Boyana Waterfalls 2024

The weather, as always in May in these latitudes, is very erratic and after days of cold rain, Saturday was sunny and fairly warm. We were not in the mood for long rides with the car, so we chose again a trail close to home - the track from Dragalevsky Monastery to Boyana Waterfalls and back. We do this track usually from Dragalevsky lift station, but yesterday we were a bit lazy and decided to drive to the parking lot above the monastery and spare us the kilometer along the road from the lift to the monastery.

The beech forests on Vitosha are absolutely amazing in May, when the tall trees are covered with light green foliage.

A glimpse towards Sofia

We had our picnic on this sunny meadow with a view to Kopitoto tv tower on our way back from the waterfalls

The Boyana lake. I don't think I've seen it so full before, this year the rivers and lakes on Vitosha are overflowing, the snowfall must have been significant this winter. I can only hope the water management authorities are taking good care of city waters and not complaining of droughts in August.

Hike info:

Date: 11 May 2024

Destination: Boyana Waterfalls

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 12.5 km

Elevation gain: 260 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Knipmode cargo pants, Colorblock Burda blouse

I: lingerie, knitted cardigan, leg warmers

Petrovska river was so full, that crossing it without a bridge was actually a small adventure

And here is the mighty waterfall. It is the highest and biggest on Vitosha and this year it is really beautiful and full-watered.

Boyana Waterfall

This is probably the most rainy of springs in recent years. Every weekend we peruse over the weather forecast and try to come up with a plan where it would be worth it to risk to go hiking, given that rain is forecast everywhere. And because Vitosha is closest with an abundance of tracks, we've been hiking there for a whole month now, staying in waiting for the good and sunny weather to finally arrive and to risk it farther from home.

However, despite the promised rain, last Saturday the trail to Boyana waterfalls remained dry and almost empty of tourists. I know, it is so egoistical of me, but i can't help it but love it, when we have the forest for ourselves.

Hike info:

Destination: Boyana Waterfalls

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 15 km

Elevation gain: 400 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 5 hours

Average difficulty: 4.5 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxer shorts, cargo pants

I: lingerie, knitted cardigan, Sabrina Slims III

:Boyana lake

:All the rivers are so full watered after all the rain and snow melting, that it looked like in a tropical forest

:Boyana Waterfall, the highest on Vitosha (25 m)

 :This time we decided to have out lunch not at the foot of the waterfall, but on Borova skala, with a view to the Kopitoto tower and Sofia

:And back along the same track - Boyana lake. We went around it, because - why not :)

:Dragalevski Monastery - just a quick stroll around it as well

Boyana Waterfalls 2021

Today's was an impromptu hike to the Boyana Waterfalls. We had planned a hike from the middle station of Dragalevtzi chair lift to Kamen Del hut and back to Dragalevtzi, last night I checked at three different sites the opening hours of the lift station and to my utter amazement today we found the station closed down and abandoned. Somehow it has escaped my notice that there have been some controversies around that lift station and it has been closed for years, so nobody has bothered to change the information on the respective sites! 

Anyhow, we were in the mountain and ready for hiking, so we decided to continue from the closed lift station to the Boyana Waterfalls and back. The trail runs entirely through the forest, which is excellent on such a hot August day, the air in the forest was fresh and around the waterfalls - even cool.

Once again - just a few phone photos, I've taken pictures and posted about Boyana Waterfalls here often enough - look at this blog post from 2011, how small the children are there!

:Boyana lake

Hike info:

Destination: Boyana Waterfalls

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 15 km

Elevation gain: 400 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 4.5 / 10 

:The view to Kopitoto and Sofia from the Pine's Rock formation

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims I

:The Boyana Waterfalls. Right now, after all the heat and lack of rain during the last two months, the waterfall is probably at its lowest capacity, but it will be full again in the spring.

:Along the fresh green trail

Kopitoto-Boyana Falls 2017

Today's hike on Vitosha - husband and I took the map and decided to make a round route, following the paths on the map and combining into one trail places, we've hiked before from different starting points. We left the car at the Golden bridges place and went to Kopitoto peak with the TV tower. Then we continued to the Boyana Falls - I've been many times there, but always hiking from below and this time we were high and descended to the falls from above, visiting the upper threshold first. After a short lunch break at the foot of the falls we climbed back up to Momina skala hut and from there back to the Golden Bridges - I just love it when the route is so intense and circular.

A wet meadow near the Golden Bridges

The path to Kopitoto

Kopitoto peak and the TV tower

A view to Sofia - there were clouds, but the wind carried them away

The Boyana river and a small fall before the big falls

The gorge of Boyana river

The upper threshold of the falls. I can only hope my children do not take such unfounded risks as the young folk on the photo :(

At the foot of the falls

Me, myself and I at the Boyana Falls :)