PRELIMINARY ROUTE and PROGRAM

Total length of the route – about 1800 km

Time of holding: 22 (Wednesday) - 31 (Friday) in July 2015
Duration: 10 days
Transport: Bus (licensed transport company)
Home/End ponit of the route: Departure: Sofia (July 22, 2015, 9:00 am) Return: Sofia (July 31, 2015, around 18:00)

  1. DAY 1 (22 July, Wednesday):
    Sofia – Lakatnik – Zverino - Cherepishki monastery – rock formation Ritlite – Vratsa – Tourist complex Ledenika (hotel “Kiparis”)
    • Safety briefing in fieldwork and visits to caves.
    • Field lectures on sites along the route.
    • Relationship evening.

  2. DAY 2 (23 July, Thursday):
    Tourist complex Ledenika – show cave Ledenika – Vratsa – rock formation Boji most – Botevgrad – Lovech – Devetashka cave – Lovech (hotel “Oasis”)
    • Field lectures and demonstrations along the route.
    • Evening of shared experience.

  3. DAY 3 (24 July, Friday):
    Lovech – Krushuna – Gorsko Slivovo – Krushuna – Lovech (hotel “Provance”).
    • Field lectures with demonstrations of interdisciplinary field research in the Krushuna karst geosystems. Visits to sites of the surface karst complex and caves (Chernata pesht, precipice-type cave Golyama Garvanitsa). Demonstrative hydro-chemical sampling along the profile of Krushuna calcareous tufa cascade. Visit to the Urushka maara cave with calcareous tufa cascade.
    • Evening of shared experience.

  4. DAY 4 (25 July, Saturday):
    Lovech – Levski – Byala – Dve mogili – show cave Orlova chukka – Bojichen (hotel complex “Orekhite”).
    • Field lectures with demonstrations.
    • Working meeting with the Natura Park “Rusenski Lom” management.
    • Lectures on karst in Bulgaria and karst geosystems (in the conference hall of the hotel).

  5. DAY 5 (26 July, Sunday):
    Bojichen - Ivanovo (Architectural reserve “Skalni carkvi (Rock churches) near Ivanovo”, UNESCO) – Bessarbovo (active Rock-monastery “St. Dimitrii Bassarbovski”) – Bojichen (hotel complex “Orekhite”).
    • Specialized lectures about the sanctuaries and spiritual centers in karst.
    • Evening of participants (in the conference hall of the hotel) – presentations of research works and good practices.

  6. DAY 6 (27 July, Monday):
    Bojichen – Vetovo (paleokarst complex at “Kaloyanovo” mines) – Senovo – Razgrad – Shumen – Natural park “Shumen Plateau” – Bisserna cave – Shumen (hotel complex “Kyoshkovete”).
    • Visit to a paleokarst complex near the villages of Senovo, Vetovo and Kaolin. Observations of paleokarst relief and buried soils in cross sections of kaolin quarries.
    • Working meeting with representatives of “Kaolin” company – talk about Bulgarian deposits of kaolin – the largest in the world with karst origin.
    • Field demonstrations and discussions about the stated scientifically oriented route “Karst under protection – gift for the future generations” in the Natural park “Shumen plateau”. Lectures on the Bisserna karst geosystems. Observations of experimental lysimeter sites – specialized lectures on the characteristics of soils and vegetation in karst terrain. Visit to the “Bisserna” cave and learning about the model of integrated monitoring in cave system.
    • Evening of participants (in the conference hall of the hotel) – presentations of research works and good practices.

  7. DAY 7 (28 July, Tuesday):
    Shumen – Natural park “Shumen plateau” – Osmar – Troyitza – Madara – Shumen (hotel complex “Kyoshkovete”).
    • Series of lectures at the Summer information center of Natural park “Shumen Plateau”.
    • Working meeting with the Park Management.
    • Field demonstrations and discussions along established science-oriented routes in the park. Visit the complex of rock churches Hankrumovi porti.
    • Visit to the National Historical and Archeological Reserve “Madara” (UNESCO) and Protected area “Madara rock cliffs”. Specialized lectures on the role of karst in the development of civilizations in Bulgarian lands.
    • Discussion evening dedicated to the educational strategy ProKARSTerra-Edu.

  8. DAY 8 (29 July, Wednesday):
    Shumen-Natural landmark “Pobiti kamani” (Rock forest) – Varna – National monument of culture “Aladja manastir” – Architectural reserve “Kaliakra” – National architectural reserve “Yailata” – Shumen (hotel complex “Kyoshkovete”).
    • Filed lectures along the route.
    • Working meeting with the Nature park “Zlatni Pyassatsi (Golden Sands)” management.
    • Specialized lectues and observations of marine karst morphological complex.

  9. DAY 9 (30 July, Thursday):
    Shumen – Veliko Tarnovo – Dryanovo monastery – show cave Bacho Kiro – Gabrovo – Sevlievo – Troyan (hotel “Shato montan”).
    • Field lectures on karst in the inverse plateau Stradzata. Visit to Bacho Kiro cave and talk about the results of monitoring it.
    • Working meeting with reperesntatives of the local community in Troyan.
    • Specialized survey with the participants of the Traveling summer school.
    • Farewell evening.

  10. DAY 10 (31 July, Friday):
    Troyan – pot-holes of the river Vit - show cave Saeva dupka – karst abyss Ledenitsa – karst spring Glava Panega – Lukovit – Prokhodna cave – Lukovit – Sofia.
    • Field lectures on Brestnica karst geosystems. Visit to Saeva dupka cave and presentation of its monitoring. Discussion on learning opportunities in the cave environment. Visit to the largest collected karst spring in Bulgaria Glava Panega.
    • Working meeting with representatives of the cement plant “Golden Panega” (Titan Bulgaria).
    • Terrain talk about Karlukovo karst region and the genesis of Prokhodana cave – the largest of this type cave in Bulgaria.

The selected model karst areas, included into the Travelling school route are located in regions typical for the Bulgarian karst. They represent the diversity of Bulgarian karst and its specifics. On the road between model karst areas a number of other natural and cultural/historical sites, which will help them learn more about Bulgaria.