Hotnishki Waterfalls and Ecotrail

During the last week of June we travelled to Razgrad and Ruse, as we usually do in the summer. This time we decided to vary our route a bit and accidentally happened upon one of the most beautiful natural  monuments in Bulgaria I have ever seen - Hotnishki waterfalls and the ecotrail. 

The day was hot, it was getting past noon and we were hungry, so I was looking for a suitable stop on google map, when I noticed, that we were very near a natural monument, that I hadn't heard of before. I googled the place quickly and it was decided - we had to visit it. Oh, boy, how happy we were that we did!

Only a few kilometers from the village we were passing through, we happened upon a paradise landscape - small lakes, waterfalls, fish, abundance of greenery  and rocks. It was a workday and noon, so the place was almost empty, which considerably contributed to our enjoyment of nature's beauty.

The ecotrail is extremely picturesque and through wooden bridges and stairs goes around and up the rocks, following the river. It is certainly not for everybody - people with a fear of heights, small children, in general people, who are  not fit, should not try it, as the numerous signs at the beginning of the trail indicate, and frankly I am very glad, as the beauty of the place is in its natural virginity.

The waterfall, seen from the ecotrail

A narrow passage through the rocks

Dare you go up - its on your own discretion :)

We climbed all the way up to the plateau on the rocks and continued a bit along the trail through the grasses and bushes. One way of walking the trail is gradually down to the fields and the parking lot, but we preferred to go back along the rocks and the river - the much more beautiful part of the ecotrail.

We had our picnic here, by the small waterfall, with a view to the lake and the colorful dragonflies, playing by the water. It was divine!

What a hidden treasure!

Bistritza Waterfalls, 2019

A wonderful 16 km hike in Rila, to Bistritza Waterfalls, up Bistritza river to Samokovishteto hut and back to the village of Bistritza. We found this trail in March this year, loved it and decided to see what it looked in the autumn. As winter is very much in its reign in the upper parts of the high mountains like Rila and Vitosha, it is time for the lower, still not covered by snow skirts of the mountains and this trail is just like that. The day was nicely warm and mostly sunny and we enjoyed the company of Gaby again. I treasure these hours in the mountains so much!

Rila, Bistritza 2019

March was amazing this year - sunny and warm and the mountains were so inviting - we didn't miss a Saturday this month, probably our longest streak of hiking weekends. Yesterday we drove to Rila again, to walk along a new to us eco-trail, starting at the foot of Rila and gradually climbing up for 9 km to a formation of moraine rocks, winding along the bed of Bistritza river. (This is a different Bistritza, in the Rila mountain and not the one near Sofia we often visit. Etymologically the name Bistritza comes from "clear waters", so no wonder there are quite a few rivers named Bistritza).
The attraction of the eco-trail is the waterfall on the river, which was full-watered and truly beautiful. We started from the green meadows of the village of Bistritza and gradually reached the still snow-covered parts of the mountain, though the altitude was fairly low for Rila - only 1350 m. Rila is the highest mountain on the Balkans, with peak Musala at 2925 m above sea level.

:The trail starts from the end of the village

:After the recent renovation of the trail, there are rest stops with benches and pavilions at beauty spots

: A view to the village of Bistritza and the valley between Rila and Vitosha

: A glimpse of the snow covered higher peaks of Rila in the distance

: The Bistritza waterfall

:The river Bistritza

: Our picnic area was abundant with the iconic Rila crocuses

: The moraines at the end of the trail

: Back to the village. The whole hike was about 18 km long