Crazy Cliff Jumping in Tyulenovo, Bulgaria
For the past three years in the picturesque Bulgarian village of Tyulenovo, a new, unusual and quite an extreme tradition was formed. Young people with fearless hearts and a passion for adventure test their physical and mental limits by jumping off the cliffs in Tyulenovo.
Cliff diving in Tyulenovo
Cliff diving isn’t very popular in Bulgaria, but all diving lovers have heard about the small bay Ashalaka (meaning “the place at the bottom” in Turkish) and they go there to give themselves an adrenaline rush since the dawn of time. Well, I don’t know about that last part, but this extreme activity has been around for a while. This venture became a cultural event when one of the regular jumpers created a Facebook event and encouraged their friends to join them in the risky endeavor. The event, that was appropriately called “Great jumps in Tyulenovo”, gained popularity fast and motivated dare-devils from all over the country. And thus, a new and hopefully long Black Sea tradition was born.
The cliffs are sheer, which makes them very suitable for this extreme sport, and they are of different heights with the highest point exceeding 10 meters. This allows both lovers and experienced jumpers to choose where to make their jump. At the very first official event 3 years ago more than 200 people made over 500 jumps and it’s expected that even more enthusiasts will be tempted to join in the years to come.
Needless to say that apart from cliff jumping, the place is ideal for deep-water soloing and other underwater activities like scuba diving and snorkeling. It would come as no surprise if another event is created on some social media platform in the following years thus putting Tyulenovo on the map of the extreme water sports.
Tyulenovo central beach is small, rocky and totally unsuitable for the conventional sun tanning while laying casually on your beach towel, reading Cosmopolitan. Darn. Nevertheless, the locals highly appreciate the crystal clear sea water and the gorgeous underwater scenery, so the beach isn’t left unoccupied during the summer months.
How to get to Tyulenovo
Tyulenovo is located 535 km northeast of Sofia, around 90 km northeast of Varna and it’s right next to Shabla where there’s a bus from most northeastern towns and villages (Varna, Dobrich, Kavarna, Krapets, Durankulak), as well as from Sofia, the capital. Unfortunately, there isn’t organized interurban transport from Shabla to Tyulenovo, so you can get there by automobile only or with a bit (or a lot) of enthusiasm (the walking distance between Tyulenovo and the lighthouse at Cape Shabla is 5 km). When going to the organized event, the cliff jumpers usually carpool as there are many offers in the Facebook event comment section. This way not only do they share gas money, but they also make new friends thanks to the mutual adventurous spirit and passion for unknown waters.
When you are in the area and most importantly if you have a car, I highly recommend that you check out the village of Kamen Bryag and “Ogancheto” (“The Fire” in Bulgarian) where an eternal flame burns. That sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?! Don’t forget to visit the National Archeological Reserve “Yailata”, the impressive Cape Kaliakra and the renowned Dalboka mussel farm.
All photos courtesy of Pamela Pankova