Simeonovo - Dragalevski Monastery

The first days of May came with Gaby and cold weather, unrelated :) Despite the biting cold, we managed to squeeze a hike, literally between the raindrops, on Saturday and drove to Simeonovo, one of the residential areas of Sofia at the skirts of Vitosha mountain. 

The beech forest was already wearing its green spring uniform and was beautiful and enchanting. The cold rain, however, had turned into snow during the night and there were scattered patches of snow on the grass and a few fallen blooming trees. 

The sun was partial, mostly hidden behind the clouds, the air was cold, but the brisk pace and the engaging conversation with our daughter kept us quite warm.

Hike info:

Date: 02 May 2026

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 310 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The trail is very pleasant and almost level, most of it is part of the low altitude Vitosha circuit.

The Aleko waterfall - after all the snow and rain this winter, the rivers are quite full watered.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda blouse, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blouse, leg warmers

Gaby: lingerie, Sinclair Journey jacket, knitted hat 

We had our picnic at the picnic area near the Dragalevski monastery, enjoying delicious tortillas, herbal tea and coffee together with lovely table talk. 

We had a quick walk around the monastery grounds and headed back to the car along the same trail. 

The Aleko waterfall again, from another angle

Despite the forecast for rain, the clouds held tight and the rain started only after we were already in the car on our way back home. A very enjoyable hike, even with the unusual May cold.

Pchelina November 2025

It is a tradition for us, after climbing Rudina mountain, to make the 30 min drive to Pchelina dam and take the short hike to the rocks and the chapel over the dam.

The drive from home to the village of Sirishtnik is about an hour and a half, the hiking trail on Rudina mountain is short and it only makes sense to combine it with another short hike nearby. 

The Friday afternoon on Pchelina was warm and quiet and we spent a leisurely hour there, sipping our beers and watching the birds and the calm waters of the lake. 

Hike info:

Date: 14 November 2025

Destination: Pchelina

Mountain region: Kraishte

Total length: 7.5 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

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

Average difficulty:  2 / 10 

 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Sinclair blouse

Husband: men's boxers, knitted socks, Burda cargo pants, Burda blouse, Burda hoodie

 

The birds at the lake - ducks, herons, cormorants, gulls, are fascinating to watch, even without special bird-watching binoculars. 

An autumn tree with curious "fruit" - I see sparrows, finches, greenfinches, buntings :)

Simeonovo - Dragalevtzi 2025

We've hiked the easy trail from Dragalevski Monastery to Simeonovo lakes many times, yesterday however we decided to drive to Simeonovo, leave the car there and walk the trail to Dragalevski monastery and back. 

The start from Simeonovo added some 3 km total to the hike and a good cardio exercise at the beginning of the trail, where the hiker has to cover a significant elevation gain. The pay off - we had our lunch at the picnic area near the monastery, which was nice and quite comfortable.

As we get usually Fridays off,  when we can and the forecasts are favourable, we prefer to hike on Fridays, especially along well frequented trails, like the low altitude circuit of Vitosha.

Yesterday was no exception - the trail was quiet and empty, with a fellow hiker here and there and without the weekend crowd. Unlike the previous week, the weather was sunny, but with clouds and chilly winds, so we had our sweaters on most of the time.

One of Simeonovo lakes - there are several of these, forming a cascade along the river

Hike info:

Date: 09 May 2025

Destination: Dragalevski Monastery

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 310 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

The beech forests on Vitosha are simply marvelous in May, when they are just covered in fresh greenery.

The Aleko waterfalls - the highest point of the trail, literally but also figuratively

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda blous, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Central Park cardigan

The picnic area near Dragalevski monastery, where we had our well deserved delicious lunch. A wood nuthatch flew casually on the neighboring table during our picnic :)

After the lunch break, we took a short walk around the grounds of the monastery

And the Aleko waterfalls again, on the way back, this time from the other side

Pchelina 2025

As has been our tradition for some years now, after Rudina mountain, we climbed in the car and drove to the village of Potzurnentzi, at the outskirts of which are situated the beautiful grounds of Pchelina dam.

The drive from Sofia to the village of Sirishtnik is fairly long, the hike on Rudina mountain short, so it really makes more sense to combine both of these places in one day, with the distance between the two taking less than half an hour by car.

As it was Saturday and a sunny and warm May day, the place was unfortunately packed with people, including some, who had the audacity to drive along the dirt tracks right up to the foot of the chapel. I really don't know what the solution to nature preservation is - over-regulation is a bad idea and not all pieces of nature can be turned into national parks, so most of the times it is up to the consciousness of the people themselves and their desire to care and protect the beauty around us, not only to exploit and consume it. 90% of the people actually understand that, but those 10% ...

We walked up to the high rocks above the dam and then gradually down towards the lake, where we found a quiet spot, drank our cold beers and enjoyed the views and the birds.

Hike info:

Date: 03 May 2025

Destination: Pchelina

Mountain region: Kraishte

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus rests): 3 hours

Average difficulty:  2.5 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Burda blouse, Knipmode flared joggings, (Houndstooth Hoodie in the backpack)

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda blouse, (Burda hoodie in the backpack)

After probably an hour at the dam, we decided to do a little reconnoitering and explored the grounds under the high rocks, where we found a perfect place for our picnic next time we come here :)

On our way back we took a detour, away from the dusty road - a bit longer walking, but totally worth it