Vitosha Mountain

Sofia and Vitosha are inseparable, as close as Naples and Vesuvius, noted a century and a half ago by the Austrian explorer Ferdinand Hochstetter, who was on an expedition to the European part of the Ottoman Empire in 1868. Vitosha is the fourth largest mountain in our country.

It is located in Western Bulgaria, between the Stara Planina and the Rila-Rhodope massif. It is surrounded by the Sofia, Pernik, Samokov valleys, Plana and Lyulin mountains..Its highest peak is Cherni Vrah (2290m), followed by Golyam Rezen (2277m), Skoparnik (2227m), Karachair (2208m) and others. The first scientific ascent of Cherni Vrah was in 1836 by the French geologist and traveler Ami Bouet. Stone rivers are characteristic of the mountain, one of which is the Golden Bridges. They represent large clusters of rock blocks - a main tourist destination.

On the territory of Vitosha is located the Vitosha Nature Park - the oldest on the Balkan Peninsula. It includes two reserves: 1) Bistrishko Branishte - located on the eastern slopes of the mountain and was created with the aim of preserving the spruce forests in the Stara Reka basin. 2) Torfeno Branishte - includes the peat bogs in the high parts of Vitosha between Cherni Vrah and Chernata Skala mountain. Tourist access to it is prohibited.

Transport to Vitosha moutain is possible by buses. The ski slopes (6 in number) are diverse - they are suitable for both beginners and experienced skiers and snowboarders. The most famous are "Stenata", "Sinya pista", "Zelena pista", "Laleto", "Zaeka". For the convenience of tourists there are chalets: "Aleko" (88m) - the oldest in the mountain; "Planinets" (60m) - on the western slopes of Vitosha; "Septemvri" (35m) - under the peak Balabana; "Tintyava" (78m) - in the area of ​​the same name and others.