Sample routes
Feel the spirit of the wild west. Give yourself an unforgettable horse trek, filled with breathtaking views in Vitosha Mountain. We will ride through forests and mountain ranges, we will cross streams and descend through high mountain meadows overgrown with squats. We will cross Vitosha and spend the night in tents next to the Selimitsa hut at a height 1235 meters. We will try the local natural berry juice, mountain herbal tea and wine from wild strawberries.
Area: mountain Vitosha
Price on person / 200.00 BGN.
Travel plan:
Day 1
8.00 h. – Arrival at the NOVA ZVEZDA horse base – sq. Knyazhevo, briefing, expulsion of ammunition. We head to the Quiet Corner riding through mountain forest paths. From there we head to the Arboretum area, where we take a short break. Climbing up, crossing several mountain streams we reach the Golden Bridges. The climb continues through wooded paths until we reach the area to the Ophelia hut. Riding on the road we reach the hut Kumata. Crossing mountain streams we head to the foot of the Horse Farm. Followed by a steep climb through the area Steep, we get off the horses and climb for about ten minutes on foot. We find ourselves on the Selimishko plateau The view is amazing. Verila is visible, Rila and Osogovo mountains. The ride continues through the meadows of the Selimishte plateau. Passing by Selimitsa peak 2040 m. We get off the horses and start descending a steep path leading to our final destination- Selimitsa hut. When we reach the area of Tanchovitsa again on horseback and through forests and meadows we arrive at the hut. We will try natural berry juice, mountain herbal tea and wine from wild strawberries, and for dinner we eat in the restaurant of the hut. Overnight in a tent.
Length of the route: 7 o'clock
Highest point: 2040 m.
Day 2
After breakfast we drive the ammunition and again on the horses. The route begins with a climb through a wooded mountain area to Ostritsa hut 1695 m. From there on the plateau we go to the Ophelia area. After a short break we continue to the Golden Bridges. On a relatively flat terrain we head to Momina Skala hut. Then a gentle descent to the Quiet Corner complex awaits us. Following a wide tourist path passing through Byalata Voda, we descend to the upper houses of the Knyazhevo district.. A pleasant gallop awaits us on a gravel road to the end of this transition - horse base NEW STAR.
Length of the route: 6 o'clock
Highest point:1696 m.
Accommodation :
Overnight in own tents ;
Food - own (barbecue); Possibility for dinner and breakfast in roadside huts ;
Luggage transport: – insured
The price includes: guide, to, ammunition, current (helmet), 1 overnight in your own tent ;
The price does not include: food
Necessary equipment: riding clothes, comfortable shoes, duster (raincoat)
Group size: to 14 souls
Get to know Vitosha and Verila, we offer you horseback riding, filled with views of the Vitosha and Verila mountains. We will cross the highest peaks of Vitosha (Black Peak 2290 meters) and on Verila (Big Fat Man 1414 meters). Immersed in the vast forests of Verila you will feel the freedom of free riders. As an option we can combine riding with the pleasure of the mineral pool in the village of Belchin Banya. We will try home-cooked food from ecologically clean products and specialties prepared by hand on charcoal grill. We will visit the house of Bai Georgi and his wife.
Area: Vitosha and Verila mountains
Price without alone. ticket: 300.00 BGN
Travel plan:
Day for accommodation and preparation 2-3 o'clock
Arrival at the horse base NOVA ZVEZDA sq. Knyazhevo, briefing, expulsion of ammunition. Riding in the vicinity of the base for getting to know the horses and testing the ammunition.
Day 1
Knyazhevo - Cherni Vrah - Damyan Peak - Bukapreslanski Prohod - Yarebkovitsa Terziyskata Mahala
Departure 08:00 in the morning from Nova Zvezda base. In the beginning, we ride alternately with a trot, until we reach the Quiet Corner area. Following the paths we pass through the Golden Bridges. The climb continues through wooded paths until we reach the area to the Ophelia hut. Riding on the road we reach the hut Kumata. Crossing mountain streams we head to the foot of the Horse Farm. Followed by a steep climb through the area Steep, we get off the horses and climb for about ten minutes on foot. We find ourselves on the Selimishko plateau, the view is amazing, Verila can be seen, Rila and Osogovo mountains. From there to Cherni Vrah, which is the highest point of our route remains an hour's ride. A short break at the top of the mountain and we continue passing from the southern side of Cherni Vrah past the Skoparnika area. At Yarlovski Kupen we descend to Chuypetlovo. From there gallop to Damyan peak. A short break and a trot we enter Verila heading to Bukapreslan Pass. After about 2 hours of riding through the forests of Verila we arrive at the end point for today. Bai Georgi's house in Yarevkovitsa Terziyskata mahala. Followed by saddle care for the horses and dinner by the campfire.
