Places

"Zlatnite Mostove" (The Golden Bridges) is the largest stone river on Vitosha Mountain. It is located at an altitude of 1,350 to 1,500 meters, and beneath its rocks babbles the Vladayska River—the very same one that flows under the Lions' Bridge in Sofia. Some people wonder about this, so let me clarify: the Golden Bridges are neither golden, nor are they actually bridges. Yes, it often happens that someone stands right in front of them and asks where the bridges are. According to Wikipedia, the golden color in the name comes from the color of the lichens on the stones, but to me, the lichens look more like green, so I don't know. However, an interesting fact is that the figurative name of the area still holds a fraction of literal truth—there are very real golden grains in the sands of the Vladayska River, which flows under the Bridges. They are very rare, but they do exist. If you look closely at the sand at the bottom, especially on a sunny day, you will see golden glittering particles. That is not gold. That is mica, which is light and floats to the very top of the sand. Gold is heavy and sinks. You won't see it. The Golden Bridges are a stone river. A stone river simply means a long scree of large rocks, beneath which a river may or may not flow. The Golden Bridges happen to be a stone river that an actual river runs underneath.

Byalata Voda Fountain (literally translated as white water) is located at an altitude of about 988 m in the valley of a small tributary of the Vladayska River. A major tourist crossroad and a recreation area with benches and tables. Trails to Zlatnite Mostove, Kopitoto, Tikhia Kat or the Bear Museum all start from here. The "Belovodski Way", a street named after the fountain, also ends here.

A wide meadow with gazebos and playgrounds.

An area with botanical alleys, gazebos, ponds and children's areas.

Mochirlivata Polyana (The Swampy Meadow) is a meadow with gazebos and a concrete shelter with a fireplace in the area of Zlatnite Mostove.

It is located in the reserve of the same name, which is one of the oldest protected areas in Bulgaria. From the top, a panorama opens up to Vitosha, Rila, Lyulin and the mountains in Kraishte.

The highest peak of Vitosha.

Shelter at the foot of Samara Peak.

The newest shelter on Vitosha.

Very close to the hut complex, which includes Planinarska Pesen Hut, Borova Gora Hut, and the defunct Boeritsa Hut, at the foot of Chernata Skala Peak, there is a stone river from which you can watch some of the most beautiful sunsets on Vitosha.

Previously known as ЦПШ (Central Mountain School). Now it is a hotel.

Restaurant and rooms for overnight stay.

That's not a gallows, don't judge too quickly. That's a frame in which a person can have his photo taken by a friend, with an aerial view of the valley as a background.

Kostenets Waterfall is located just five minutes away from the parking lot in front of the Terma Kostenets, making it a suitable destination for families with small children. It is located on the Chavcha River, which springs not far from the highest peak in Eastern Rila - Ibar Peak. The waterfall is about ten meters high and is most turbulent in the spring, when the melting snow from the mountain makes the river at its fullest. The waterfall freezes during the winter. About the waterfall Ivan Vazov wrote the poems "The Waterfall Weeps" and "Above the Waterfall", included in the poetry collection "Yulska Kitka" (1917), as well as the short story "Towards the Kostenets Waterfall" (1906). Today, an excerpt from "Above the Waterfall" is engraved on a wooden sign at the beginning of the trail, next to the mineral water fountain. More information can be found on the [information site of the waterfall](https://www.kostenskivodopad.bgsait.com/).

Skalovitets is a waterfall in Eastern Rila, near the Gurgulitsa hut above the Kostenets villas. It is located on the Skalovitets river of the same name, which is a right tributary of the Ribnitsa river. The waterfall is about 25 meters high and has three steps, the middle one is the largest and steepest. Benches have been made at its foot, from which visitors can enjoy its beauty. A local resident from the village of Kostenets has made a water wheel and a chute for pouring water. Decorating the rivers with miniature water wheels is typical for the residents of Kostenets.

Belmeken is the peak after which the Belmeken section of Rila is named. At its foot is the Belmeken Dam. The northern slope is steep, rising above the Kutlinite Circus. In clear weather and good visibility, views in all directions are open from the summit. One can see Pirin with Vihren Peak, Slavyanka with Gotsev Peak, Vitosha with Kamen Del, Stara Planina, Sredna Gora, the Western Rhodopes, the Iskar and Batak Dams, as well as the Belmeken Dam located at its foot. Near the peak is the highest mountain colony of the European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula.

A glacial lake located below Ravnichal Peak. On its shores is the Belmeken Hut. This is one of the many glacial lakes in the Bulgarian mountains whose outflow is slowed by a retaining wall. Before the wall of this lake was built, there was an island in its eastern part, which was subsequently flooded by the rising water level.

Orlovets Peak is located on the central Malyovitsa ridge, west of Zliya Zab. Between the two peaks is the Prozoretsa (Window) saddle, from which a scree begins to the north with a path leading to the Orlovets shelter, and to the south the steep rocky couloir Siniya Ulei (the Blue Gully) descends, ending 1200 meters below, not far from Kirilova Polyana. The summit offers a view of Malyovitsa Peak, the neighboring rocky crags of Petlite, Zliya Zab Peak to the east, Dvuglav peak to the southeast and Kamilata Peak to the north, as well as the Second Terrace, the glacial leveling in the upper valley of the Malyoviska River, from where the trail to the Orlovets shelter diverges from the main trail to Malyoviska Peak. The northwestern face of the summit is almost vertical and is about a hundred meters high. It is a popular climbing site. It was first climbed by German climbers Hermann Hund and Tony Wiedemann in 1935 (see [Wikipedia](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%86_(%D0%B2%D1%80%D1%8A%D1%85_%D0%B2_%D0%A0%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0))) The peak is accessible in summer without the aid of climbing equipment. The most popular route is from the Orlovets shelter through the Prozoretsa saddle.

Malyovitsa is one of the most visited alpine peaks in Bulgaria. The Malyovitsa section of Rila, including the Malyovitsa Ridge, the Seven Rila Lakes, and the Urdini Lakes, is named after it. It is not, however, the highest peak in its section. The highest peak is Golyam Kupen, which is one of the three peaks, forming the crown of Strashnoto Lake.

Kamilata (Camel) Peak is the last peak of the crown surrounding the glacial cirque of the Orlovets shelter ("Granitna Voda"). It is located directly north of the shelter and is separated by a saddle from the neighboring Lovnitsa peak. It owes its name to the characteristic rock shape, resembling a lying camel, turning its slightly upright head in the direction of the Orlovets and Zliya Zab peaks. The camel shape is recognizable only from the southwest - from the marked trail, connecting the Second Terrace to the Orlovets shelter, or from the main trail to Malyovitsa peak (in the section that begins with the steep climb after the Second Terrace and ends at Eleninoto Lake). The peak is accessible in the summer without climbing equipment through the saddle connecting it to Lovnitsa Peak. The northern granite wall of the peak, over a hundred meters high, is a popular climbing site. Winter offers conditions for ice climbing, which, however, is dangerous due to the high probability of avalanches. Information about climbing routes can be found at [climbingguide.bg](https://www.climbingguidebg.com/bg/cdb-info?sector=75). On April 17, 1988, the legendary Bulgarian climber [Lyudmil Yankov](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D1%8E%D0%B4%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB_%D0%AF%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2) died while climbing the peak.