Stara Planina
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During my first visit of Serbia, Pirot seemed the ideal mountain-pit-stop on my way to Bulgaria. Although the destination itself outgrows the somewhat patronizing title of ‘pit stop’: Pirot surely has some interesting attractions of its own, be it in its direct surroundings.
The town itself has not much to it, besides a medieval castle (built in the 14th century by a Bulgarian dude called Momchil as a defence unit against the Turks on the road to Constantinople). It’s just a peaceful little hamlet where people live comfortable lives along the Nišava river, raising a surprised eyebrow at the sight of an outsider. However, the Stara Planina proudly towering over Pirot makes for an eventful day, 2-day or even 3-day trip.
The town itself has not much to it, besides a medieval castle (built in the 14th century by a Bulgarian dude called Momchil as a defence unit against the Turks on the road to Constantinople). It’s just a peaceful little hamlet where people live comfortable lives along the Nišava river, raising a surprised eyebrow at the sight of an outsider. However, the Stara Planina proudly towering over Pirot makes for an eventful day, 2-day or even 3-day trip.
And if you need company, just buy a kilo of dog food to make the right kind of friends…
In the winter Stara Planina Natural Park is home to a delightful ski resort (Babin Zub – Grandma’s Tooth, named after its shape), in sparkling spring and summer it forms a hiking heaven including Serbia’s highest peak: the Midžor (2169m), right on the Serbian-Bulgarian border with astonishing views on both sides. In fact, that is the exact reason why I decided to return to this area two years later, as part of my second exploration of Serbia, this time using the remote village of Crni Vrh (Black Mountain) as my base. During the 4 days spent under the care of a loving family running the Stara PlaninSki Apartments, this region grew out to be my Serbian Happy Place. A space to breathe, pause, think… pleasantly interrupted by a daily hike and a persistent dose of belt-popping local cuisine for compensation. The home-baked treasures the lady of the house pulls out of her magic oven still manage to make my mouth water by the simple flash of a memory.
In the winter Stara Planina Natural Park is home to a delightful ski resort (Babin Zub – Grandma’s Tooth, named after its shape), in sparkling spring and summer it forms a hiking heaven including Serbia’s highest peak: the Midžor (2169m), right on the Serbian-Bulgarian border with astonishing views on both sides. In fact, that is the exact reason why I decided to return to this area two years later, as part of my second exploration of Serbia, this time using the remote village of Crni Vrh (Black Mountain) as my base. During the 4 days spent under the care of a loving family running the Stara PlaninSki Apartments, this region grew out to be my Serbian Happy Place. A space to breathe, pause, think… pleasantly interrupted by a daily hike and a persistent dose of belt-popping local cuisine for compensation. The home-baked treasures the lady of the house pulls out of her magic oven still manage to make my mouth water by the simple flash of a memory.
The hike up the Midžor is less difficult than it sounds. The hiking trail kicks off at the Babin Zub, which is already at 1758m, and from there steadily climbs up to the modest peak. The views on the border trail are a highlight of Serbia (and Bulgaria). Find trail options on Wikiloc.
However, Pirot is the best location to reach the impressive Zavojsko Lake, which might be a tad too far from the Midžor, unless you make it an overnight camping trip. Funnily enough, the locals don’t seem to be too thrilled about the place, as it’s in fact artificial. In 1963 a huge landslide slammed into the valley of the Visočica river, creating a natural dam of 500 meter long and 50 meters high, forming a reservoir that flooded the village of Zavoj. The government grabbed this opportunity by the balls and turned it into a hydroelectric power plant, drying the original lake and recreating a new artificial one. Water extraction was set into motion, which led to protests in the early 2000s as 80% of the water supply had already been taken. Further extraction is thought to result in an ecological catastrophe (part of the canyon is already referred to as ‘Little Colorado’).
Indeed, the water level seemed extremely low during my visit… but artificial or not, it makes for a good picture. And the hike towards it? Absolutely mind-boggling!
However, Pirot is the best location to reach the impressive Zavojsko Lake, which might be a tad too far from the Midžor, unless you make it an overnight camping trip. Funnily enough, the locals don’t seem to be too thrilled about the place, as it’s in fact artificial. In 1963 a huge landslide slammed into the valley of the Visočica river, creating a natural dam of 500 meter long and 50 meters high, forming a reservoir that flooded the village of Zavoj. The government grabbed this opportunity by the balls and turned it into a hydroelectric power plant, drying the original lake and recreating a new artificial one. Water extraction was set into motion, which led to protests in the early 2000s as 80% of the water supply had already been taken. Further extraction is thought to result in an ecological catastrophe (part of the canyon is already referred to as ‘Little Colorado’).
Indeed, the water level seemed extremely low during my visit… but artificial or not, it makes for a good picture. And the hike towards it? Absolutely mind-boggling!
* Some local accommodation comes with complimentary bicycle hire (and boy, would that be an awesome ride). Hitchhiking is also very common and relatively safe in this area.
** Pirot is the most convenient, well-served Serbian town in the proximity of the Stara Planina. However, for a full-on nature experience you can opt to stay off-the-grid in basic accommodation in the tiny townships around the Zavojsko and Crni Vrh (check the Free Budget Fact Sheet ↑). Keep in mind that those villages have zero to nonpublic transport options, and taxi’s are non-existent. You can either take public transport to Pirot or Knjacevac and take the twice-daily bus (which comes when it comes) in between these towns to reach villages along the way, such as Kalna. From there you’ll have to hitchhike towards the mountains or pay an elevated rate to one of the local car-owners, who take an opportunity when they see them. It took me 8,5 hours to travel 100km, trying to rely on buses.
Still have some energy left? Other hiking trails lead you along the natural splendours of the Vladikine Ploce, Temacka and Gradasnicka gorges, the Visocica river canyon and the Tupavica waterfall. Mind the blisters!
** Pirot is the most convenient, well-served Serbian town in the proximity of the Stara Planina. However, for a full-on nature experience you can opt to stay off-the-grid in basic accommodation in the tiny townships around the Zavojsko and Crni Vrh (check the Free Budget Fact Sheet ↑). Keep in mind that those villages have zero to nonpublic transport options, and taxi’s are non-existent. You can either take public transport to Pirot or Knjacevac and take the twice-daily bus (which comes when it comes) in between these towns to reach villages along the way, such as Kalna. From there you’ll have to hitchhike towards the mountains or pay an elevated rate to one of the local car-owners, who take an opportunity when they see them. It took me 8,5 hours to travel 100km, trying to rely on buses.
Still have some energy left? Other hiking trails lead you along the natural splendours of the Vladikine Ploce, Temacka and Gradasnicka gorges, the Visocica river canyon and the Tupavica waterfall. Mind the blisters!
- Let’s kill time in the most agreeable way in life
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