Roaming Through Balkan Peaks
Musala (2925 m) the highest peak in the Balkans
Vanda Panić – Climbing to Musala, which is 8 meters higher than Mount Olympus is beautiful and interesting. It is one of my easiest climbs, especially having in mind its height. It seems to me that it is more difficult to climb our small Ivanscica. Musala in Turkish means “towards the God”. It is situated in Rila National Park.
To head for the peak you start your climb from Borovets, the oldest and modern ski resort in Bulgaria that is some one and a half hour away from Sofia. For those who have climbed Durmitor, Borovets will remind them of Zabljak with a larger number of hotels.
There is a cable car that can shorten your journey which will instead of three hours take around thirty minutes (it runs every day from 8:30 to 16:20, except Mondays when the last ride down is at 13:00). We decided to use this commodity to spare our knees. The price of the return ticket is 8 lev.
From Yastrebets to Musala chalet (2389 m) it took us around 50 minutes of fast walk and the path is wide and beaten so that you can even use a vehicle on it.
The comment that it is hard to know whether a new Musala hut is being built or demolished is one of the best comments ever and it applies in the case of this beautiful building. It is a great shame that it is also used for garbage disposal. But those who do not wish to opt for the accommodation at the price of 8 lev in the old and comfortable Musala chalet with a pleasant landlady can always find shelter and a place to sleep in this building.
After a good break, touring the lakes, hopping over stones, and discovering another lake we move on.
It is a 2 hour walk to the top. We gradually come to another lake only to find a remarkable view from the top:
Gradually again we come to the last mountain hut Everest (2720 m). The accommodation is much better than the one in Musala, with drinks and sweets provided so I would recommend Everest for spending the night if you have your own food and plan a two day climb. There is a large Ice Lake (2709 m), situated at the highest Balkan latitude.
There is a winter path leading to the top, secured by cables and iron poles. There is also a summer trail going around the winter path ridge which should be used in the summer time.
There are several buildings at the top, among them a weather station and the Institute of Ecology. One of them provides accommodation for the night but I am not sure which and under what conditions. Still, I saw an entire team of local mountaineers taking the rooms and beds there.
The view from the top stretches along the path of our climb. The Ice Lake, Everest hut, Musala chalet, and the Yastrebets top are at the palm of your hand, and on the other hand you see lakes and vast meadows down in the valley, 2000 m away.
We took our time enjoying the top so it was too late to catch the last cable car at Yastrebets. Instead, we decided to spend the night in the Musala chalet and catch the cable car first thing in the morning. Spending the night there was cozy although a bit chilly despite the 4 blankets per bed. On the upside, the stars felt as close as sitting on your head.
A team of people from Sisak made sure we were not the only Croats in Bulgaria so we use this opportunity to say hello to everyone in Sisak.
Conclusion:
-amazing view,
-many, many sparkling blue lakes
-potential over-night accommodation round every corner although you should bring food
-no need to carry a lot of stuff (half a liter of liquids since the lake water is good, some food, and about 20 lev should cover a two-day stay)
-it can all be done in a day, while using the cable car for the first section of the climb
-the field map can be purchased in the village, for 10-13 lev
Rila Monastery
On our second day we visited the Rila Monastery, founded in the 10th century. It is the largest and most frequently visited monastic complex in Bulgaria, listed as UNESCO's world heritage. It's a free entrance.
On our way back to the hotel, which by the way looked like it came from a fairy tale and cost us 20 lev per person (10 €), we stopped to check natural sand pyramids in a place called Stub.
The 7 Rila Lakes
On our third day we visited the seven Rila lakes. The hiking took us about 7 hours. It is possible to go back the same way or go through meadows and woods so the lakes are one the left and Maljovica rising to the right. Maljovica climb is considered to be one of the most attractive ascents in this part of Bulgaria.
The path commences to the right of the Vada chalet, near the Govedarci village, which is not far from Borovets. The road leading to the chalet is in a very bad condition and barely passable. Having in mind it is a very attractive and popular path charging 5 lev for parking space near the chalet, it ought to be repaired. The two day tour around the seven lakes can be compared to Maljovica ascent or Rila Monastery visit, although the descent to the monastery is quite steep and there is no mountain chalet for over-night accommodation. That requires going back up the hill for about 3 hours until reaching the Ivan Vazar chalet. However, the Maljovica option is somewhat easier to pull through but one needs to be careful since the ascent takes 2 hours and another 1,5 – 2 hours to descent to the chalet. This should not be a problem for the quick ones who could take less time
I have only one remark concerning road signs that do not contain information on the time needed for a particular tour so you rely on luck and the info you obtain over the Internet. We are much better in the subject.
The 7 Rila Lakes are the largest and most picturesque group of lakes on the Rila mountain. Once you've spotted the first you can't wait till the next one and so on. I can't tell which one is the most beautiful. There are mountain chalets near the first couple of lakes. The names of the lakes (The Tear, The Eye, The Kidney, The Twins …..) stand on signs along with the information on their location, depth, map …… Each new lake brings the more astonishing new view.
After spending an hour on a forest footpath you are welcomed by a flowery meadow...
And the lakes...........
There is a herd of wild horses. Each mother horse has a baby horse.
Once I reached the top something made me move forward to see what else lies ahead, a bit farther …….
And thank God I followed my instincts! What fantastic meadows! Maljovica and other lakes disclosed themselves on my right. I was so happy! Had I had it my way we would have gone on to Maljovica but there was a clever head among us! The day was a total success! OK, the descent took us a bit longer due to our own choosing to go around the path once we saw the vast plains. Our knees and hips were complaining about the choice but it was worth it!!!!!
