Just outside of Dryanovo heading towards Gabrovo is the turn off to the monastery.  As well as the church and its beautiful grounds there are a hoard of souvenir kiosks and two restaurants as well as snack stalls.  It sounds very touristy but to be honest, unless you go on a bank holiday or maybe a Sunday I've always found it to be very quiet and peaceful.  The setting is absolutely beautiful deep in the gorge with the river and its little waterfalls.  The souvenir shops actually sell a good range of decent things at good prices and they definitely don't pester you like in some other places.  There's a car park and parking areas at the side of the road although you have to pay for both (not much though).  Have a look at all the red and white martenitsas hanging from the trees as you walk to the church... there are hundreds of them!

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Dryanovo Monastery

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Further along from the monastery is an adventure high ropes course consisting of various bridges and ropes strung between trees. There's a route for children with obstacles 1-3m off the ground, and then a harder course for adults/children over 1.6m tall with elements up to 7m off the ground. Open 9am-6pm Fri-Sun, or weekdays by prior booking. Cost is 5 lev for the easier course, 10 lev for the harder one. Contact details:

Tourist Association "Bacho Kiro"
town of Dryanovo, region Gabrovska, bc 5370
7, Stefan Stambolov Str. 14
Tel. 0676 / 7-23-32;
GSM 0889 618914; 0887 080993
e-mail: bacho_kiro2@abv.bg
www.tdbachokiro.com

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There are a couple of ecotrails here - one which begins in the corner of the carpark area just past the archway through to the monastery, the other begins up past the entrance to the caves. The paths are marked and are fairly well worn so are not too bad to follow though some parts are very steep or near sheer drops! The following links give more details:

Dryanovo Monastery Ecotrail

"Via Ferrata" Ecotrail

Monastery-Bozhentsi Ecotrail

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The "Bacho Kiro" caves are always great for a visit.

There are two routes inside; a long one and a short one.  To do the long tour you need to have a party of people.  As you enter the cave network there is an information board showing the history of the place and listing some of the finds.  You are then free to wander along the network by yourself which is great fun.  There are various stalactites and stalagmites and the floor can be rather slippery in places although there are handrails to help.

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Open every day:
01 November – 31 March 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
01 April – 31 October 9.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m

Prices:
Children – 2.00 lv ; Adult – 3.00 lv short route / 30 min (or as long as you like!)
Children – 3.00 lv ; Adult – 5.00 lv long route / 60 min (minimum group of 15 people)

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As you drive down to the monastery you will first pass a left turn to a hotel, and a bit later a sign pointing left to a campsite. From both of these places you can access a very nice open air public swimming pool which features a large adult and smaller children's pool, a snack bar, changing rooms and toilets. You can hire sun loungers and umbrellas too, and the setting is beautiful in the heart of the valley surrounded by forests. The price is something like 5 levs per day including the sunlounger and umbrella.