Length of the route: 10 o'clock
Highest point: 2290 m.
Day 2
Yarebkovitsa Terziyskata mahala- Golyam Debelets peak and vice versa
After breakfast we have two options for riding in the forests of Verila, by going around the neighborhoods of the village of Yarebkovitsa and climbing the highest peak (Big Fat Man 1414 meters). Or we will let the horses rest and go to the mineral pool in the village of Belchin Banya, where we will indulge in a well-deserved rest and the pleasure of warm mineral water. In the evening, of course, the campfire and local specialties from Bulgaria.
Length of the route: 4 o'clock
Highest point:1414 m.
Day 3
Yarebkovitsa Terziyskata mahala - Bukapreslanski prohod – Damyan peak - Cherni peak – Knyazhevo
After a light breakfast saying goodbye to our hosts early in the morning we take the return route. Riding along the smooth curves of Mount Verila we pass the village of Yarlovo. There is the border between Verila and Vitosha. The southern slopes of Vitosha are extremely beautiful we will see the source of the river Struma. In the early afternoon we will cross Cherni Vrah and from there down to the starting point of this exciting experience horse base NOVA ZVEZDA.
Length of the route: 10 o'clock
Highest point: 2290 m.
Practical information: the route is for experienced riders
Recommended travel period: May – September
Necessary equipment: riding clothes, comfortable shoes, duster (raincoat), swimsuit, flip flops,
Group size: 4 – 8 souls
Day one:
Knyazhevo - Cherni Vrah - Damyan Peak - Bukapreslanski Prohod - Yarebkovitsa Terziyskata Mahala
The plans are to go 07:00 in the morning from Nova Zvezda base. The usual fuss about leaving, ammunition saddles, clothing provisions, oats for horses.
We leave in an hour, six riders and two spare horses on a leash. The party is Nikki, the boss of Nova Zvezda, his daughter Margarita, Galya girl, which has an eight-hour ride before this transition, Roman jockey by birth and recognition, Sasho is a graduate of Marin Rothmeister and I am a metropolitan dental technician and rider. The spare horses are saddled in case we need to have horses and ammunition on hand. The beginning is slow, we ride on the move mainly and on- a little trot, so it is to the Quiet Corner. From there we released one of the horses - Galya, and her task until the end of this adventure was to carry a rucksack with something inside. This gave us the opportunity to ride a trot more time. We reach Cherni Vrah for about 4 o'clock. The usual photos and we meet Dobrin- the hut of Pogledets hut. We join him in the cause and he and his friend ride the two free horses. We pass on the southern side of Cherni Vrah past Skoparnika and on Yarlovski Kupen we descend to Chuypetlovo. At the fork with the two junks we part with our friend Dobrin. From there, at a gallop to Damyan Peak, the horses are unstoppable , pleasure is one time. A short break and a trot to Bukapreslan Pass. Slight confusion on the road, but in the end we are in the right direction. We arrive at the fork for Yarebkovitsa to 16:00 hours tired. My memories are , that they remain 10-15 minutes drive to Terziyska mahala, turned out to be about an hour. At Bai Georgi's house we are greeted with enthusiasm. We saddle the horses and give them the ration of oats brought from the convoy (a pickup truck that goes with us and waits for us at the places to spend the night), then we get stuck around the fire. An hour later, Kiril from Wetern bg and two of his Czech comrades came on horseback. We are waiting for Pepi Butch and Zdravko , our guides for Rila. Unfortunately, Kiril and company leave earlier ,to return to the ranch in the light. Later, Pepi Butch and Zdravko arrive (with a jeep), we are planning the transition and its start, which is a barbecue the next day.
Day two:
Start
What to say, rain all day, it rains and doesn't stop, for the first time I see a barbecue being baked in the rain. Butch and Zdravko leave us at noon ,to take their horses from Borovets. In the evening we gather all plus neighbors from the neighboring neighborhoods and that was the end of the barbecue.
Day three:
Yarebkovitsa Terziyskata mahala - Golyam Debelets peak - Klisura - Obesen Kamak - Lovna hut
We saddle in 08:00 it's raining and it's breaking, photo for a successful start and off we go.
