Kopitoto 2026

While Friday and Saturday were rainy, Sunday promised pleasant winter temperatures and even a bit of sunshine. For our hike this week we chose the circular route from Zlatnite mostove to Kopitoto and then back along an alternative trail by Boyanska river and Momina skala.

We also tried a new transportation strategy for getting to Zlatnite Mostove on a winter weekend: we left the car in a parking lot in Boyana and took the bus the rest of the way. The plan worked perfectly, and we already have other ideas for hiking this part of the mountain using public transport.

Contrary to our expectations of sunshine and hiking above the clouds, the mid-altitude trails on Vitosha weren't quite high enough; the sun remained hidden behind the cloud cover for the entire duration of our hike. 

The bus to Zlatnite was full of tourists and plenty of young families with children, enjoying some sledding on the slopes of the meadows nearby.

Hike info:

Date: 08 February 2026 

Destination: peak Kopitoto (1345 m)

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 9.5 km

Elevation gain: 140 m

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

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The trail to Kopitoto is fairly easy, with ups and downs altitude-wise, but the soft snow and patches of ice turned the hike into a substantial work out for our legs.

A view to Lulin mountain across the way:

Kopitoto TV tower

While some parts of Sofia enjoyed partially sunny weather, the clouds clung to the mountain

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, socks, dark grey longsleeve, blue longsleeve, Burda grey hoodie, cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte sweater, brown hat, socks

On peak Kopitoto

We had our traditional tortillas and hot herbal tea on "our" meadow with a view to Sofia. During our short picnic the cloud cover thickened even further.

The Boyanska river

I tried my new gloves with conductive fingertips for the first time on this hike - they worked just fine and i was able to take photos on my phone without taking the gloves off. The weather was mild and the gloves were warm enough. For colder weather, however, I'll need my much more solid winter gloves.

The section of the forest between Momina skala and Zlatnite  has been recently updated with bird feeders — some of which were quite ingenious!

All in all, we are very satisfied with our hike and the combination of private and public transport for access to the higher mountain and will definitely use this method again, especially in winter.

Boyana - Tihiya Kut 2026

This week’s hike took us back to Vitosha. Starting again from Boyana, we headed in the opposite direction this time.

The Boyana - Tihiya kut trail is part of the low altitude circuit on Vitosha and surprisingly, we had never walked it before. After traversing it today, I have to say—perhaps there was a reason for that. While there’s nothing inherently "wrong" with the path, it runs quite close to the city and the road to Zlatnite Mostove. The constant hum of cars and buses nearby gave it a more urban vibe than I prefer. For now, I don't think we’ll be repeating this specific route any time soon..

The forecasts for today specifically for Boyana promised a mild and partially sunny day. The meteorologists couldn't have been more wrong. As we approached the trailhead, the sun hid behind the clouds and we entered into thick fog, that clung to the forest for the entire duration of the hike.

Hike info:

Date: 31 January 2026

Destination: Tihiya kut

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 10.5 km

Elevation gain: 270 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda green longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, Burda grey hoodie, socks

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blue blouse, socks, hat, gloves, snood, buff

We spotted a couple of nuthatches working laboriously on the bark of the trees near the trail

The further we walked, the denser the fog became.

We stopped for a picnic of tortillas and hot herbal tea in a gazebo near Tihiya Kut. While we ate, two young girls on horseback passed by.

As we headed back toward Boyana and the car, the visibility dropped to just a few meters.

The temperature dipped as well, giving me the perfect chance to test the new buff I made from fabric scraps just last night. Pretty satisfied with it, kept my neck perfectly warm and toasty.

About a kilometer from the finish, the mist turned into a steady rain. So much for that "sunny" weather :) But the snowdrops and hellebores are starting to peek through the soil already, spring can't be so far, only a month or two away :)

Boyana - Dragalevski Monastery and back

What a hike we had today! We hiked the trail from Boyana to Dragalevski monastery and back, some 6 km in one direction. The weather forecasts painted a sunny and warm day, but the morning was foggy and gloomy, with temperatures slightly above zero. The snow in the city melted yesterday, but as we approached the outskirts of Boyana, we found that the snow on the trails on Vitosha was there to stay, probably till the end of February, if not longer.

