NOTE: for a detailed photo sequence, search the Sofia Echo for the "Paradise in Bulgaria, Botev and Raiskoto Pruskalo - picture gallery" >>>


Some climbers generally tend to leave the best for last, so that they can enjoy everything else in between. In my case I had decided to leave both Vihren in Pirin and Moussala in Rila to the last as they appealed to me the most, and my expectations were proven right. Accordingly, it rather put me off when it was finally decided to climb Botev summit in the central Balkan range. I was at some point so reluctant to climb it, considering it substantially inferior to the likes of Vihren, Kutelo and Moussala, that I opted instead to return repeatedly to Pirin and Rila, scaling peaks there that I had already climbed, simply because I thought Stara Planina would be a total waste of my time. And, of course, it turned out that I was a complete, fully-fledged, card-carrying idiot.

The journey took us from Sofia to the town of Kalofer, following a mountain road running parallel to the River Iskar and the Iskar gorge, a trip which, in itself, deserves an article. The Balkan range divides the country in half and usually sets the standards for all rivers of the Balkan peninsula: north of it, they flow in the Danube, and south of it, onwards to the Aegean Sea. Not Iskar, though. Iskar slices right through the range, crossing most of Bulgaria, only to pour itself in to the Danube. Abandoning the car in Kalofer, our party of four set off with roughly 20kg of laden Bergens full of food, water, thick clothing, medical and survival kit towards the first destination on what was to be the first leg of the hike – Raiskoto Pruskalo waterfall and the Rai Lodge (Paradise Lodge).

At 124.5m, Raiskoto Pruskalo is the highest permanent waterfall in Southeastern Europe. Walking through fields, interspersed with scattered forests, we encountered farm animals, serenity and beauty, then embarked on a poorly maintained dirt road which eventually revealed the fearsome Southern Djendem gorge and the summit of Botev in the distance itself, with the silver waterfall visible from miles.

Make sure you are driving a Land Rover or something similar if you attempt going there with a vehicle. Alternatively, your city car will be disemboweled, battered and left for the scrap yard.  Reaching a beautiful natural terrace overlooking the gorge and the towering summit ahead, we halted for a quick brew and realised that here, not even a third in hike, the road ends. From there on, it’s a mountain path, slicing through the ancient forest – the only route by which Rai is accessible. Several horses and mules, laden with food, drinks and other provisions were supplied by an army truck while we were having our brew, setting off for the lodge before us.

The Balkan Mountain Range, or Stara planina in Bulgarian, extends for more than 580km from the Vrshka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia, then running eastward, slicing Bulgaria in half, reaching the shores of the Black Sea at Cape Emine. The highest peaks of the Stara Planina are all centred in central Bulgaria, the highest of which is Botev at 2376m, dead in the middle of the Central Balkan National Park, and, of course, the main objective of this three-day expedition. It is flanked by Triglav (Three Heads) to the west and Vejen, to the east. The mountain range itself, instrumental and symbolic with the history and culture of Bulgaria, has a very prominent stature in the national consciousness of all Bulgarians, and subsequently has lent its name to the entire Balkan Peninsula.

Established in 1991 to conserve the unique natural scenery and heritage of the area, and protect the customs and livelihood of the local population, it is governed by the Park Directorate, a regional body of the Ministry of the Environment and Waters that manages the Park. The Directorate employs local organisations and engages volunteers and mountain climbers in preserving the habitat. We climbed the steep path towards Rai Lodge, passing primal forests, several hundred year old trees, rivers, small waterfalls, negotiating the path covered with piles of horse and mule excrement deposited from the caravan ahead. "Don’t worry, it’s only five turns to the ridge which overlooks the lodge," said our companion Dobrin Minkov. Right, mate! Multiply that by a factor of 10 and you are getting closer to the actual turns the path makes to the ridge. Every once in a while we would find a white metal box with a red cross nailed to a tree – a pharmacy, fully stocked with just about anything you can imagine. "Help yourself but don’t over supply" was written on the case.

Remarkable and renowned for its flora and fauna, it accommodates centuries-old forests of beech, spruce, fir, hornbeam, and durmast. More than half the flora of Bulgaria has been identified within the park, and of these, 10 species and two subspecies are endemic, which means they are found nowhere else in the world. It boasts more than 130 higher plants and animal species which are included in the Bulgarian and the World Red Book of Endangered Species. The beautiful, extremely rare and iconic Edelweiss grows there in the region of Kozyata Stena (Goat’s Wall) and the flower can also be found in Pirin’s Koncheto Ridge. Most of Europe’s largest mammal species can be found there, including the brown bear, wolf, boar, chamois, deer and others.