Last updated on February 7, 2026
Guide to Osogovo Hut: Trout, trails and views
Osogovo Hut isn’t a hut.
Osogovo Hut (1,616 m) is a two-story timber-clad building that functions more like a mountain hotel than anything resembling the cramped, drafty shelters you might picture when someone says “Bulgarian hut.”
In fact, it’s better maintained and more comfortable than some actual hotels I’ve stayed in, which tells you something about both the hut and the hotels.
It was built in 1928, making it one of the first ten mountain huts in Bulgaria. That’s not trivia, it’s context. This place has history.
During the communist era, it sheltered partisans. Over the decades, it’s been expanded, renovated, and cared for enough that today you can stay here year-round in actual comfort: proper rooms, solid food, mountain silence, and views that don’t need a filter.
It’s also the main starting point for the hike to Ruen Peak (2,251 m). And if you have Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites booklet, this is where you’ll find the seal and stamp for Ruen.
So no, it’s not some rustic weekend experiment. It’s a functional, well-kept base for a serious mountain, and it works.
Disclosure:
- This trip was organized in collaboration with Kyustendil Municipality. As always, all opinions and recommendations are my own.
- This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click through and book or buy something, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
These resources will help you plan your trip to Bulgaria:
- Flights: I compare prices on Kiwi, Skyscanner, and Omio.
- Accommodation: I mostly book with Booking, Vrbo, and Agoda.
- Tours & activities: I plan with GetYourGuide and Viator.
- Transfers: If i need an airport pickups or a transfer, I’d go to GetTransfer.
- Car rental: I compare prices on LocalRent or GetRentACar
- Mobile internet: Use eSIMs like Saily.
- Travel insurance: I usually check HeyMondo (5% off) or SafetyWing.
Location, map and how to get there
Province: Kyustendil
Municipality: Kyustendil
Nearest settlement: Bogoslоv
Area: Plaviloto
Altitude: 1,616 m
GPS Coordinates: 42.197296, 22.624457
The hut sits at the base of Kyunek Peak, at 1,616 m, and there’s only one way to reach it: the road from Kyustendil. (In this case, all roads lead to Kyustendil.)
Follow the signs for Osogovo Fun Park, Hotel Ruen, Bogoslov, Hotel Tri Buki, Hisarlaka Fortress, Yuchbunar/Sequoias – they’re all on the correct route. You can’t get lost.
Once you’re on this road, just keep following the markers and you’ll arrive directly below the hut. There’s a turnoff sign pointing up to the hut’s parking area, though when I visited it was iced over, so I drove a bit further and parked in the free spots on the left side of the road. Across from there, the Osogovo ski slope rises up.
Your options for getting there are limited:
- Your own car
- Car rental
- Organized transfer
- Or some combination of public transport and hitchhiking.
As far as I know, there’s municipal transport to the Hisarlaka area (which is on the way, but still far). There should also be regular transport to Bogoslov village (where the Yuchbunar sequoia grove is), which is closer to the hut, but it’s still 11 km away.
So in two words: rent a car.
Also, prepare yourself mentally to be stopped by border police checkpoints. You’re close to the Macedonian border.
Rooms, types and prices
Rooms and types
The hut sleeps 32 people across 12 rooms of varying sizes:
- Doubles – suitable for two people
- Triples – one bedroom with one double and one single bed
- Quads – one bedroom with one double and two single beds
Do call in advance. (Phone numbers at the end of this article)
Two of the double rooms (each with two single beds) are located in a small cottage next to the main building. It has a separate entrance and a shared bathroom. Good option if you’re traveling with family or friends and want a bit more privacy.
Top highlight:
- Every room has its own bathroom and unlimited water usage. That’s not standard for Bulgarian mountain huts. This is hotel-level comfort.
- Room #1 has a bathtub. You can fill it with hot water and soak after a day on the ski slopes. If you want to guarantee this room, ask when you book. (And buy bath salts in town beforehand.) Just make sure to put down the blinds if there are people on the balcony.
- There’s a quad room with a balcony overlooking the trout pond and the main ski slope. It’s set up like a small apartment – two rooms connected by a hallway and toilet. The first room has two corner beds, a mirror, and a fridge. The second has two armchairs and a double bed. The terrace is the selling point.
Prices
- €20 per bed per night
- €40 for a double room per night
Important: If you’re occupying an entire room during peak season, you should pay for the whole room.
There are no large dorm-style rooms with 6-8 beds. Everything is divided into individual rooms with private bathrooms, which is closer to a hotel than a traditional Bulgarian mountain hut.
Strangers are not placed together. Sometimes, if you go midweek when it’s quiet, you might end up alone in a whole room. But if you show up solo on a weekend and a group of four is also willing to pay for that room, be ready to pay for all the beds.
