Before becoming a Bulgarian beer brand, the name Ledenika only referred to a cave of unearthly beauty in north-western Bulgaria, surrounded by educational hiking routes

It’s Saturday, around noon. The heat in Sofia is unbearable and we jump into the car with the idea of going to see the unique “trail of fairytales” in the cooling depths of the Vratsa Balkan mountain range, located in the northern-western part of Bulgaria.

We arrive in the town of Vratsa, simmering in the heat. All over the place, there are signs pointing to the Ledenika cave (from the Bulgarian word ‘led’, meaning ice), whose mere name is already cooling. We follow the signs to the end of the town. On the way, we enjoy Vratsa but dreams of a nice thick shade and a little coolness make us press on.



The road winds into the mountain, the town and the red roofs of the nearby village of Zgorigrad remain below us. About 15 kilometres later, we reach an intersection with many signs and turn left towards the resting station “Forest Home,” which is where the fairytale trail begins. Just a few hundred metres along the asphalt road and we are already under the shade of the dense pine-tree forest, and the fresh cool air sharpens our appetite and our senses. After a short snack break, we head towards the trail.



At the beginning, we are met by a smiling painted dwarf and the entire Red Riding Hood story, which we read in one breath from “the pages” of a large wooden book, hung on a tree. Deeper into the forest, we find the stories of Nibbly the Mouse, the Sly Fox and many other fairytale characters, along with labyrinths and the house of the chief witch in Slavic mythology, which stands on its wooden chicken foot in the middle of the forest.

The evil old woman herself, known as Baba Yaga, is hidden in the branches of a nearby tree, waiting for disobedient children who “beat up and torture animals; ruin birds’ nests and ant-hills; toss garbage around the meadows,” as it is neatly explained.



After an hour of laughter, children’s stories and just one hill, the forest draws back and an incredible panoramic view of the nearby hills is revealed. A new sign there invites us to keep silent and enjoy the forest concert that is to be performed by the sweet-voiced birds. Unfortunately, we must have caught the intermission, as the only sound we hear is that of our speeded up breathing.

At the end of the trail, nevertheless, we are sent off by the Forest Spirit himself – an old tree that looks like a gigantic Ent from The Lord of the Rings. On the way back to the “Forest Home” we stumble across another ecological trail – an educational route called “In the world of ecology,” but decide to leave it for the following day. We spend the evening telling entertaining children’s stories and heroic summer camp tales from the not-so-recent past. In the morning, we wake up with our hands smeared in toothpaste; somebody has taken it upon themselves to continue the old summer camp tradition of covering door handles with it.

We set aside three hours for the world of ecology, and the 16 signs along the route inform us in detail about the climate, soil, water and other curious ecological factors. Unfortunately, some of the signs have been torn down, lying smashed on the ground, but the “well-meaning environmentalists” who ride their ATVs around the forest.

In the last part of our trip, we visit the Ledenika cave. We don’t have to wait around for a group to gather because this weekend, there is no guide for visitors.

Despite the large number of tourists, we manage to enjoy the cave’s beauty and the shapes created by nature. In the end, pleasantly cooled down, we head back to Sofia, busy setting new high temperature records.


Practical information:

Where to stay: If you want to spend the night in the forest home, it is recommended you make reservations in advance. Telephone: ++359 886 332 033.

What to do: There are a few other educational routes in the area: “Mountaineering for beginners,” “Karst and bio diversity,” and “The forest.”

What to eat: We strongly recommend the forest home’s cuisine, which has only a few offerings but they are all delicious.

What to wear: If you intend on going into the Ledenika cave, high-heeled shoes and summer tank tops are not recommended.

This text was produced as part of the book The Unknown Bulgaria, which was published in Bulgarian earlier this year with an introduction by Albena Shkodrova, the editor in chief of BalkanTravellers.com. The book, compiled by adem, contains stories about 46 off-the-beaten track destinations around the country.

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