The Osogovo Mountain

Only a decade ago some of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria were hard to reach. Trigrad with the Yagodinska and Devil’s Throat Caves, our southern Black sea coast further down from Sinemoretz, the Osogovo Mountain at the border with Macedonia, etc. - all of them were closed for tourists.

Without having been confined within the boundaries of a national park or natural reserve, today the Osogovo Mountain is just like one - an unspoiled piece of Bulgarian nature. Mysterious and enigmatic, it displays its beauties to curious tourists seeking new adventures. Encouraged by such tourist interest, the “Osogovo” firm together with the Bulgarian Tourist Union, Kjustendil Municipality and “Cartography” - Sofia initiated the tracing of mountain routes and issuing a map. The Osogovo Mountain and its lay are suitable mostly for pedestrian tourism; hence the producing of a route map is a key activity in the common efforts. It is expected that already in 2006 tourists shall be able to use 6 marked pedestrian routes, mapped out in the Osogovo Mountain tourist map. Names in the map shall also be written in Latin, as well as the information boards and route pointers. In March 2006 the idea came up to make a thorough map of the Osogovo Mountain since its larger part lies in fact in the Republic of Macedonia. The “Osogovo” firm has good relations with the “Ruen” mountain company in Kriva Palanka. They organize joint annual tourist meetings on the Ruen mountain top. At one such meeting it has been decided to continue with the mapping out of routes over to the territory of Macedonia.

The Osogovo Mountain has not been well-studied or cultivated. It has neither chalets and hotels, nor excavated historic or cultural findings. Its lay is suitable for pedestrian tourism mainly. The only popular place nearby is the town of Kjustendil, known in Bulgaria as the “cherry paradise”.

In order to reach Osogovo from Sofia you first head south-west, direction Pernik, and then continue on route E 871 towards Kjustendil. The town is at the foot of the mountain and some of its residential quarters are literally creeping up the mountain slopes. Apart from its cherries, Kjustendil can also be proud of its cultural and historic sites. The “Pirgova” Tower is in the town center and the St. George church - in the “Kolusha” quarter. Nearby is the Zemenski Monastery, named after the Zemen village, as well as the Skakavitza waterfall. The place also boasts with its mineral springs, gushing out with a capacity of 32 l/s. People here are aware that the town’s development depends primarily on tourism and balneology. There are ideas to consolidate the fruit-growing lands, namely the cherry, apple and peaches ones, and start up an eco fruit production business. In the region one can also find the “Osogovo” state game-breeding station where deer, wild boars and small game is bred. The tourist prices here are much lower compared to those in other regions in the country.

It takes only 15-20 minutes to reach one of the best hotels in the region of Kjustendil. The grass growing by the meandering road going up the mountain is interspersed with wild poppies, primroses and daisies that make the hidden glades particularly charming.

Almost forgotten and hardly visited until recently, the Osogovo Mountain now makes the visitor feel like a true discoverer. Here you won’t find board signs on trees, directing you to the nearest chalet or natural landmarks; neither will you meet people, nor will you have a final travel destination - only pure relaxation and long strolls out in the wild and beautiful nature. You can also choose to head for the “Osogovo” chalet, one of the two chalets in the whole region, and then from it continue on deep into the heart of the mountain. The Ruen mountain top is only 15 km away, so is the border with Macedonia. From the chalet the path turns right and then gets lost amid a green sea of beeches and oaks where the forest is thickly overgrown with flowers and grass, sun rays play over lush meadows, lily-of-the-valleys hide in cool fresh shadows and the path itself threads through the forest like a needle on an old tapestry. If you take this path it will take you down and soon you’ll find yourself out of the tree tunnel into the open space. Far away ahead over the Macedonian border lie the undulating outlines of violet hills. The ridge is flecked with pine trees and low alders. From this point on the path splits in three and starts descending. There is complete silence and the loneliness is more than one could bear…You would hardly meet anybody around on your way to and back from the chalet.

Once you know the path, on your way back you can fully enjoy the charm of a forgotten mountain which has preserved everything the way it used to be - unspoiled by construction works, rough and massive human activity - a pure ecosystem. Back in the Osogovo chalet, you can also take a final look at the St. Peter and Paul chapel, built with the help of the local tourist association. The chapel offers peace for one’s thoughts and prayers. One such prayer could be that this land remains pure and unspoiled the way it is.