“Strandzha is a mountain like no other. There are other places where you might find yourself at risk, but when you go to Strandzha it is to learn and to contemplate nature. In Strandzha, nature gives genuine pleasure and respite.” That is how Vladimir Dimitrov describes his home from home – the mountain.

Vladimir is a forester by education and chairman of the Green Strandzha Association, which he set up in 2007, most of all to popularize various tourist itineraries in the biggest protected area in the country – the Strandzha nature park.

“Every week for close to seven years, together with the association, we have been organizing hikes in Mount Strandzha. We also have campaigns to clean up the mountain, to plant trees, and in summer we organize children’s camps – all of them initiatives that help people spend more time outdoors and get to know the animal and plant world. In the past three years or so people seem to have become more nature-oriented, to have acquired a better appreciation of time spent outside the city, in the open air,” Vladimir Dimitrov says.

• Manna honey - the black gold of Strandzha Mountain

This year the association is marking 15 years since its foundation, and to mark the occasion Vladimir and his like-minded associates are organizing a Kite Festival on 15 May. A festival of sun, wind, blue skies, the beauty of nature, health and a free spirit. This year it is to have its second edition, and the location – a hill overlooking the Burgas neighbourhood Banevo, called Three Sisters.

“The hill is close to Burgas, and under normal conditions, if there is no rain, the wind is just right for flying kites practically every day. At the same time, it is an enjoyable and easy climb. The view that opens up from the top – of the bay of Burgas, the city itself and the villages around – is superb.” 

The first edition of the Kite Festival was in May, 2021, and it brought together more than 150 people, many of them children.

“Children have so much fun with kites. They are the symbol of the free spirit, of the freedom of moving, it is a way to ring in summer. Last year the weather was just perfect, and I hope it will be the same this Sunday too,” Vladimir Dimitrov says.

Even if you are unable to attend the Kite Festival near Burgas, remember the location, because the Three Sisters is an excellent place to fly kites throughout summer. It is an approximately 5-kilometre climb, mostly rocky and sunny, so, don’t forget to put in sensible shoes and a hat, Vladimir Dimitrov says.