Ok, people! Everyone is talking about the same locations when it comes to travelling out of the patterns. Oh, I’ve been to Thailand, oh, I’m going to Zakintos, etc.. After coming back from Greece, everyone starts telling tales that they visited Eastern Europe. All wrong, I mean, not wrong, but incomplete. Are you a seeker, a true adventurer, or what? So, if you’re tired of visiting the most beautiful places on Earth, if you want to see pristine lands with good food, if you’re into camping and discovering new places with tonnes of exoticism, go deeper, go to Durankulak, Bulgaria, another outstanding place under the sun, this time in the real Eastern Europe.

     The place I am talking about is Durankulak beach, the last Bulgarian sand before the border with Dacia (Romania). I used to spend a lot of time there with one of my former girlfriends because no one knew where we were and we couldn’t be disturbed. We were crossing the border to Bulgaria through the border crossing point I was working in and turned left on the first countryside road, along the line of trees delimitating the crops. If you come from Durankulak towards Dacia (Romania), you need to turn right on the last road before the border crossing. At the end of that road you’ll find a little forest. You have two options: you either follow the road to the beach (difficult with a normal car, but doable), or follow the road to the left and camp in the forest and have the best view of the beach. We were staying on the beach, completely naked and making love under the sun and in the sea, hidden by the curious eyes of regular tourists. If you never had sex on the beach, well, I don’t know what to say… 🙂 That is the perfect place to do it and live a hippie life.

Warning!

     If you drive down to the beach, do not follow the sand road further towards Durankulak if your vehicle is not 4×4. You will get stuck, don’t be fooled by the grass growing from the sand. You will be tempted to go further down the beach for more privacy, because it’s a very long beach, but be cautious.

     Let’s talk about the Black Sea. Close to the beach the water is pretty shallow and full of stones. You might need protective shoes if you’re going swimming. You have to be careful if the water is not clear. I wasn’t wearing anything while in the water, it all depends on your survival skills. Do not jump dive! Don’t worry, the stones are good for you, they have a purpose.

Weather

     The best time to go camping there is between half-May to end of August, maybe earlier than that. We have a saying that when 15 August comes “you shit in your hat“, meaning the weather can take a turn to the worse any day. Plus, after half-August the nights can get very chilly and foggy.

The area enjoys very powerful storms during hot summers and if you see very bad clouds forming fast, followed by strong wind, don’t panic and take cover.
Something like this:

Food

     You can live there without any restaurant or even without bringing any food. It’s your choice if you want to hit a seafood restaurant in Durankulak, Vama Veche (Dacia – Romania, which is very close), or survive like a warrior.

     Now I’m going to tell you how to survive like in The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio. Black Sea is magic, it’s hiding something amazing and I’m not talking just about fish, you’d find that almost impossible to catch, so there’s no point in talking more about it. Bring your snorkelling gear, get into the water and hunt for food. On and between the stones you’ll find huge whelks (sea snails) that are not indigenous. This is why their number grows from year to year, if there’s no cyclone on the Black Sea during the winters, to take them out on the shores in massive quantities. They are a delicacy in Bulgaria and Dacia (Romania). People pay good money for a dish with whelks, usually between £20.00-£30.00 per small portion. If you camp there you have them for free. Just dive and find them making love on and under stones, or trying to change rocks. From time to time you might have to fight off some pesky crabs, but you’ll find it entertaining and fun. With about 20-30 whelks you can have a decent dinner for two. Start a bonfire, boil some water, put them in for a couple of minutes for easy clean, take them out of the shell, cut their gut and throw it away, wash the sand off and start cooking them in the open fire. At the end spray them with a bit of salt and enjoy a very rare dish that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. I am telling you, they are super delicious and addictive. The feeling of catching them on the bottom of the sea is out of this world. If you’re a man doing it, your woman will love you ten times more after that. 🙂 Just think, you’re providing food for the family like in the beginning of the world.

You can use a fork to pull them out of their shell and make sure you cut the hard “foot” which they use to protect the entrance in the shell.
This is how they look with the shell on and off:

Warning!

     Do not use whelks washed ashore, even if they look ok. If they look purple on the sides do not use them! Don’t ruin your holiday by getting sick. Use only the alive ones you’ve caught yourself in the sea.

    Camp on Durankulak beach and you’ll understand why that place is special. This is how the whelks look like:

Big Warning!

     Bring with yourself at least a knife and keep an eye out for the fauna. During the day watch where you’re going in the grass as there are venomous snakes that kinda don’t like being disturbed, and during the night don’t go out of the tent alone, too far or without a weapon, as wild boars are running the place. Even more, if you see a mother boar with her cubs, don’t move a muscle! Usually you can feel the pig smell when they’re around. They will not get close to your area during the day, and even during the night if you stay close to the bonfire and your tent. Just keep in mind that it is an area with rich wild fauna, even deer.

     Also keep in mind that you are in a border area and the Bulgarian border force might stop you to ask where you are going and why. If they tell you you’re not allowed on that beach its not true, they are just trying to make their life easier by making sure there is no one too close to the border with Dacia (Romania). You are allowed, even during the night, if you are of good faith. If not, there is little you can to avoid being caught; then you’ll be in real trouble. I used to work in that area and know the terrain by heart. That zone is being heavily watched with state of the art equipment and night vision by the Dacian (Romanian) force, so don’t stray too much on the beach towards Dacia (Romania). You might cross the border without realising it and the coast guard will detain you and you might lose some time in their offices for nothing. Use Google Maps to check if you’re too close.

Other than that, Durankulak is a magical place for out of the map camping.

Travel yourself to life!

Report a Typo or Mistake within this article here.