Hiking day-trip in Stara Planina

A 1-day hike in Bulgaria’s Stara Planina mountain. This hiking trail takes you to the Beklemeto area in a picturesque mountain pass. You’ll walk to the Kozya Stena rock formation, climb mountain peaks, enjoy beautiful views in every direction. You’ll also have the option of sightseeing in historic towns Karlovo and Sopot.

You’ll be transferred by car to the starting point of the hiking trail – 100 km per direction.

The trek starts in the Beklemeto area (1525m above sea level) – the highest point of the Troyan-Karnare mountain pass. You can go sightseeing in Karlovo and/or Sopot on the way there (or on the way back) if you’d like, as we’ll be passing through these towns. You’ll take 30 minutes to visit the “Liberty Arc” monument, located east of Goraltene peak (1595 m). From there you’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful view of the surrounding mountainscape. After that you’ll follow the mountain ridge westward, all the while surrounded by gorgeous scenery. The view of the Kozya Stena (Goat Wall) rock formation is particularly stunning. From there you’ll go through the Kozya Stena (1670 m) and Baba (1707 m) mountain peaks, and along the border of the Kozya Stena nature reserve, you’ll reach Kozya Stena Hut (1562 m) in 2h30min. From up there, you’ll get a view of the breathtaking centuries-old beech, fir and mixed forests of the nature reserve and you’ll be able to see up close the delicate edelweiss flower that grows in the Stara Planina Mountains. If you’re lucky, you might also get a glipse of a few wild goats and birds of prey.

After that you’ll head back to the car (another 2h30min) that will take us back to Plovdiv.