Until recently, there was a trot and twigs to avoid. At one point we started climbing here and there and found ourselves on the highest peak in Verila Golyam Debelets (not planned of course). Okay, but, as we found ourselves at the same fountain by, which we had passed an hour ago the enthusiasm diminished. From there, the wandering began, which I personally like the most. When will you be able to ride on a road that narrows and eventually turns into a river, in which we travel a distance of about a kilometer ,because we can't get out of it. Good thing we met an old man, and instructed us. Then long trot and gallop through the unique riding Verila. At noon we arrive in Klisura, fast charging of batteries with beer, kebabs and who drinks what there, and we head to the Lovna hut. Rila great contrast between riding so far. The sun shines first ,vast expanses, smooth hills, the horses are unstoppable. As usual we confuse the direction thanks to a little Bulgarian speaking woodcutter, but we make a correction in the route and to 19:00 hours we arrive at the hut Lovna. The evening is known.
Day four:
hut Lovna - hut Rilski ezera - Rilski ezera - huts under Malyovitsa - Gyulechitsa
I will be short, a lot of walking to the lakes. It's steep and we have to keep the strength of the horses. After climbing the high we descended through a precipice to the Upper hut. From there we drove a herd of about a dozen horses to move them to the Lower Hut. The horses belong to Zdravko. You feel like in a movie.
From the Lower Hut where we left the horses with other horses to graze, we went through the most beautiful valley I have seen to the Gulechitsa area. About three or four hours of driving and we arrive. About Gyulechitsa and the Wild Roosters Hotel I can only say this BATH WITH HOT WATER.
Day five:
Gyulechitsa - Vada hut - the fork for Sapareva Banya - Hanged stone - Klisura - Yarebkovitsa some neighborhood - Terziyska neighborhood
We saddle up and head for 09:30 Zdravko guides us and we part with him and Pepi Butch. Everything is going great, we ride on a road through a pine forest. We pass Vada hut and head to the fork for Sapareva Banya. At the fork, the free horses decide to gallop in the opposite direction. After about half an hour of pursuit, the expedition continued. Ordinary things - the wrong direction , motorcyclist stop and directions. We go out on the Hanging Stone- familiar area, our traces of horseshoes in the opposite direction. And so, as trackers, we got confused twice. Eventually to 14:00 we were in the pub in Klisura. Three tourist buses had eaten everything , but there was beer and kebab for us too. The glorious transition through Verila brought us this , that we got lost in our own group. Then a flare would be useful to us. We pass through a neighborhood of Yarebkovitsa, which is on the opposite bair from the Terziyska neighborhood where we went. Eventually to 21:00 we successfully arrive at Bai Georgi's house. Damyan, a soldier from the Bulgarian Army, is waiting for us there, who joins us until the end of the transition
Day six:
Terziyska mahala – Bukapreslan Pass - Yarlovo - Yarema - Railway - The path around Vitosha - Pogledets hut
Initially, we had decided to rest that day, but later we changed the plan. We are heading to 11:00 o'clock, healthy trot and after about an hour and a half all in Yarlovo. Quick change of horseshoe and on the way to Yarema. We follow white – blue marking , the road is very pleasant to ride. In the meantime, we make an appointment over the phone with another rider, Hans (does not know Bulgarian) to wait for us at the fountain in Yarema and to join us. We also take it on the asphalt to Zheleznitsa, this was the most unpleasant part of the transition. From the railway we climbed the panoramic path. About two hours of driving and we are on the approach to Pogledets hut. An hour and a half walk along the baira and we arrive at the hut. Fire this – that.
Day seven:
We part with the Dobrin hut and walk to the panoramic path. Healthy riding exhausted to 13:00 hours we pass by the villa of my partner Kiril. Luckily for us there is cold beer and assorted grilled meat. We charge for the last time, we arrive safely in Nova Zvezda after this unforgettable transition.
It all started with the idea of making a horse trek like this, as did the riders of the Wild West. That is to ride, by spending the night where it gets dark and eating whatever you catch, and for horses grazing. Nowadays in Bulgaria there are not so many wild and depopulated places to make the transition in its purest form. For this purpose, we slightly changed the idea and called the transition Eco-Healthy Saviver.
The conditions are as follows:
Five- six day transition
Each of the riders is entitled to ten leva pocket money ( not a lev more)
All equipment for the night, dishes, hunting and fishing equipment, clothes must be worn by the riders' horses, that is, there is no convoy.
And so the preparations began.
We outlined a route:
1. horse base NOVA ZVEZDA - the house of Boyko from the Varosh district of Pernik
2. Varosh quarter - the dam of the village of Begunovtsi
3. Begunovtsi - Trans Gorge
4. return to the horse base NEW STAR
We checked the horseshoes, we prepared the ammunition for the transition (disagi, saddle ties, breastplates, etc.). It's Monday. The transition begins. Early in the morning the base is quite busy horses, riders, luggage.