Extra option – Guest House Osogovets
There’s another accommodation option directly linked to the hut but operated separately: Guest House Osogovets.
It’s across from the ski center – if you aon the main road you’ll see the ski center on the left, and the guest house is up the small path on the right, going up the woods. Going up, you’ll pass the ski patrol, some bungalows, and the guest house is at the top.
It sleeps 18 people, has a kitchen (so you can cook or just walk over to the hut’s restaurant), and is rented as a whole unit only. You can’t book individual beds. Around €360 per day, minimum two-day rental (second day is cheaper). A person will take care of the local heating system for you.
Amenities and services
The hut is fully electrified, water-supplied, and heated with a local boiler system.
There’s parking out front (turn right off the main road), though in winter when it’s iced over, low-clearance cars struggle with the climb. If that’s an issue, just continue forward and park on the left when you see the big ski run in front of you.
What’s included:
- Card and cash payments accepted
- Power outlets in every room
- Unlimited water (unlike many huts where it’s rationed) – it’s OK to drink it
- Proper heating – the place is well insulated and stays warm
- TV with satellite in every room
- Private bathroom in every room (shower, toilet)
- Towels, soap, toilet paper
- Clean sheets and pillows
- Free WiFi (patchy coverage, but it exists)
There’s a small trout pond with constantly flowing water where they raise fresh fish. In summer, they set up tables, benches, and big umbrellas in front of the building. Perfect spot to eat fresh trout with a view during a hike.
The hut also has a tourist terrace/balcony on the first floor inside. It’s enclosed, insulated, and glass-windowed. It’s often used for drying laundry, but you can go there and use it.
There’s a bookshelf with books anyone can borrow and read. Options in foreign languages are limited, but it’s a good chance to practice your Bulgarian.
And of course THE restaurant with more than a solid menu for a mountain hut, but I’ll tell you more about it in a bit.
Important: There is no self-catering kitchen. You can’t just walk in and cook your own food.
Other services:
- Snowmobile rental: Ask in the hut. You’ll ride with a professional guide for safety reasons.
- Organized hikes: Osogovo Tourist Association, which manages the hut, regularly organizes excursions and hikes in the area (most often to Ruen Peak).
- Stamps for Ruen Peak: This is where you get the seal and stamp for the 100 National Tourist Sites booklet.
Stef’s local tip:
Keep an eye out for the hut’s mascots. Mitko the cat is extremely aggressive with other cats but melts around humans. And Johnny the dog, who doesn’t live at the hut but shows up regularly around both the hut and the ski slope. Johnny has many different names. They both grant bonus XP.
Restaurant (Mehana) “Osogovo Hut”
The restaurant is part of the hut. Left from the entrance, you’ll find a warm, wood-and-stone space with a fireplace, wooden tables, and big windows that let you watch the mountain while you eat.
I’m calling it a mehana, not a restaurant, because that’s what it feels like: more traditional interior, proper atmosphere, and in the evening, background music that nudges you toward a second drink.
The menu
The food is genuinely good. We stayed three days and didn’t eat a single disappointing dish. (And we’re picky about food, honestly.) Congratulations to the cooks! Keep making hikers happy up there!
The menu includes:
- Salads
- Hot soups
- Stews (mandzhi)
- Grilled dishes
- Mains and sides
- Desserts.
Most dishes repeat across days, but check the menu as they rotate specials in and out.
Stef’s local tip: order some local specialties
- Varivo – The regional version of pork with kiselo zele (fermented cabbage), but boiled instead of baked. It was excellent.
- Kyufteta po Chirpanski – Meatballs prepared in the Chirpan style, served with three different sides. All of them good.
- Nettle soup – The staff picks the nettles themselves, dries them, and cooks with them through winter.
- Nalozheno rebro (salted ribs) – A house specialty we didn’t try (you can only eat so much in three days). We learned it’s quite salty, and that’s the point – it pairs very well with red wine or beer.
- Fresh trout – If you’re here in summer (or winter, honestly), order the trout from the small pond outside the hut. Mountain-fresh.
Non-regional but worth mentioning:
- Svinski dzholan (pork knuckle) – The preparation process is genuine craftsmanship. The drone operator was thrilled to witness it, thanks to Mitko (the hut keeper, aka hizharyat).
- Teleshka glava v shkembe (veal head in tripe) – Very weird and very surprisingly delicious combo. This dish is typically very juicy, and despite how it sounds, melts in your mouth. A real delicacy.
- Fried potatoes – They use a local variety that’s so sweet you should order them with cheese.
- Home-made desserts – Strained yogurt with homemade jam, crème caramel, or ice cream if it’s a hot summer day.
Pricing and portions
The prices are more than fair, and the portions are surprisingly large. Order less than you think you want. You will overeat or waste food otherwise (and I hate wasting food).
