitable for adventure tourism

It is home to dozens of bird species, some of which are rare and protected species.

Among them are pelicans, white swans, cormorants, herons and many other animals.

Hidden beneath the Nikopol Plateau, the Bijou Plateau is made up of small and larger islands.

They form a beautiful landscape.

The constantly changing level of the Danube hides or reveals some of them. They are uninhabited and the perfect place to escape from the big noise.

Vasilkovski himself boarded a boat named „Lara“ and took a walk along the beautiful shores with a local boatman.

Several times in the report, the team was allowed by various animals almost to themselves.

In this way, the beautiful nature was shown very closely.

Persina Natural Park is located there, and some of the islands between Nikopol and Belene are named Katonara, Lakut, Srednyaka and Palets.

Sand formations are sometimes so beautiful that people with a more developed imagination can mentally transport themselves somewhere far away.

For example, in the Indian Ocean or in the equatorial waters of the Amazon.

Due to the changing level of the river at different times of the year, the view there may be different.

When the snow melts, the water rises and they can completely disappear.

This usually happens in May and June, and the locals call this time „cherry waters“ because that’s when the cherries ripen.

But at some point, large sand strips are formed, reminiscent of exotic beaches, which is why the place is nicknamed the Nikopol Maldives.

In summer, they are even accessible on foot from the shore.

The beauty of this oasis is complemented by the limestone cliffs by the river. They were even appreciated by the famous Danish writer Hans-Christian Andersen.

He immortalized them on a trip down the Danube in 1841.

In one of the rocks there is also a temple named „Saint Stephen“.

There you can see several icons and a cross.

The church also has a spacious window overlooking the waters.

The place is part of an eco-trail that follows an ancient Roman road.

According to the local people, the temple dates back to the III-IV century as it was part of a large monastery complex.

Walking in the area, you will find, in addition to the rock church, the remains of the fortifications of the ancient border of the Roman Empire.

A medieval fortress, monuments reminiscent of battles from the Russo-Turkish War, as well as an authentic Roman sarcophagus.

The city of Nikopol became the Bulgarian capital from 1393 to 1395. After the Ottomans conquered the Kingdom of Tarnovo, Tsar Ivan Shishman was located in the Nikopol fortress, occupying a defensive capital, but at the end of this period it was captured, and the king was killed on June 3.

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