The participants in the transition are
Nikolai Ivanov (Coke) organizer and owner of Nova Zvezda, Joro – a rider with little experience, but with great will, Damian (the military) a soldier serving in the Bulgarian Army and a real savior, Dancho (Dhaka), take care of the horses at the base, He fought (bartender) responsible for food preparation, and I Plamen metropolitan dental technician and rider.
For the first day, my namesake Plamen, nicknamed Schwartz, will come to the Varos district of Pernik with us. (because of the horse's name, who rides) and Ivailo . We ride the horses and head to Golyamo Buchino through Vladaya. Nothing unusual, we know this route. Finding yourself on the southern slopes of Lyulin Mountain, Pernik is in front of us and on the direction of Boyko, where we go, we head to the Varos neighborhood. The ride is pleasant, the horses are in excellent shape and in an hour we find ourselves in Golyamo Buchino. A short break and through the sloping hills west of Pernik we continue on. The terrain is diverse, hills overgrown with grass alternate, ravines and groves. We enter a pine forest, the horses gallop lightly along the forest road dotted with smooth turns. Then we continue through the soles of an open pit mine, which is not the most pleasant place to ride. To 16 hours crossing a grassy hill we find ourselves in the house of Boyko from Varosh. We are saddled. Oats for horses, and for us a salad, brandy and steak. We test the tent equipment, sleeping bags. We spend the night in the yard of the house.
In the morning oats for horses, for us one coffee and the adventure for six riders begins. My Adasha Plamen and Ivo are returning to the Nova Zvezda base. Our goal for today is to reach the Begunovtsi dam. The terrain is fantastic – sloping grassy hills, villages and groves. The horses feel great, and the pleasure of riding is on MAX. The heat is just starting to burn 14 hours we arrive at the dam Begunovtsi. After a short tour around the dam we choose a place for camping. We are saddled, the horses begin to graze the lush grass around the dam, and each of us engages, her by collecting wood, me with a catch of fish. Finally we all enter the dam with the horses and the bathing begins. Dhaka and Joro go to the village and return with two two-liter bottles of beer, a bottle of brandy and a loaf of bread, which puts an end to 1/3 from the budget. Dinner is sunfish fish soup with mushrooms and baked potatoes (the potatoes are of one level).
In the morning, a tea of St. John's wort, we also collect the bivouac on horses. We drink coffee in the village of Begunovtsi, asking about the shortest way to the village of Banishte. We follow the instructions of a local old man, but in the field we meet St. John's wort pickers, which confuse us slightly, so that through hills and ravines we find ourselves in another village. We are tired, it's very warm, and the village of Banishte is where it is three kilometers on an asphalt road. Let's go, terrible heat and at noon we arrive in Banishte. We are liquidating some more from the budget in the form of cold beer. Regular directions from the company sitting in front of the village pub and after a short break we take the road. The terrain is amazing, forest road and cool forest. Two to three confusions and we go out on the road to the village of Velinovo. Pack asphalt, heat again. We walk and lead the horses. There is nothing worse than riding on this type of pavement. What can you do, we arrive slowly in front of the town hall of the village of Velinovo. Mayor-special thanks to this responsive person, which directs us to Trun. Unfortunately, asphalt again, after a while the mayor catches up with us and says, that he remembers a dirt road starting after a bridge below. We continue and won't the mayor wait for us again at the turnoff for the direct dirt road, to guide us. We take the road and through groves and meadows we arrive in Trun. Her, I felt like I was in a parade. We caused a big attraction in the town, we buy two loaves of bread, a small jar of honey and we are left with BGN 12. Won't the mayor of Velinovo wait for us at the fork for the gorge, great man. More asphalt, at least it's cool to 19 hours we arrive at the gorge of the river Erma. We are saddled, grazing horses, we are setting up camp, wood, fire, tents to her such things. Unexpectedly, a car arrives and Father Peter gets out of it, who invites us to visit tomorrow morning the monastery of St.. Archangel Michael. He even left us the key to the church. Dinner is lentils with mushrooms and a slice of bread. The extra is two fish caught in the river roasted on a stick. Boril the bartender cooks fantastically with the scarcity of products he has. It is raining at night, it is cold by the river, but it is not a pain to die. At least the grass was lush, and the horses pounded sweetly all night.
