Distance: 2.15 h total
GPS coordinates: 42.861681, 22.646332
The eco-trail at the Tran Gorge offers a number of various sights and magnificent views.
The gorge is located 3.5 km from the town of Tran and is a picturesque canyon along the river Erma.
Options for the transition of the Tran Gorge
There are several options for a walk in the gorge.
- Easy and long circular route along with the Bogoyna neighborhood and the Tran Pond – red/green/yellow line on the map (2 h, 5.3 km).
2. Short and steep circular route along with Tough Stone to the Church – red/gray/yellow line (2.15h, 2.5km).
3. Short route from the parking lot to the Church and back – yellow line (1 hour).
Here I have described the short and steep route, which was challenging but offered an incredible panorama from above through most of the route.
The Tran gorge – the beginning of the eco-trail
We landed in the parking lot at the beginning of the gorge and since it was time for lunch, we gathered strength and energy for the path that awaited us.
The meadow is huge. There are places for barbecues, a playground with swings, gazebos, benches, and even a toilet.
Here we bought elderberry juice and jam freshly produced the day before in the region.
You can put a stamp of the 100 tourist sites in one of the houses before the parking lot.
At the beginning of the gorge, like two huge guards, the two huge rocks Church and Tough Stone watch us.
They were overhanging the parking lot and it really turned out that our route winds past them.
They are the business card of the gorge and the face of various tourist souvenirs.
The trail began with a descent to the river on poorly secured steps and railings.
Nothing dangerous, you just have to go down carefully. Our company had 3 children and we had no problems.
The first beautiful attraction was the so-called first bridge.
It also saw better times, but we passed it without much difficulty.
It offers a magnificent view between the two guardian rocks and the lush rivers of the river Erma, which cuts through the gorge.
The next attraction of the route follows – a World War II tunnel dug by German soldiers.
It was a strange feeling that you were walking on an eco-trail and at one point you were going through a long tunnel dug by hand.
Tran Gorge – the steep section
A few meters after the tunnel, we saw the turnoff to the left to go down to the river.
As a guide, there is a yellow sign that it is dangerous to pass, but it is a little off the road and if you do not pay attention to it, you can slightly miss it.
There was a steep descent to the bottom of the gorge.
Here we reached the second bridge, which is longer and not in better condition than the first.
In addition to the beautiful river sketches on both sides of the railing, we also enjoyed the view at the foot of the Church.
On the other side of the bridge began a long and challenging climb up the ridge of the Church.
The path is not marked, you walk on …… sense where a human foot has set foot.
We used the most convenient and direct way through the screes, stones, and rocks up to the top.
In 2-3 places there were small observation sites, where we could admire from above the wonderful views of the gorge.
Tran gorge – panorama from the top of the Church
At the foot of the Church we came out on a path, which is really the end of the short route along the yellow line mentioned above.
After a short climb on the steps formed by nature in the rocks, we reached the culmination of the route – the top of the Church.
At the top with railings is a fenced area, which offers a 360-degree stunning view of the surrounding region.
A Tough Stone was hovering in front of us, and cars in the parking lot and houses near the gorge could be seen below.
After giving the deserved time to the natural beauties around, we started going down to the parking lot.
The characters were already tired and we went down the yellow line, the shortest route to the parking lot.
It is marked with yellow markings and easy to pass.
Another place that is worth noting on the descent is a small protruding site with the Bulgarian tricolor, from which you could see the road and the parking lot, but from a lower level.
Another attraction in the town of Tran is the rock church of St. Petka, which was also interesting to visit.
Conclusion
The Tran Gorge is an incredible natural phenomenon that has long remained in my mind.
So many colorful impressions from the various sites along the route!
Several routes allow the traveler to visit the landmark several times and get to know it from different sides without getting bored.
