Cape Kaliakra

Overview

Kaliakra is a long and narrow cape on the Bulgarian northern Black Sea coast, in the southeastern part of the Dobrudzha plateau. It is located near the villages of Balgarevo and Sveti Nikola, 12 km from Kavarna and 70 km northeast of Varna. It is a peninsula jutting 2 km into the sea. Kaliakra is a nature and archeological reserve and one of the Hundred National Tourist Sites. The Aristotelian cormorant nests here and dolphins can be observed. The shore at Cape Kaliakra is a cliff type, the sheer cliffs descend 70 meters to the sea. The rocks are hard Sarmatian limestone and conglomerates, fused with clay rich in iron oxides, which give the characteristic reddish hue. The surf waves have carved caves, niches, ditches and arches at their feet, which can only be reached from the sea. Many underwater rocks are the result of strong abrasion. The bay formed by Cape Kaliakra is a very good shelter in case of storm for the ships passing from here. On the promontory there is a museum, a restaurant, a lighthouse, a marine radar station, a meteorological station and a chapel.