Natural phenomenon of Katina pyramids
Hello, guys!
I haven't written about any travel experiences here in bitLanders recently. That's why in this blog, I will share details about a trip I made with a friend of mine to the pyramids of Katina. I hope you enjoy it!
Last Sunday, we were wondering where to go, outside of the city because it was high time for me to spend some time in the countryside. After considering a couple of options from the nearest locations, we decided that Katina village and its pyramids would be the best choice for us. So, at around noon, we were ready to go.
Katina is only 20 km from the capital of Bulgaria – Sofia. It is a small village with a population of approximately 1500 people, according to Wikipedia. Before reaching our destination, we passed through Novi Iskar – a large town and right after that is Katina. What are those pyramids I'm mentioning? Katina pyramids are natural rock/earth formations, which have a kind of a triangle or pyramidal shape. Their color is reddish, probably because of the clay and sand contained in the ground. These formations are gorgeous and are an attractive location for tourists. Let me show you what a Bulgarian travel guide states about this natural phenomenon:
The impressive shapes have formed as a result of erosion of delluvial soils, pulled off the mountain. Rains have sculpted these figures over millions of years.
The first mistake we made, was that we used the navigation to find the pyramids. It brought us to a country road outside of the village, in the fields where we parked the car. We saw a path going through a pine forest, and we thought that it was the right one. Unfortunately, there were no signs or whatsoever to show us we are going in the proper direction.
Video of a path in the pine forests near Katina village
After walking for maybe a kilometer, we started wondering what's going on and why we don't see any pyramids since they should be somewhere near. So, we checked the map again and began searching for the exact place. We passed a crossroad which obviously was not the one we needed.
Crossroad in the pine forests near Katina village
The navigation clearly showed us we needed to go back. In a few minutes on our way back in the forest, we were at the point where the pyramids should be. And guess what? There were no pyramids; there was not even a path, only pine trees, branches and pine cones. Funny, huh?
Pine forest in the countryside of Katina
So, we went back to the car where we came across other tourists. I thought we could check with them if they know what we missed in our search. The people – a family with their son, told us they were seeking already for an hour for the pyramids, and they wandered around the entire locality to explore, but with no success. Ouch! Then I remembered I saw the pyramids from the train when I was traveling in the past, so we decided to go in the direction of the closest railway. This time, we took the car for an off-road trip. Again – no luck, we reached a house in the forest, with a sign: “No trespassing”. Even so, we met two very helpful guys who explained to us the exact location of the pyramids and warned us that they might have disappeared already due to the erosion in the region.
Happy that we eventually knew where to check, we turned back and continued to the route described by the guys. We made one more stop – at a swamp on our left side, which I found interesting. Mainly because there are many of those lakes around Katina; there is a big one (Katinsko lake) at the entrance of the village and a few smaller ones scattered across.
A swamp in the countryside of Katina village
What happened was that the map was showing the wrong position of this attraction – around 700-800 m difference from its actual location. Of course, that brought us to nowhere, in the middle of the woods. Nevertheless, we were determined to find it. My friend parked the car once again, and we started walking up along the supposed path to the Katina pyramids. Then we saw other tourists – a couple, who guided us again and told us to walk straight and turn right at the first crossing.
The alley in Katina village going to the tiny path
In a few minutes, we saw a sign: “Katina pyramids, 33 m”. Hm, almost there. So, we were walking down an alley in Katina village, and I saw an incredibly small path to the right, like 20-30 cm wide and I told my friend: “There is a crossing to the right, but it looks like it's going to nowhere.” And he replied: “I don't feel like going there.”
The path leading to Katina pyramids
So, we continued straight and soon we reached a lovely lake with beautiful water lilies. And some of the water lily plants formed a heart shape. They were two different colors – white and pink. I really loved this place… However, still no sign of pyramids. I think that was the longest search I've ever made. After making some photos, we continued our way, but the road ended at a house's backyard. That house seemed abandoned, and we had no choice but go back from where we came.
The water lilies in a lake in Katina village
At this point, we recalled that the couple we met earlier told us to go to the right and not continue straight. So, we were back at the small path we had no intention to explore before, and now after walking on it, we saw another sign “Katina pyramids” hidden between the branches of the nearby trees. Excited that probably that would be our last mistake, we were almost running through the pine forest, and I got some scratches on my legs from the thorns. Last steps, and…
First formation of Katina pyramids
Well, it wasn't what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong; the pyramids were awesome, an incredible structure of rocks around 5 m x 5 m at its size. But, we couldn't get closer to them, because they are actually on a hill, and between them and us was a massive canyon. And they were practically inaccessible. We tried accessing from the back side by climbing the entire hill, but that was also impossible. Too many trees were covering the area and no clear path.
video source: www.youtube.com
Then we decided to look for other rock formations because I was quite certain there are more than just one. So we tried going on a tiny path meandering below the first formation. And indeed, we saw a stone staircase and some wooden steps after that. Unfortunately, the only thing we noticed after was a puddle with some frogs inside. Trying to go further led us to an abandoned place with cut down trees laying on the ground and there was no way that we could pass through them. And we tried really hard to cross, trust me. So, that was it, no more adventures.
On our way back to the point where the pyramids were clearly visible, we managed to get a grasp on another smaller formation to the right of the first one, but it was covered by the trees so much, that we were lucky to notice it. I think this place was a popular destination in the past because the people made the stone steps and all that, but now, since the pyramids are disappearing due to the erosion, nobody is taking care of this attraction.
Small formations part of the Katina pyramids
According to my calculations, we got lost at least five times while searching for the pyramids. But, I'm happy we did because otherwise, we wouldn't see the water lilies, and it wouldn't be so fun. I learned my lesson: Don't trust the map blindly, check your route upfront. And I'm glad we managed to visit this place because it might not exist in the future – nature is destroying the pyramids. On our way back, we stopped for a drink at Novi Iskar – my favorite frappé coffee. Charged with positive energy from the walk and the fresh air in the forest, I'm now ready to go back to my daily routine. Well, it was a fun Sunday after all.
That's all for now, guys! See you later!
Thanks so much!
- NinaB
