On your first day, I would advise you to take it easy and just make your way from wherever you are to Pavel Banya or Kalofer.
Pavel Banya is a bit further away from our starting hiking point (about 20 minutes away by car) but is no problem if you have a car.
It does offer much cheaper accommodation if that is what you are looking for.
If you do not have a car and decide to stay in Pavel Banya, check the local busses. There should be busses to Kalofer at 07:00 and 07:30 am and it’s a 30-minute drive.
You could also ask if there is any organised transport by the hotel/AirBnB you are staying at. The route of interest is Pavel Banya – Kalofer – Mestnost Panitsite.
If you don’t want to be dependent on a bus timeline and don’t mind paying a bit more, you can stay in Kalofer or even Panitsite (the area from which the hike starts). There are quite a few campgrounds and hotels.
Anyway, wherever you are staying, make sure to take a look around and explore a bit. Find a nice place to eat and treat yourself, because the next couple of days will not be exactly relaxing.
Im really intrigued by this hike, but slightly conscious of the day 2 🙃. Is there alternatives for day 2 that maybe don’t include the peak and are another amazing 5h hike?
Hi, Christa,
Thanks for reaching out! According to this itinerary, on day 2, you don’t hike up to the peak just yet. Instead, you only go up to the hut and the waterfall.
If you’re looking for another beautiful but less challenging hike near Kalofer, I’d suggest looking into Ecopath Byala Reka/White River (BG: Екопътека Бяла Река). You can first visit the Kalofer Monastery. The beginning of the path is about 200 meters away from it. It’s about 2 km long and takes about 2 hours. It’s a scenic walk near, parallel and across the river. There are wooden bridges, lovely forests and waterfalls.
I hope this helps! 🙂 Feel free to message me at any time and have a lovely trip 🙂
Pingback: Why you should visit Bulgaria ASAP • Kiss My Backpack