Skip to content
Bulgarian Hiking Club
Map
Menu

Explore

Hiking mapTrails, huts, peaks and springs on one mapAll placesHuts, peaks, viewpoints and places to stayBest hikes in BulgariaSeven Rila Lakes, Musala, Vihren and moreMountain hutsHow huts work, prices and rulesHikes near SofiaDay trips by bus, train and carMountainsRila, Pirin, the Rhodopes and seven more

When to go

Best time to hikeWhich mountains are at their best, month by month

Before you go

Things to know before you goEmergency numbers, huts, camping and park rulesWhat to bringWater, food and keeping your phone aliveAm I ready for this?Five questions and an honest assessmentHiking time calculatorWhen to start and when to turn backIf you get lostWhat to do and who to call

Stara Planina

Highest point
Botev
Elevation
2,376 m

The spine of the country, running coast to border. The Kom to Emine traverse is the long walk every Bulgarian hiker measures themselves against.

Show this range on the map
History and background

The Romans knew it as Haemus, and it gave the Balkan peninsula its name. Shipka Pass was the site of the defence that decided the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and, with it, Bulgarian independence. The peak now called Botev is named after the poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev, killed nearby in 1876.

Getting there

The range runs some 550 km, so there is no single entrance. Kalofer and Karlovo serve the Botev massif and are on the Sofia to Burgas railway. Etropole and Teteven open the western section, Kotel and Sliven the east.

When to go

May to October on the main ridge. The Kom to Emine traverse, roughly 600 km, takes most people 20 to 25 days and is usually walked from late June. Winter on the high central section is a serious undertaking with full winter equipment.

Water

Variable and the main planning problem on the traverse. Long sections of the ridge are dry, particularly in the east in late summer. Plan hut to hut and carry more than feels necessary.

What to be careful of here
  • The north face of Botev is steep and holds snow late. The summit carries a weather station and its own microclimate, and the wind there is frequently the strongest in the country.
  • Fog on the open ridge, where marking can be sparse between huts and there is little to navigate by.
Routes worth the journey

  • Botev via Rai hut and Raysko Praskalo

    Hard7-8 hours

    Passes Raysko Praskalo, the highest waterfall in the Balkans at about 124 m. A long day from Kalofer with a serious climb at the end.

  • Kom to Emine traverse

    Hard20-25 days

    The full spine of Bulgaria, from the Serbian border to the Black Sea, part of European path E3. Not technically difficult, but a genuine expedition in logistics and endurance.