Maljovica (2792 m)
The Maljovica ascent was not planned, it just happened. We did not think of it much during our planning of the adventure but the guys from Sisak mentioned it as being one of the most popular ascents so we saw no reason not to try it. Whenever someone tells me about an attractive climb I get a picture in my head about smooth rocks and ropes and that is usually enough to keep me from going anywhere. But in this case I thought I should do it since I'm there anyway. Surprisingly, there were no ropes and no danger. The climb was wonderful and attractive in a completely different way. A lot of water, 2 terraces, a meadow, rocks, lakes.... The instructions say it's a 5 hour climb, including the descent. Ok, that's true, but it's more rewarding to dedicate a whole day to it.
The ascent starts at the ski resort. Until then, we spend work days at the mountain and there were not so many climbers so the crowd and noise we came across on Saturday came as a shock. It only goes to prove that hiking and relaxation at mountain resorts during weekends is very popular in Bulgaria. The climb starts off with a one-hour walk from the resort to the mountain chalet, something like the path leading to Boris's hut at Paklenica. Again, there's no need for water in your bag since there's a stream near the path.
The mountain chalet is big and next to it are about a dozen bungalows. All beds were taken by the end of the day. There is enough food there as well.
The stream and stones take the path further on so you go over the 2 terraces, followed by heaps of rubble and stone but it's not difficult. The beauty of nature makes you go on, slowly...
Although I was all for a Saturday in Sofia, it's good we turned out to spend it in the mountains. Everything was perfect. We made it to the top at around 14:00, therefore it took about 3,5-4 hours of easy walk and a break at the chalet. The view was amazing once more……
It seems as nobody there is afraid of the dark, bad weather or any such thing since the atmosphere was full of commotion, like at a train station! And, ha-ha, there were those who ran up and down, and those who walked around in flip-flops!!!!
Sofia
We spent an early noon in Sofia which did not impress me too much. There are no huge, romantic buildings like the ones you see in Vienna or in Prague, which I've been looking for. It looks a bit like our Zagreb which I find much more beautiful.
Black Sea
Since we came so far from home, we might as well go another 550 km and have a swim in the Black Sea.
On our way there we stopped at Veliko Tarnovo, former capital of Bulgaria. There you can visit a fortress at the edge of a precipice (open till 19:30; we came later) and ethnic village Arbanassi 4 km towards the hill which is turning into a true tourist attraction. It is known for its small fortress-houses, protected by tall city and court walls. It was a summer house of the royal family in the Middle Ages.
The beaches are top-notch, dreamlike. The sand, parasols, easy chairs, cocktail-bars, restaurants, whatever you may wish for; beach massage, thermal water pools …..The waves make it impossible to swim but the water is warm and less salty than ours. It is great fun to jump into the waves.
We stayed in a small place, 8 km from Varna; a small family-ran Bed & Breakfast for 10 €. We were 5 minutes away from the beach, with the city bus stop 1 minute walk from the B&B going to town non-stop.
To select a few items:
cocktails -3-4 lev
coffee- 1,5-2 lev
large bowl of salad with meat or a vegy version – 3 lev (at Godzila, a very popular restaurant)
bowl of mussels – 5 lev
swim suit– 10 lev
shoes – 60-100 lev (just like at home)
Varna lives 24 hours a day. The night life mostly takes place inside the beach. There are semi-open clubs (2-3 lev to get in) and a string of restaurants that are always full. There are 3-4 Bulgarian musclemen at each club's entrance so the checking of items and guests is mandatory. There are more guys like that inside the club so as a guest you feel safe from those who might bother you. The music is similar to folk-techno and it's very catchy so everyone is merry and you get hooked easily....and I could see myself spending my entire holiday like this.
Not far from Varna is Zlatni pjasatzi (Golden Sands) and to the south a nice town called Nessebar, Slantscev briag (Sunny Beach), with sand beaches 100 meters wide. Nessebar Slantscev briag seemed over populated and soulless. There are many hotels, 6-8 storey apartment buildings …..intimidating, while Zlatni pjasatzi is somewhat smaller and cozier.
We also visited Balcik, a place about 20 km from Varna where a castle was built in 1924. Around the castle is a huge botanical garden stretching down to the shore. The queen herself used to take care of the garden. The tour around the garden takes at least 2 hours. It has roses, water garden, cactus plants, fern, palm trees, cedar etc …..all divided by small canals for automatic irrigation ……if only I could make my garden look like that.
In fact, I got the idea of going to Bulgaria and Varna from the Lisa magazine, the May 2006 issue. I saved the issue and took it with me throughout Bulgaria. There was an article in it about Zugspitzu (2962 m) in Germany as well, so I'm beginning to picture myself there.
and a little something for the end:
- duration: 12 days
- money spent: 310 €, not too much, not too cheap either, on average 200 kuna a day – something I would spend at home anyway
- paid highway toll in Serbia – 15 € in one direction; vignettes required in Bulgaria can be purchased at OMV gas stations only
- a must-have oval sticker with HR insignia when traveling through Serbia or else say goodbye to 200 kuna (euros not accepted)
- if you get a flat tyre in Belgrade you'll pay 70 € for getting a new one and fixing the old one
- xy lev x 4 = xy kuna or xy lev : 2 = xy euro
- do not pay much attention to occasional dirt and piles of junk, they are simply a bit sloppy still
- if you feel like bringing the plastic and tin containers back to Croatia you could make a fortune since they do not buy it off there
- if you ever need a guide, I'm available
