The dolphin breaking the surface of the Black Sea, the 2 metres, the grey, the arcing, the dorsal fin, and the 3 seconds of the encounter that is the reason the traveller has come to the Kaliakra Cape, is the most beautiful wildlife experience on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The Kaliakra Cape is the 2 km-long limestone headland that juts into the Black Sea at the 70 metres above the water, the reserve (the 687 hectares), the dolphins (the 3 species, the common, the bottlenose, and the harbour porpoise, and the summer that is the best for the sighting: the June–August, the boat trip from the Kavarna, the €15, the 2 hours, and the essential Bulgarian wildlife experience), and the legend of the 40 Bulgarian girls who the tied the hair together and the leapt from the cliffs to the escape the approaching Ottoman army (the 14th century). Here is your guide to the dolphins, the history, and the coast.

Kaliakra Cape, Dolphins and the Black Sea Coast

• The Kaliakra Cape, the essential dolphin-watching: The Kaliakra Cape is the nature reserve on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the 12 km from the Kavarna, and the essential Bulgarian experience: the dolphins (the Black Sea is the home to the 3 cetacean species, and the Kaliakra Cape is the best place in Europe to see the dolphins from the land, the 70-metre cliffs give the view of the surface, and the dolphins the often the come within the 50 metres of the shore. The essential: the binoculars, the 8×42, the best companion on the Cape. The essential dolphin-watching strategy: the morning, the 7am–9am, the sea is the calmest, the dolphins are the most active, and the light is the best. The boat trip from the Kavarna: the 2-hour cruise around the Cape, the €15, and the best dolphin experience in the Bulgaria. The essential boat-trip booking: the morning, the 8am departure, the calm sea and the best dolphin activity), the Cape itself (the walk around the headland, the 1 km, the 30 minutes, the ruins of the medieval fortress, the Kaliakra Fortress, the 4th century BC, the Thracian, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Bulgarian, the museum, the chapel of the St Nicholas, and the best view of the Black Sea in the Bulgaria. ~€3 for the entry to the reserve, and the essential: the dolphin-watching from the restaurant at the end of the Cape, the coffee, the spotting, and the best £3 morning in the Bulgaria). More Bulgaria →
• The Black Sea coast near the Kaliakra, the essential: The Bolata Beach: the 2 km south of the Kaliakra, the cove, the sand, the calm, and the best beach near the Cape. The free, the small café, and the essential combination: the Kaliakra in the morning and the Bolata in the afternoon. The Kavarna: the nearest town, the small, the quiet, the harbour, the boat trips, and the best base for the Kaliakra: the Hotel Kaliakra (the 3-star, the sea view, the €50/night for the double, and the best-value hotel in the region), the dinner at the Chirakman (the fish, the €12 for the main, and the best fish restaurant in the Kavarna). The Balchik: the 20 km south of the Kaliakra, the Botanical Gardens (the 1940s, the Romanian Queen Marie, the 65 hectares, the largest cactus collection in the Balkans, the 250 species, and the best gardens on the Black Sea. ~€7), the palace (the small, the quiet, the view of the sea). The essential Bulgarian Black Sea itinerary: the 3 days, the day 1: the Kaliakra and the Kavarna, day 2: the Balchik, day 3: the Varna (the largest city on the coast, and the best city, the Archaeological Museum: the Gold of the Varna, the oldest processed gold in the world, the 4,600 BC, and the most important archaeological artefact in the Bulgaria. ~€8).