Stone columns
In the sand.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · www.vacacionesbulgaria.com — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0
Pobiti Kamani, «the planted stones», is a strange little desert west of Varna, where hollow grey stone columns of different heights stand in the sand like a petrified forest, surrounded by grass and scrub. It was first described by a Russian archaeologist in 1829 and protected as a natural landmark in the late 1930s. Many theories have been put forward for its origin, from coral to wind-eroded rock. Recent studies suggest the columns formed around methane seeps rising through the floor of an ancient sea, making them a rare record of ancient hydrocarbon seeps. You follow paths among the columns in the main group by the road, touch the hollow stones, and take photos at sunset, when the low light turns the stones golden and the shadows stretch out. It is about 17 km in a straight line west of central Varna. There is no shade on site, so bring water and a hat in summer.
In the sand.
Long shadows.
Up close.
West of Varna, near the motorway
About an hour.
By car from Varna.