Example: Kyufteta po Chirpanski with sides is €5.80. That’s a full lunch for one person. If you want to treat yourself, add a chocolate pancake (€2.50) and a soft drink (€1.60), and you’ve got a filling meal for under €10.
The bar has everything:
- Hot drinks (coffee, tea)
- Soft drinks
- Beer
- Hard alcohol, including your favorite Bulgarian rakiya.
Rules
- No outside food or alcohol allowed inside.
- Kitchen closes at 10 PM, bar at 12 AM.
- No smoking allowed inside (thank God).
What to do and see nearby?
Besides the hut itself, the area has more to offer than most people realize. Some of it’s worth your time. Some of it depends on what you’re actually here for.
Peaks and shelters in the area:
- Kyunek Peak (1,925m)
- Choveka Peak (2,046m)
- Prevala Shelter (1,860m)
- Ruen Peak (2,251m) – the highest point in the Osogovo range and site No. 26a in Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites.
Hotel Tri Buki (1,570m) and Hotel Ruen (1,530m) are also nearby if you need alternative accommodation or just want options.
Iglika Hut is 6 km away. On the way there, you can stop at the Studen Kladenets area (1 km from Osogovo Hut).
Definitely worth visiting if you have time:
- Hisarlaka Fortress – A late antiquity and medieval fortress with a panoramic view over Kyustendil. If you’re into history or just good views, it’s a great side quest.
- Yuchbunar Sequoias near Bogoslov village – Three giant sequoias, over 130 years old, transported from the Sierra Nevada in California to Bulgaria. Very impressive and a 10 out of 10 forest.
- City of Kyustendil – The city has plenty of landmarks and museums worth seeing. It’s known as the City of “the Master” (Vladimir Dimitrov Maystora), the City of Cherries, and the City of Hot Springs.
Skiing and snowboarding at Ski Centre Osogovo
Skiing is the main reason why this area is so popular in winter.
Ski Centre Osogovo is steadily developing and offers everything you need:
- Varied slopes (in length and difficulty)
- Options for both skiing and snowboarding
- Snowmakers
- Solid instructors
- Ski rental
- A tea house where you can warm up.
If you’re here for skiing, you’re in the right place. If not, the slopes are still worth seeing.
Chapel of St. Apostles Peter and Paul
A small chapel right next to the hut, so easy to visit on your way to or from the slopes. It has beautifully painted frescoes inside and out, and one exterior wall features impressive ceramic work that mimics wood carving, with the church’s name and decorative elements worked into it.
It was built in honor of Milan Kiselichki, who chaired the committee that built Osogovo Hut and donated funds for its construction. You’ll see his portrait in a bas-relief to the right of the hut’s main entrance.
Hiking trails
From Osogovo Hut, you have four main hiking routes, each with different endpoints, distances, difficulty levels, and durations. If you don’t know the Bulgarian hiking trail legend yet, refer to my guide specifically made for Bulgaria.
From Osogovo Hut:
→ Kyunek Peak – 1 h (🔵, blue trail)
→ Choveka Peak → Prevala Shelter – 3h (🟢, green trail)
→ Prevala Shelter – 2 h (🔴, red trail)
→ Ruen Peak – 4 h (🔴, red trail)
You can also start from the nearby hotels Tri Buki or Ruen.
From Hotel Tri Buki:
→ Gramadite area → Kyunek Peak – 1 h (🔵, blue trail)
→ Karakashka area → Prevala Shelter → Choveka Peak – 4 h (🟢, green trail)
→ Prevala Shelter – 2 h (🔴, red trail)
→ Ruen Peak – 4 h (🔴, red trail)
From Hotel Ruen:
You’ll need to first reach either Osogovo Hut or Tri Buki Complex to continue on the main trails.
→ Tri Buki Complex → Gramadite area → Kyunek Peak – 3h (🔵, blue trail)
→ Osogovo Hut – 3h (🟢, green trail)
→ Tri Buki Complex → Prevala Shelter – 3h (🔴, red trail)
→ Tri Buki Complex → Ruen Peak – 5h (🔴, red trail)
*The map below shows hiking and cycling routes in the Osogovo area. Thanks to biodiversity.bg
Contacts and resources
Osogovo Hut and Guest House Osogovets:
📞 +359 88 281 5515
Emergency contacts:
🚨 Emergency number: 112
⛰️ Mountain Rescue Service: 1470
Keep these saved. Cell signal is patchy up there, but when you have it, you’ll want the right numbers on hand.
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Stefani Gospodinova
Founder and Content Creator
Stefani is a travel blogger born and raised in Bulgaria, and the founder of Kiss My Backpack. Having explored the country since childhood, she shares practical tips, local insights, and her own photography to help visitors plan their trip.
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