Hiking the Balkan Mountain Range (Stara Planina)

In the mid region of the Balkan mountain, the ridge is high, and it boasts the mountain’s highest peak Botev, 2,376 meters. Levski, 2,166 meters, is another peak worth scaling. The mountain towns of Karlovo and Kalofer are worthy starting points for trekking up, especially from Kalofer to Botev, where on the way we will enjoy the sight of a waterfall. Elena is a mountain town huddled in the folds of the hills from which the Chumerna peak can be reached.

I can also show you the east part of the Balkan mountain, descending to the sea at the Emine cape. There the gems of mountain towns, Sliven, Kotel, as well as Zheravna, a village and an architectural reserve, can serve as the trekking starting points. Kotel is famed for carpet making. When reaching the edge of the mountain descending towards the Black Sea, it is a must to enjoy the valley of the Kamchia river. Shumen is a town which is the starting point for trekking across the plateau lying over it, with ancient monastic cells in the rocks amid the forests. Yet another of my favorite starting points for exploring the mountain here is Gabrovo, a town near the Uzana locality from where we can reach the historic Shipka peak.