Chiprovtsi is a small town in north-west Bulgaria, between Belogradchik and Montana. It is situated on the northern side of the Balkan Mountains, very close to the Serbian border. It is famous for its carpets, but also for its waterfall, one of the most beautiful in Bulgaria. The first time I visited this waterfall, it was raining so much the air was full of water, and it was as if the waterfall was the whole forest.

The drive from Sofia takes three hours. You must take the II-81 road in the direction of Kostinbrod and Montana. You pass through the picturesque village of Gintsi before driving up and over the Balkan at Petrohan Pass. You then descend to Barzia before passing the turning to Berkovitsa, another waterfall, on your left. Ten kilometres before Montana, you leave the II-81 and turn left where it is signposted for Chiprovtsi (35 km). You immediately cross a railway, and then the road veers left (if you go straight, you will end up in the village of Borovtsi). After fifteen kilometres, you reach a T-junction. Again, turn left for Chiprovtsi (18 km). In another ten kilometres, just after the pretty village of Beli Mel, again there is a turning on the left for Chiprovtsi (now 10 km).

Four kilometres along this road, there is a turning on the right for Chiprovtsi Monastery (which is set back 500 m from the road). I recommend a visit to this monastery. I went before the waterfall, when it was still early, and the sunlight and spring flowers were very warming. The monastery is dedicated to Bulgaria’s most famous saint, the tenth-century hermit St John of Rila, who founded Rila Monastery.

Having returned to the road, continue in the same direction, and after 4.5 kilometres you will pass the sign for Chiprovtsi itself. 300 m after this sign, you must again turn left to enter the town (otherwise you will bypass it). You are now on Petar Parchevich Boulevard. Continue along here for 1.3 km and, after you pass the school of the same name on the right, turn left down Petar Bogdan Street (both these Peters were Roman Catholic Archbishops!). Continue for 200 m, turn right onto 23 Septemvri Street for 100 m, then left onto Tocho Voyvoda Street for another 100 m, then right onto Balkanska Street. This is the street that will take you to the beginning of the walk to the waterfall. (If you find this difficult, you can simply ask Google Maps for directions from your location to Chiprovtsi Waterfall, which should lead you through the town and out the other side. The important thing is to end up on Balkanska Street.)

This street leaves Chiprovtsi, heading west. You must drive along it for 4.5 kilometres, at which point the road in front of you becomes a track, and the road itself turns back on itself in the direction of Jar Hut. You do not need to go there unless you want to. Park the car on the grassy verge. You are ready to start your walk.

The walk to the waterfall is 3.2 kilometres and takes about an hour. Follow the track for 1.5 kilometres, at which point it divides. The left branch goes to Jar Hut, as you might expect, but you want the right branch. You will soon hear, and then see, the river on your right. This is the river that forms the waterfall higher up. Continue on the track for another 700 m, at which point there is a bridge over the river. The track now doubles back and descends on the other side, but you want to continue upstream, which means taking a path on the far (west) side of the river. There is a box with a first-aid kit and a picnic table directly after the bridge. The path is on your left after this.

You should now have the river on your left. Walk upstream. In 200 m, a bridge of planks crosses a small tributary. Keep following the course of the other river. The path gets steeper, and at one point comes out into the open (I noticed a lot of fallen trees in May). So long as you keep the river on your left, you will not get lost. In another 300 m, there is a second plank bridge, this time over the river, taking you back to the east side. Now the river is on your right. Another 400 m, and there is a third plank bridge taking you back over to the west side, but by now the waterfall is visible through the trees. I sat with my dog for an hour and a half, and I can say the time just disappeared as I marvelled at the drops of spray, the rocks that make up the waterfall (a waterfall is water and rock), little flowers gleaming in the sunlight in far, out-of-the-way places that I could never reach. It was wonderful.

You are now only a few kilometres from the Serbian border. On the Serbian (south) side of the Balkan, there are also waterfalls, I understand, and a national park. When you have had your fill, simply go back the way you have come.