Family Christmas Hike on Manastirishte

A rare occasion in our hiking life: a family trek with both of our grown-up children.

While Christmas Day was cold and snowy, the following day brought sun and calm weather. We packed our bags and drove to the village of Plana, nestled at the foot of the Plana Mountains.

We weren't sure what state the trails would be in; though the snow in the city had melted quickly, it had held in the mountains. The landscape was a snowy fairy tale.

The tracks had been trodden by ATVs—muddy and disturbed in places—but they remained fairly easy to navigate.

Hike info:

Date: 26 December 2025

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8.5 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): about 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

 

The sun drifted in and out of the clouds and fog, but temperatures stayed comfortably above freezing. 

It was fascinating to see the fields and trees draped in fresh snow; I couldn't stop taking pictures of the scenery.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, knitted socks, Burda Cargo pants, Burda blouse, knitted hat

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blouse, sweater, CC copycat hat, Zerda knitted gloves, purple snood

Gaby: lingerie, CC copycat hat

Alex: knitted hat 

 

Hiking with our children was such a joy, and three hours of trekking through the snow passed quickly in lively conversation.

Since everything was buried in white, finding a spot for a picnic was a challenge. Eventually, we found a cluster of large rocks along the trail. We cleared one off and enjoyed delicious tortillas and hot herbal tea, sitting there and marveling at the beauty of the mountain.

Manastirishte Again

After a few weeks of big hikes with long drives to the starting point, it was time for something familiar and relaxing, our beloved Manastirishte. We enjoy our hikes here so much, that husband is inclined to come here every second week :)

The forecasts for today were for windy, but sunny day with some clouds and fortunately the weather was in agreement with the forecasters and even exceeded our expectations - it was quite warm and the wind was pretty moderate. 

Hike info:

Date: 22 November 2025

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): about 3 hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10 

We started around 10 o'clock from home and at noon we were already on the peak

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, knitted socks, Burda Cargo pants, Burda blouse

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte Hoodie, Love Notions Sabrina Slims II

 

Lately we have our picnic on the table at the summit, but today we decided to try a new place on the southern slopes of the peak.

The view from our picnic spot, where we had our traditional tortillas and cold beer, sitting on the warm grass. Lately we've been very picky about our picnic places and today, on our way back, we tested a couple of new picnic spots for our next hike. A grassy patch on the southern slope under the peak with a clear view to the village and the mountains across looked most promising and will probably be our  picnic place when we next climb Manastirishte.

And back to the village along a partially alternative trail. Short and easy, but extremely satisfying.

Early Autumn Manastirishte 2025

After the high mountain hikes in July and August and the sea vacation in Greece, this weekend we opted for something easy and comfortable as a pair of old house slippers :) - the trail from the village of Plana to peak Manastirishte.

Despite the cold nip in the air in the mornings, September is still warm, even hot on some days. Yesterday was one of these days, with lots of sun and a few photogenic clouds, scattered on the blue sky.

For our experienced legs the hike on Plana felt more like a walk in the park and we climbed the peak in less than an hour.

Hike info:

Date: 13 September 2025

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 2 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10 

The scenery is becoming more autumnal, with yellow grass and first yellow and red leaves here and there.

We had our picnic on the peak - tasty tortillas and a cold beer, with a view to Vitosha's formidable slopes and ridges.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda Cargo pants, Burda blouse

I: lingerie, Burda Jeans, Burda raglan blouse 

And back to the village along an alternative trail. Manastirishte is one of those staples in our hiking repertoire, where the drive to the starting point takes almost a long as the hike itself, but it is worth it every time, as we just love the place, its casualness and tranquility.

Manastirishte January 2025

Today was the last of a few beautiful and sunny days in a row and we had to go out and enjoy the sun and the clean air, especially now, with the heavy levels of air pollution in Sofia.

We chose a light and open trail that we've walked so many times, that it feels like home - from the village of Plana to peak Manastirishte and back along an alternative track.

The sky was surrealistically blue, the air was crisp and the trail was empty - the perfect hike.

Hike info:

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda hoodie, orange hat

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte Blouse, Central Park Hoodie, black hat, knitted socks

Because of the relatively high temperatures these last few days, we expected soft soggy snow and mud, but the trail was actually not that bad - there were strips of deep wet snow, but most of the trail was fairly dry and we were not soaking wet at the end.

We took a few quick photos at the peak and turned back

The small chapel on the peak

This is a picture I took from our picnic place - on the sunny slopes under the peak. We had a cup of warm herbal tea with a sip of rum and oatmeal pie with feta cheese, which I had baked early in the morning.