Day Trip from Sofia: Natural Wonders and Monastery Visit

Embark on a thrilling day trip from Sofia and discover Bulgaria’s natural wonders. Explore the enchanting Prohodna cave, visit the stunning Saeva Dupka cave, and marvel at the unique Glozhene Monastery perched on a mountain peak. Join our group tour now!

Duration:
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

TRIP PLAN
Your guide will pick you up in the morning from your place in Sofia and within an hour and a half (110 km) scenic drive through the Balkan Mountains you will arrive at the Iskar Gorge, near the village of Karlukovo, amidst one of Bulgaria’s largest karst regions. There you will have a short loop hike (1.5 h) exploring the unique natural wonder…

What's Included
  • Exploration of Saeva Dupka cave with a professional caver
  • Inclusive of all taxes, fees, and handling charges
  • Guidance and transportation by a licensed professional
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off in Sofia
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks (you can prepare your own lunch packs or the guide can stop at a grocery shop on the way to the caves, from where you can buy some food for picnic)
  • Personal expenses
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Immerse yourself in a day trip from Sofia, experiencing three of Bulgaria’s most breathtaking sights! Discover the enchanting Prohodna cave, dubbed as ‘The Eyes of God’ by local inhabitants due to its divine-eye-like openings on the vault. Visit Saeva Dupka, one of Bulgaria’s most ornate caves tailored to tourist exploration, and marvel at the…

Location
Glozhene Monastery (Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
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Anetakj7763qj
Aug 17, 2025
Excelent experience! Highly recomended agency! - The company organised a private tour for us – there were two of us. The decision to spend the day outside Sofia was made spontaneously, from one day to the next. I wrote to several agencies asking if they still had places available, and only Azimut Tour responded. Kiril, the manager, contacted us by phone and WhatsApp. He was very professional and open to suggestions (e.g. he took into account our request for a lunch break and a drop-off at the airport). We were picked up from the hotel. Everything was perfectly timed. Marin, our guide and driver, was very friendly. He drove carefully and, importantly for me, did not overwhelm us with conversation. He provided comprehensive explanations about the places we visited, as well as Bulgaria itself and its inhabitants. As for the places we visited, they are definitely worth seeing. Both caves are stunning, and the Iskar-Panega Geopark is a beautiful place. The monastery is worth visiting for its architectural value and the special role it played in Bulgaria's independence. If I were to take organised trips from Sofia in the future, I would definitely use Azimut Tour's services again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frennie4
May 4, 2025
Great!! - Thanks to our guide Velko we spent a really beautiful day! He was very friendly and showed us the natural side of Bulgaria. Also the restaurant, suggested by him, was really delicious. Highly reccomend this tour! Thank you Velko, greetings from Italy!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
580callumd
May 3, 2025
Amazing! - Velko was an amazing guide and we had a fun day out! We saw everything we wanted and within a great time. Had a nice lunch in between as well
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N3128jqmarinaa
Oct 22, 2024
Amazing Day with our amazing guide! - Amazing tour of the caves and an even more amazing guide Maria! The caves are very different - Eyes of God is huge and above ground, Saeva Dupka is a big underground cave with many chambers and even sleeping bat residents on the ceiling. Glozhene is a unique experience as the monastery is perched up on a mountain and accessible only by winding mountain roads. Maria also offered a great chance to hike by the Eyes of God cave, so we got to experience the true wonder of Bulgarian nature hikes. Overall this was a great experience, and again - an absolutely amazing guide who made it a unique and memorable day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
833nickh
Feb 15, 2024
Wonderful guide Velko! - My family and I had a wonderful day with our GREAT guide Velko! He knows everything there is to know about lovely Bulgaria and is happy to share with his guests. He is hilarious and very passionate about his country and his work. The caves were interesting, the restaurant for lunch perfect, and the monestary beautiful. All in all we had a perfect day and will come back to Bulgaria again just for Velko :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mikhail_n
Mar 11, 2023
Spot on - Very good private tour. The guide was very knowledgeable about the the places we has visiting, arrived at our hotel 15 minutes early which was good, also I needed a taxi to the ski resort after the tour which they was very helpful with recommendations. I would highly recommend this tour. We loved it !!
Review provided by Viator
Everlastingsong
Oct 8, 2022
Great experience - I would highly recommend this tour. I was picked up by Georgi on time and we visited the Saeva Dupka cave first. Georgi was really fun and knew a lot about local history so the trip was never boring. The cave itself as one of the most famous in Bulgaria was fantastic. We were really lucky since it was not a busy day. We almost had the whole cave to ourselves. The Eyes of God cave was magnificent - it really made me wonder how it was formed. The view from any angle was great. As one of the oldest (perhaps the oldest), Glozhene Monastery was the highlight of the day in my opinion. It was situated at the top of the mountain, offering a breath-taking panoramic view of the mountain ranges. We arrived back in Sofia quite early so I had some time to explore the city. It was a great and flexible tour which I really enjoyed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wtmsw
Sep 13, 2022
highly recommend! Kiril and Georgi are wonderful =) - both Kiril and Georgi are wonderful. Kiril was in contact with me throughout via WhatsApp with updates, which significantly helped with the booking, and they both accommodated my tight schedule that day, made sure I got to the airport on time straight from the tour. Georgi was a wonderful guide, provided lots of information (even weeks after the tour when I forgot certain details!) and helped us take pictures. we almost didn't get to see the Eyes of God since there was a movie shooting there that day (and of course no one provided the tour company any updated information, what can you do?) will try to book another tour with them if I return to Bulgaria.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Greghw3964ya
May 19, 2022
Perfect adventure - Amazing trip with George ! Can’t say enough about the tour - it made our holiday. Adventure - nature - knowledge - George is a wonder guide and a beautiful soul - he really showed us the real Bulgaria. It was all amazing - we can’t put a highlight as honestly it was as good as it gets. The perfect trip if your visit Sofia. If you do the eyes of god ask to see Saint marina chapel and hike to the cave. 10/10. The black monk Nectari is incredible at the monastery. Such an honour to visit this man in his monastery
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yoanab119
Aug 27, 2020
Best day of our trip!!! - We had an amazing day! The attractions we visited were really interesting and the way everything was presented from our guide Kiril was absolutely stunning! We could not have wished for a better tour, a better guide and a better day! We were adapting the agenda towards what was interesting for us and we saw and experienced so much more than we were even wishing for! We did some tours during this trip also with other tour operators which were also great, however this one was THE ONE! Thank you so much for taking such good care of us and we will definently come back for more!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $70
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).