Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Corniche facing east.
Umm Al Quwain Wall
‘Giant’ Marfa Mural
Approaching the tree while driving on the main road.
Remarkable Silk Cotton Tree
Key moments of the multi-day fight are recreated in the museum’s diorama.
Museo de la Batalla de Monterrey (Battle of Monterrey Museum)
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
The kabrit, or twice-cooked goat, with plantains and rice and beans is essential.
Fritai
Twelve Mile Limit is the kind of bar with a whole roster of regulars.
Twelve Mile Limit
Khao soi, the popular northern Thai noodle dish, comes with a richly spiced coconut broth here.
Budsi’s Authentic Thai
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
A listener in Toronto explored Casa Loma, and a nearby park that made the city disappear.
How the Pandemic Helped Our Listeners Rediscover Their Own Neighborhoods
about 16 hours ago
You don’t need a time machine to journey through history.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Take a Trip Through Ancient History?
about 22 hours ago
In the 19th century, Fort Jefferson projected American power far out into the Gulf of Mexico. Its defensive moat was once patrolled by sharks.
The Hidden Graveyard of Dry Tortugas National Park
1 day ago
The view from the Q’eswachaka woven suspension bridge.
This Man Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge Yearly
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Bulgaria Slanchevo Pobiti Kamani Stones

Pobiti Kamani Stones

Mysterious standing stone formations looks like a petrified forest.

Slanchevo, Bulgaria

Added By
ser flac
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pobitite...
Pobiti Kamani   Kristo Pantera
  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...
The stone forest   Kristo Pantera
The stone forest   Kristo Pantera
Dezert without dezert   Kristo Pantera
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located near Varna, these unusual hollow columnar rock formations look like the remains of an ancient forest, but they are not. The mysterious Pobiti Kamani, or "upright stones", can be as large as 30 feet tall and there are several theories on how exactly they came to be. One current theory is that they are built up mineral deposits surrounding natural methane vents in the ground.

Unique in the world, the area is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The only similar formations known are in Shark Bay and Nambung National Park, Australia.

 

 

Related Tags

Martian Landscapes Geological Oddities Ecosystems Geology

Community Contributors

Added By

serflac

Edited By

Kristo Pantera

  • Kristo Pantera

Published

August 10, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5642/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pobiti_Kamani
  • http://www.vagabond.bg/bulgaria-travel-mob/1284-pobiti-kamani.html
Pobiti Kamani Stones
Pobitite Kamani
Slanchevo, 9144
Bulgaria
43.23569, 27.683783
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Retro Museum

Varna, Bulgaria

miles away

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite

Provadia, Bulgaria

miles away

Roman Ruins Underneath a Starbucks

Varna, Bulgaria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Europe

Places 63
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Retro Museum

Varna, Bulgaria

miles away

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite

Provadia, Bulgaria

miles away

Roman Ruins Underneath a Starbucks

Varna, Bulgaria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Europe

Places 63
Stories 4

Related Places

  • Columnar basalt along the Kanaio Coast.

    Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

    Kanaio Coast

    A cooled lava flow from the Haleakalā volcano formed these surreal-looking columnar basalt structures.

  • Cabezon Peak

    New Mexico

    Cabezon Peak

    This towering volcanic plug stands out among the dramatic formations that dot this otherworldly desert valley.

  • The Smoking Hills, as seen from the sea.

    Inuvik, Unorganized, Northwest Territories

    The Smoking Hills

    These hellish-looking cliffs in the Canadian Arctic have been burning for centuries.

  • A mud pot.

    Iceland

    Námafjall

    In Northeastern Iceland lies something of an oxymoron: a steaming desert.

  • The landscape is pure geological eye candy.

    Bloomfield, New Mexico

    Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area

    The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.

  • The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.

    Northwest Arctic, Alaska

    Great Kobuk Sand Dunes

    Massive mounds of golden sand look like a desert landscape randomly plopped in an Arctic forest.

  • Red Rock Coulee

    Orion, Alberta

    Red Rock Coulee

    Huge spherical rocks in the middle of the prairie.

  • Don Juan Pond.

    Antarctica

    Don Juan Pond

    Scientists use one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth as a terrestrial base for studying water on Mars.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.