The majestic Balkan has many different faces. Nowhere else, nature and history are not an indivisible whole here, and the visit of Shipka and Buzludja will make you believe that the Time Machine really exists! Shipka with the Monument of Freedom, at the very top, will take you back in 1877 and to the decisive battle of the Liberation War! Buzludja with its "flying saucer" will make you experience a surreal sense of an equally surreal epoch-that of Communism. In both places, however, you will feel not only their historical importance, but you will be fascinated by the beautiful mountain landscape. You will step one foot in the North and one in South Bulgaria and you will draw strength from the panoramic views and the wonderful rock formations of Eagle nest! On the way between Shipka and Buzludja you will pass through the beech forests, and no wonder you can see wild animals, including red deer and roe. Route length: 25-30 km Duration: 5-6 hours (total, with stops) Displacement: + 500 / - 500