I really don't know why we have never done this hike, starting from Boyana, which is only about 20 min from home by car, but we liked it a lot and we'll definitely repeat it in the future.

The first part of the trail is a gradual climb through beech forests towards the Boyana lake

Even if it was only for this view of the lake, the hike would have been totally worth it. I had never seen the Boyana lake frozen and the scene took my breath away - the white emptiness, the total quiet, the mysterious fog - it was a surreal experience.

And then the sun broke the clouds and shone through the mist

Hike info:

Date: 23 January 2026 

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 12.5 km

Elevation gain: 300 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 4 h

Average difficulty: 3.5 / 10 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, socks

I: lingerie, Burda "Page" hoodie, socks, hat, gloves, snood

Although the mist did give way for a while at the altitude line above 1000 m, the city stayed tucked under a thick white fluff the whole day. Across the sea of fog - the ridge of the Balkan mountains, with peak Murgash.

We had our delicious tortillas and herbal tea on the meadow near the Dragalevski monastery and headed back to the car along the same track.

The usually popular trail between Boyana and Dragalevtzi was completely empty, we had the mountain for ourselves today :)

A curious encounter - fire salamander. These cute creatures usually stay hidden and protected from the cold in winter, but this well developed specimen was recklessly staying on the track. We moved it carefully to the side, I hope it will find a shelter and survive the cold months.

And an update on our pickled veggies - we polished off the previous batch with the red cabbage and today we prepared a new batch with olive oil and white cabbage. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow to taste it!

Kokalyane 2026

Winter this year has been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve swung between brutal, snowy cold and milder days when the city slush finally begins to melt. Last weekend was all cold and wet and we stayed hunkered down by the radiator, enjoying the warmth of the central heating and our other hobbies. 

This week there's some warming up, it's peak was yesterday and a new significant drop in temperatures is expected in the coming days. So today was somewhere in-between - mostly cloudy and not very warm, but with almost no wind and still positive temperatures.

For our weekly hike we chose a place near to home - Kokalyane, a perfect choice for our modest city car. Since the trailhead sits right off the main road between Sofia and Samokov, we didn't have to worry about navigating treacherous, snowy mountain passes.

The climb from the Devil's bridge to Kokalyane monastery is steep, but apart from a few meters of ice coating the bridge itself, it was fairly dry and easy to navigate. 

Hike info:

Date: 16 January 2026 

Destination: Kokalyane Monastery and up the ridge  (1060 m) round trail

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 7.5 km

Elevation gain: 430 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 h

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

Choosing to skip the monastery church this time, we pressed upward, following the broad trail toward the mountain ridge.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, orange hat, Burda longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, socks, scarf

I: lingerie, Plantain brick blouse, Burda "Page" hoodie, socks, hat, gloves, snood

As the elevation increased, the dry leaves and earth on the trail gave way to a messy cocktail of mud, snow and ice, which turned the climbing into a real workout and made us definitely earn our lunch :)

Up on the ridge, the world was covered in a blanket of melting snow. We headed straight for a spot we discovered last year: a brick wall at the edge of a meadow.

The ground was wet, but the mossy wall was dry and comfortable enough and we had a very nice time with our tortillas and warm herbal tea, enjoying the shy sun, which occasionally peeked through the clouds.

For the descent we decided to take a steep track down to the monastery, decreasing abruptly the elevation and with it - the presence of melting snow and ice. It was an adventurous gamble, because of the many fallen trees on the partially overgrown track, but an excellent choice, as it turned out in the end!

Back to the monastery from the side hill.

A glimpse towards Lozen and the excavations on Urvich on the hill across the river Iskar. 

All in all, a deeply satisfying winter trek. Kokalyane remains one of my favorite escapes for these 'indifferent' winter days when you just need to breathe some mountain air.