And so in the morning we get our military pampered with a box of pate, and tea is from herbs picked by us. From there we collect the camp and the horses. We're leaving, the morning is wonderful passing through the tunnels above the gorge we go on a dirt road parallel to the border to Transka Bankya. At noon in a trot filling the whole street we enter the village. Two women at the village fountain look at us in amazement. One of them later shared, that we looked very impressive and she thought the Serbs were coming. We took a short break in the village, meanwhile we attacked a junk and a cherry, and we filled a bag with snails. After they directed us, we continued through the forest to the next village Vrabcha. The dirt road through the forest is gorgeous for riding, alternating forest and meadow. Suddenly we find ourselves on an asphalt road with a sign Sparrow. A local landmark is the waterfall, where we take a short break. From there on the asphalt road we continue to the village. The store is closed, there are no people. Across the meadows we head to the next village, which turned out to be a neighborhood of Vrabcha. Fortunately, we met the border guards, after checking us out, they gave us detailed instructions, not to deviate from the road or to the left, nor to the right, because we are very close to the border. We mentally tuned in 10 km. asphalt through a dense forest, so we got off the horses and for about 2 hours of jokes and banter we passed it. Several villages followed, one of which is Pear. Passing the fork for Nesla, we found a wonderful place to spend the night by the local river. As usual, our appearance does not go unnoticed. A local came to our camp, who turned out to be a cousin of the mayor from the village of Velinovo. The man also watches horses have a mare Ardennes breed. On top of that, a mare shod us, who had lost a horseshoe. In short, extremely responsive and well-meaning people. Let's not comment, that he wanted to entertain us in them, but that would ruin our adventure. And the bartender has prepared for us the dish of snails with rice with fresh mint and fresh grilled fish. I have nothing to comment on. There was nothing left.
It's morning, the horses gnaw sweetly at the lush grass around the camp. Tea, a can of Ruse boiled, saddle and horses. Following the instructions we go to the village of Gaber. A little asphalt and then super meadows. In the village the extra is coffee. From there, orienting ourselves to the sun, we head east, the terrain is perfect, wide fields dotted with shallow ravines alternate. From time to time we catch a dirt road, if it is in our direction. So about 15 hours we arrive in the village of Aldomirovtsi. It's a terrible heat, after a short discussion in front of the local store we spend our last money. Two liters of cold beer, white wine two liters, two breads, jar of honey and lyutenitsa. They gave us a discount because we didn't have enough sixty stotinki. We set off and after about two hours of riding we find a suitable place for a bivouac. River, wood, pasha. We had caught maple and barbel from the river near Nesla, so dinner is real fish soup and two grilled fish. Fatigue speaks for itself 22 we go to bed. Last day, at least that's the plan, no money, there is no drinking water, and quick assembly of the camp, saddle and 9 hours on the road. We decide to keep going straight to Vitosha. In front of us stretched a huge field and a village on the horizon. In about an hour we are in the village of Galabovtsi. We replenish water supplies, we catch the horses on the river and our direction is straight to Vitosha. After some time we arrive on the outskirts of the village of Hrabarsko. Leaving the village in front of us spreads a huge field, but in the distance there is a low, but a wooded mountain. We are heading straight there, aiming at a less overgrown slope. We are approaching the mountain, in front of us there is a ravine with a river. We boldly step into the river, but the opposite shore is densely overgrown and very steep. The soldier with the machete makes a clearing, he Nikolai and I pass, the others, led by the Bartender, decide to go around the mountain.
From here follows the most interesting ride. Moving straight to Vitosha, ridges alternate with loose bushes and huge meadows. The heat is intensifying, and there are no settlements, well at least there are rivers in which the horses drink water. Crossing two or three ravines, we find ourselves above Bankya in the pine forest. We are dying for water, ours has long since ended well, that Damian found a thermos in the saddlebags with 200 ml. water. We take a short break under the shade of a tree and again on the horses. After about an hour we approach the end houses south of Bankya. After we drank and loaded the cans, nothing can stop us. The weather is getting colder, and the Hoof TV Tower is barely visible. We are tired, we and the horses so the ride is mostly a walk. Entering Malo Buchino, the mood rises, its end is visible. From there we arrive at the monastery on a forest road. A group of people caught a huge catfish for sacrifice the next day, and they treated us to a piece of fried catfish. After about an hour to 18:30 hours we arrive at the horse base. The bartender group arrives at 22:30 in the dark.
Thus ended the first ECO saviver organized by Nova Zezda. The balance is six days of riding, about 160 km. passed, two days with 9 -10 saddle hours, walked around 15 km.
Nova Zvezda - BOYKO Base 23 km / 6 o'clock
Base BOYKO - Begunovtsi 18 km / 5 o'clock
Begunovtsi - Trans Gorge 37 km / 10 o'clock
Tran Gorge - Nesla 25 km / 8 o'clock
Nesla - Aldomirovtsi 22 km / 7 o'clock
Aldomirovtsi - Nova Zvezda 34 km / 9 o'clock
Wrote, Went and Survived
Plamen Belchev