Rilska Skakavitza 2026

As was forecast, Friday yesterday was the last of the hot summer days this year and we simply had to make the most of it. Rilska Skakavitza - the highest of the Rila waterfalls, is one of our favourite hikes, with the timeless beauty of the Skakavitza river valley, so the choice was easy.

As promised, the day was sunny and warm, perfect for the higher mountains. The trail is very popular and overcrowded on weekends, but this Friday it was quite tolerably frequented by just a handful of tourists.

We had a short stop at the Skakavitza lodge, with a small power snack, filled our water bottles with cold spring water and continued to the waterfall.

Hike info:

Destination: Rilska Skakavitza Waterfalls

Mountain: Rila

Total length: 13.5 km

Elevation gain: 585 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 5 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 4.5 / 10 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda grey hoodie

I: lingerie, Burda color jeans, Burda raglan blouse

The whole valley of the river at the foot of the waterfall was abundant with ripe raspberries, which made our progress towards the waterfall quite slow and sporadic :)

We decided to have our lunch up on the ledge above the valley, like last year. The seating was comfortable, the view, of course, spectacular and the tortillas and jam-filled muffins - delicious as always. The blueberry bushes we discovered last year, were loaded with the biggest wild blueberries we've seen during our hikes, so we quickly filled our boxes with ripe fruit to be turned into blueberry crumbles and pies soon.

After descending from the waterfall, we spotted by the raspberry bushes on the other side of the river. Husband had a quick raspberry snack, while I sat on a stone in the middle of the river and had a quiet moment with the falling water and welcome sunshine warmth.

We returned to the car along the winding alternative trail, as we've been doing for the last several times we've hiked this route.

Vazov's Hiking Trail

It's been years since husband and I visited Vasov's Hiking Trail near the village of Bov. The trail runs along the Skaklya river up to the top of the rocks, to the start of the Bovska Skaklya waterfalls.

When we last visited the place, we were still not in the habit of using Orux maps or similar hiking apps and hadn't realized, that the trail continues through the village of Zasele and down the rocks back to Bov railway station.

Yesterday was a cloudy day with mild November temperatures and husband and i decided to embark on a train journey to Bov railway station and to examine the entire circular hiking trail.  

The place had a quiet late autumn beauty, with overcast skies, mostly bare trees and paths, covered with wet brown leaves. Despite the weekend and the overall popularity of the trail, the place was almost empty and we enjoyed our climb in solitary companionship.

Hike info:

Date: 09 November 2025 

Destination: circular trail Bovska Skaklya

Mountain: the Balkans

Total length: 16.8 km

Elevation gain: 510 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours 30 min

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

As expected in late autumn, the waterfall was scarce, flowing in a threadbare ribbon, in quiet contrast to its spring frenzy.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda longsleeve

I:  lingerie, Sinclair hoodie

The Skaklya rock crown near the village of Zasele

The end of the trail at the village of Zasele and a bridge, running over the Skaklya river

The start of the waterfall. From here the Skaklya river throws itself down the rocks on its way to the mighty Iskar river

The Balkan mountains and the gorge of the Iskar river

The village of Zasele and a war memorial

The circular trail continues through the village, gradually climbing down the other side of the rock crown

On peak Kokalan (814 m). We took a detour from the trail to check this "peak", which turned out to be a small meadow with a beautiful large crowned tree

And back to the start of the trail and the Iskar river. It was a great hike and we'll definitely come back to Bov next year.

Hotnishki Waterfalls

Last year, while driving by Veliko Turnovo, we passed through the village of Hotnitza, and quite by chance found out about the natural monument, that lies only a kilometer from the village - Hotnishki Waterfalls.

Last Saturday, on the same road near Veliko Turnovo, we planned our lunch deliberately at the waterfalls. I was curious to see them in the prime of autumn and they did not disappoint! 

The day was sunny and pleasantly warm for the end of October and we enjoyed our walk along the ecotrail by the Hotnishka river immensely.

 

The rich color of the tree leaves added magnificently to the beauty of the waterfalls

We climbed up the wooden stairs to the rocks above the gorge and had our tortillas with this breathtaking view. Honestly, better than any restaurant, at least for me!

Me-made items, worn on this trip:

Husband: boxers, Burda longsleeve, Vikisews hoodie

I: lingerie, Burda blouse, Sinclair Journey Raglan Jacket, Burda jeans

The upper point of the big waterfall

In conclusion - the place proved to be gorgeous in autumn and definitely worth visiting any time of the year