The Central Balkan National Park is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Bulgaria. The name of Stara Planina mountains (“Balkan”) comes from the ancient history of our land. It is not surprising that the whole peninsula is named after the mountains. Despite the severe climate, the inaccessible gorges and the awesome valleys it has given shelter to people since ancient times, during the Thracian and Roman days, up to the present.
Our trip offers a combined trek through two of the most exciting natural reserves in the Balkan Mountains: Kozyata Stena (The Chamois’ Rocks; famous for its flowering Edelweiss during summer) and Northern Dzhendem. We climb Mount Botev – the highest peak in the Balkan Mountains (2,376 m, or 7,795 ft) and enjoy the imposing view of the Sredna Gora, Pirin and Rodopi Mountains and the fertile Thracian Valley. Sharp pinnacles, deep canyons, century-old Beech woods, waterfalls, unique rock formations and vast alpine meadows hide extraordinary diverse wildlife. The tour ends in the town of Plovdiv, where a relaxed walk along the paved streets of the old quarters will bring us a couple of centuries back in time.
Special highlights:
Balkan Mountains
(highest peak: Mount Botev 2376 m a.s.l.) are the longest (550 km) and the biggest of all mountains in Bulgaria.
Cherni Osam is a village, perched on both banks of the Cherni Osam River
and an excellent base to explore the National Park Central Balkan.
Chiflik is a village located at the upper stream of the Beli Osam River.
Troyan Monastery “Assumption of Virgin Mary”, being the 3-th largest in Bulgaria, is built in the style of the Bulgarian Renaissance.
Beklemeto Pass (1320 m a.s.l.) is a mountain resort very popular for summer and winter mountain marches in the high part of the mountains. Plovdiv (160 m a.s.l.) ranks as the second Bulgarian city in population and size. The old town of Plovdiv is one of the oldest European towns contemporary to Troy and Mikena.
Itinerary:
Day 1. Arrival at Sofia or Plovdiv airport and transfer to the Beklemeto pass in the Balkan Mountains where we stay overnight (2 hrs from Plovdiv; 2,5 hrs from Sofia).
/dinner/
Day 2. In the morning we start off from Beklemeto (1,320 m, or 4,330 ft) heading towards the peak sections of the mountains leading to the Troyan Pass (1,525 m, or 5,003 ft), before continuing westwards. From here the path follows the summit of the Balkan ridge, passing along the southern slopes of Kozyata Stena Reserve. The northern slopes of Kozyata Stena (1,562 m, or 5,124 ft) house an impressive population of Edelweiss, which flower during the summer. This trek takes around three hours from Beklemeto. At the foot of Baba Peak (1707 m or 5,599 ft) we turn northwards. En route we pass a rocky gully famous for its avalanches in winter.
We now have about 2,5 hrs more to go before we reach the village of Chiflik (600 m, or 1,968 ft). Then we transfer to our hotel in Beklemeto (about 30min).
Uphill walk: 250 m, or 820 ft; downhill walk: 950 m, or 3,116 ft; walking time: about 5-6 hours
/breakfast, dinner/
Day 3. After breakfast we head off from Beklemeto to the Dermenka hut (1,504 m, or 4,934 ft). This route features a strenuous but rewarding descent along the Cherni Osam River, where the Steneto Reserve (included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere reserves on account of its virgin nature) awaits us. Then it’s on to the village of Cherni Osam itself. Steneto is also a recognised bird zone. The number of birds registered here is higher than in any other reserve in the Central Balkan region. From Cherni Osam we take the transfer to Troyan Monastery, where we will take a short stroll along the monastery walls. Later in the afternoon we leave for Apriltsi (the transfer takes about 30min), where we will stay overnight.
