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This was my first walk on Vitosha back in 2003, so it’s a very special walk for me. It takes you to the three mountain huts that overlook Sofia from the front of Vitosha: Esperanto, Kamen Del, and Kikish. There are huts further up or around the mountain, but these are the first I visited.

When you look at the mountain from Sofia, there are certain things you notice. One of them is the golf ball on top of the mountain, which is in fact a radar station on the second highest peak of Vitosha, Golyam Rezen. But unmissable in the west is the large TV tower (186 m) and, next to it, a hotel building, both named after the rocky outcrop they stand on: Kopitoto (“The Hoof”). This walk starts at the hotel. To get there by car, you take the road through Boyana (which is actually a continuation of the main thoroughfare heading south of the centre, Bulgaria Boulevard – after you pass under the ring road, this road affords excellent views of the tower and hotel) and continue until you reach the Dendrarium on your right. There is then a turning on your left, which ends at the hotel after 2.7 kilometres. If travelling by bus no. 63, you will have to get off at the Dendrarium and walk the rest of the way. After 1.3 kilometres, you will pass a turning on your right to Planinets, the start of another walk, and after another kilometre you will pass the TV tower on your left before reaching the hotel in another 400 metres.

What makes this walk so special is the sudden transition from the world of concrete (the hotel) to the world of nature. You are literally immersed. The path starts on the right of the hotel. It immediately divides, a branch on the left heading back down to Boyana. Ignore this branch and continue up some steps, past a marble bench, into a wonderful avenue of trees that lean towards each other in the canopy, forming what looks like the nave of a cathedral. Large boulders are strewn on the right, resembling strange creatures. After approximately ten minutes, a path diverges on your left to Boyana Waterfall. This is the path you will return on. Ignore it for now and continue straight in the direction of Cherni Vrah/Momina Skala. After ten minutes, you will come to a crossroads. You want to go left here, still in the direction of Cherni Vrah/Momina Skala, but I’m going to let you in on a secret. A few metres away is my favourite spot on the mountain, a magical place I walked past for many years without knowing it was there. To get there, you need to make a small detour: at the crossroads, turn right towards Karpuzov Valog. Continue for a couple of minutes past some trees on your left until you reach a picnic table out in the open. Leave the path and walk to the picnic table. From here, you have the most outstanding view of south-west Bulgaria. My wife and I watched the sunset here one New Year’s Eve. It is such a peaceful place for a moment of mindfulness.

Now go back to where you were – the crossroads – but this time go left in the direction of Cherni Vrah/Momina Skala. After about five minutes, you will hear Boyana River, the river that forms Boyana Waterfall further down, on your left. In another ten minutes, you will reach Momina Skala, a large, open field with tables and shelters, a restaurant and large antenna, which features in many of these walks. Skirt the lefthand side of the field, leaving it behind you, and descend to Momina Skala hut in the trees. The river is in front of you. There is a small bridge, which you need to cross.

A path on your right goes uphill to Cherni Vrah. It is possible to reach the last of the mountain huts on this walk, Kikish, more directly by taking this path and then a left fork that goes to Kikish via Sredets, but we are going to take the path on the left that goes downhill and is signposted for all three mountain huts and Boyana Waterfall. In five minutes, the path divides. Go right, again in the direction of the three huts. After five minutes, a path joins from the left. This is the path you will go back on, but keep going downhill and in five minutes you will reach the first of the huts, Esperanto. It is currently abandoned and a little overgrown. There is a swing attached to a tree.

Keep going on the same path and in ten minutes you will come to the second hut, Kamen Del. The view of Sofia from here is memorable. The hut itself is friendly and offers good food. It’s a perfect place to take some refreshment. I went one rainy day and was incredibly grateful for the free herb tea that was served with every meal. If you feel you have gone far enough, you can now turn around and head back in the direction of Kopitoto.

The last hut, Kikish, is another twenty minutes away on the same path. After ten minutes, the path from Momina Skala via Sredets joins from the right. In another five minutes, there is a small moraine river on your right, and soon the hut itself appears. The reason for going this far is to connect the dots – another walk from Bay Krastyo (Dragalevtsi) approaches Kikish from the other direction, so you will have covered most of the front of the mountain. It’s up to you. Continuing to Kikish will add another 45 minutes to your walk.

Leaving Kikish, return to Kamen Del and then Esperanto, but be careful you don’t take the path on the left that goes to Momina Skala via Sredets. Five minutes after you walk back past Esperanto, again avoid the path to Momina Skala on your left (the path you came on). In a few more minutes, another path on your left leads to Momina Skala, while a path on the right leads to Boyana Waterfall. Keep straight. You will soon cross Boyana River as it tumbles down towards the waterfall, little knowing (or perhaps knowing all too well) what lies in store for it.

Five minutes after the bridge, there is a grassy clearing and then a path, again signposted for Boyana Waterfall, on your right. It’s worth taking this path for just a hundred metres in order to admire the view of Sofia. Come back to the path you were on and follow it until it ends in another five minutes. This is the path you ignored when you left Kopitoto. Now turn right and in ten minutes you will be back at the hotel.