"Bandera Ranch"
Our hosts form "Bandera ranch" are real cowboys. They absolutely adore the nature and the beauty of Koniavo mountain and make everything possible to keep the area clean and pure for the following generations. They have a big herd of Montbiliard cows living up in the mountain in summer and give the best milk you have ever tasted. The family loves the homemade food sо they have their own dairy where any kind of milk products are produced. Even the honey in the houses is form the beehives in the fornt yard.
The owner is certified to train people in the specific cowboy horse riding. They have 11 horses from the famous Haflinger breed. So we think you can use your free time in a very interesting way.
In the area of Kiustendil you can find many places of interest, historical heritage and beautiful nature.
The town of Kuistendil
Kiustendil is a town with more than 3000 years of history. It has especially favorable climate for recreation and mineral water springs. The town is founded by the ancient Thracians and many years after the Romans founded here the town of Pautalia, well known by its mineral springs. The mineral water is with high temperature around 730 C.
The city is one of the most popular places for SPA vacations in Bulgaria. You can try some of them and find many restaurants, cafes and places of interest
The Rila Monastery
The Rila Monastery is the biggest spiritual centre of Bulgaria. The monastery is the largest and most popular Eastern Ortodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km away from the capital - Sofia in 1147m above sea level. It is named after its founder St. Ioan Rilski. Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors.
The monastery is a part of the UNESCO World heritage since 1976 and a National Museum.
Sapareva Bania
A small town situated in the foot of Rila Mountain. The main tourist routs to the Seven Rila Lakes, Panichishte and Skakavitsa start from here.
The only hot geyser in Europe is situated here. The temperature of the water is 103o C.
The pyramids in Stob
The sandstone pyramids of Stob are among the most popular natural attractions for tourists in Bulgaria. They are near the village of Stob, in the region of the southwestern Rila mountain range (Kapatishkiya).
They were recognized as a natural landmark in 1964, along with the surrounding 7.4 hectares.
The pyramids are 30-40 meters thick and 6-10 meters high, reaching a height of 12 meters in some places. Some of the pyramids are pointed and needle-like, while others are round and topped with sandstone “hats” having dimensions of 120/80 cm. and resembling giant mushrooms. Their bases are wide and often joined to neighboring formations.
Most of the pyramids are on the south slope. They range from bright yellow to dark brown and red.
Zemen monastery
The Zemen Monasteri is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery located one kilometre away from Zemen ( a small town in western Bulgaria). The monastery was established in the 11th century. It is rather small with a church, belfry and two other buildings. It is currently uninhabited. The church is a monument of culture.
The church dates from the foundation of the monastery in the late 11th century and has a cube shape, 9 metres long, 8 metres wide, 11.20 metres high. The altar is a stone monolith and the floor is made of colourful tiles. The church is richly painted inside, with two layers of frescoes, the scarcely preserved early one dating to the 11th century. The better preserved Biblical scenes date from the mid-14th century and include several portraits of donors: the first one depicting an unnamed man, his wife Doya and their two children, the second featuring a young man, Vitomir, and a boy, Stoyu. These portraits rank among the oldest and artistically most valuable in the Balkans after the frescoes of the Boiana Church.
The Seven Rila Lakes
One of the most beautiful and magnetic places in Bulgaria are the lakes in Rila mountain. They are situated on 2 500 m above the sea level and have gracial origin. Each lake has a unique name related to its form. The highest lake is called "The tear", than we have "The Eye", "The Kidney", "The Twin", "The trefoil", "The Fish Lake", and the last one is "The Lower lake"
This lakes are one of the main tourist attraction in Bulgaria because of the inspiring natural beauty of the place. They are locater one above another and small streams make the connection between them.
Karting in Kiustendil - Pautalia
Swimming pool in Kliustendil