Uphill walk: 450 m (1,476 ft); downhill walk: 650 m (2,132 ft); walking time: around 7-8 hours
/breakfast, dinner/
Day 4. Pack and leave your luggage at the reception – it will be picked up on day 7 and transferred to Plovdiv. In the morning we will embark on a short sightseeing trip around Apriltsi (506 m, or 1660 ft), which affords you a good insight into the local way of living. At around noon after short transfer we take a walk along one of the new local eco-Guaranteed departure dates for 2008: 21/6, 12/7, 02/8, 16/8, 30/8, 13/9
Uphill walk: 600 m (1,968 ft); downhill walk: 100 m (328 ft); walking time: 1-4 hours (depending on the extensions in the afternoon)
/breakfast, dinner/
Day 5. Today we will head towards the Balkan Mountains’ giant – Mount Botev (2,376 m, or 7,795 ft). Some 30 min after Pleven hut the path goes along the edge of the Northern Dzhendem Reserve. Here you will have the opportunity to enjoy for an hour the inaccessible pinnacles of probably the most picturesque part of the mountains. In case of clear skies we may see the ridges of Pirin and Rodopi mountains. Some 3 hrs from Pleven hut we reach the Botev refuge, where we can leave our luggage before the ascent. Then we continue to the top, where we get in 1 hr more before going back to the refuge. During the development of what are now the Balkan Mountains, the granite basis of the peak was broken up by river erosion. As a result, the terrifying rock faces of the Northern Dzhendem and the Heavenly rocks to the south were shaped. As the weather on the top is famous for its inconstancy we will not spend much time there. Three hours more and we end up in Vasil Levski hut (1450 m a.s.l. or 4, 756 ft), where we stay overnight. En-route we pass through Stara Reka Reserve, protected many rear species of plants, inhabiting the meadows by the spring of several rivers that start from this area.
Uphill walk: 1100 m (3,608 ft); downhill walk: 1040 m (3,411 ft); walking time: 6-7 hours
/breakfast, lunchpack, dinner/
Day 6. Walking through the mixed forest by the Vasil Levski hut we reach in an hour a flat place where many mountains paths cross each other. From this point signposted track leads to Rai hut – our last stop for today. Along the trail we pass through several springs, lying at the foots of the vertical cliffs, surrounding Mount Botev from the south. Here we can enjoy the Southern Dzhendem Reserve. Highlights of the area are also the Heavenly Rocks and the Heavens Waterfall (”Raiskoto pruskalo”). At a height of 124.5 m (408 ft), it is not just the highest waterfall in Bulgaria, but on the entire Balkan Peninsula. We spend the night in the Rai hut (1,560 m, or 5,118 ft).
Uphill walk: 600 m (1,968 ft); downhill walk: 450 m (1,476 ft); walking time: about 4-5 hrs
/breakfast, lunchpack, dinner/
Day 7. The route begins with a steep descent along the stream of Biala Reka River to a monastery above the town of Kalofer. From there we take the transfer to Plovdiv (taking about 1,5 hrs), where the rest of the afternoon can be spent on a self-guided sightseeing trip or shopping along the paved streets of the old quarter of Plovdiv.
Uphill walk: 20 m; downhill walk: 800 m (2,624 ft); walking time: 4 hrs
/breakfast, lunchpack, dinner/
Day 8. After breakfast you will have transfer to Sofia or Plovdiv Airport for departure (transfer time: 20 min to Plovdiv Airport or 2 h to Sofia Airport)
/breakfast/
Accommodation:
We stay in 3-star hotels (days 1, 2 & 3) and guesthouse (day 7) with private facilities and in mountain huts (days 4, 5 & 6) with shared facilities on HB (breakfast & dinner included). Lunchpacks are included for the mountain treks during the days 5, 6 & 7.
Luggage transportation:
Unnecessary luggage will be transferred as follows:
Day 3: from Beklemeto Pass to Apriltsi
Day 7: from Apriltsi to Plovdiv
Tour type: GT
Difficulty grade: B (days 2& 4) / C (days 3, 5, 6 & 7)
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