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Vitosha is the most visited Bulgarian mountain. It rises immediately above Sofia and is one of the symbols of our capital city. Few are the big cities in the world, and capitals are even fewer, that possess such a natural advantage. Vitosha Mountain is the most significant part of the Plana-Zavala Mountain System. With its highest peak - Mt. Cherni Vrah (The Black Peak) (2290 m) it occupies the fourth place among Bulgarian mountains.
Clockwise, the borders of the mountain are as follows: to the north and north-east - the Sofia Plain, to the west - the Egulo-Palakari Saddle (1195 m above sea level) separates the mountain from the Plana Mountain; to the south it reaches to the Samokov Plain, and the Buka Preslav Saddle (1090 m) separates it from Verila Mountain, the next to the west is the Pernik Plain, and to the north-west the border with the Lyulin Mountain passes through the Vladaya Saddle (860 m above sea level). Vitosha has an area of 278 sq. km - 18 and 20 km in length and width. In spite of its expressly compact nature, the mountain is conditionally divided into 4 main ranges - Northern, Eastern, South-Western and North-Western.
The slopes of the Northern Range descend steeply to the Sofia Plain above which dominates Mt. Kamen Del (1862 m above sea level) after which this range is also called the Kamendelski Range. On its turn it is divided into four sub-parts: Vladaya (without expressed peaks, but one of the most popular tourist sites - Zlatnite Mostove is located here); Knyazhevo (here the highest peak of the sector is Mt. Lavcheto (The Small Lion) (2052 m above sea level), as well as the peaks - Mt. Sredets (1969 m), Mt. Chernata Skala (The Black Rock) (1869 m), Mt. Kopitoto (1348 m with the TV-tower); Dragalevtsi - with the two-headed alpine peak - Mt. Kominite (1620 m), Mt. Ushite (1960), Mt. Kamen Del and others) and Simeonovo sub-part with no distinct peaks. There is a cabin cableway to the Aleko Challet.
In ancient times the mountain was named Sko-mios, Skopios, Skombros, meaning in Old Greek '"the sharp, steep mountain'". These names are preserved in the present name of Mt. Skoparnik. The name Vitosha appeared in the Middle Ages and for the first time it was used in a document from the 11th century. There are two versions about its origin: the first of them says that the name is of Thracian- Old Bulgarian origin and means a '"binary'", '"dividing'" mountain; the second (more likely to be true and acceptable) says that Vitosha comes from the personal name Vitosh.
The Eastern Range, also called Kupenski, borders the Plana Mountain. Some of the highest and well known peaks are here - Mt. Golyam Rezen (2277 m - the second after Mt. Cherni Vruh), Mt. Malak Rezen (2191 m), the interesting Mr. Golyam Kupen (1930). The eastern edges of the Rezen peaks are particularly expressive - they offer a site for Alpine rock climbing.
Under this crown of peaks spreads Bistrishko Branishte Reserve. The well-known Vitosha Resort and Aleko ski-centre is located in the eastern part as well.
The South-Western Range is the largest but least visited in the mountain. It borders the Verila Mountain. It is subdivided into three parts - the Vetren Part is the most eastward with the high peaks - Mt. Skoparnik (2226 m), Mt. Kupena (2195 m), Mt. Siva Gramada (2003 m); the middle part - Petruska part which is the lowest with its Mt. Petrus (1454 m); and to the west end is the Bosneshka part with its flat and low ridge, where the highest peak is Mt. Krasta (1561 m); the longest cave in Bulgaria - Duhlata is located here as well as the interesting karst water spring - Zhivata voda.
The North-Western Part borders the Lyulin Mountain and is called Silimishki. It is dominated by the ridge beginning at Mt. Samara (2108 m) and then continuing with the peaks Mt. Silimitsa (2014 m), Mt. Ostrets (1836 m) and Mt. Ostritsa (1696 m). To the north of the ridge is the specific Mt. Vladaiski Cherni Vrah (1641 m).
The year 1934 saw the establishment of the first national park in Bulgaria, covering the greater part of Vitosha and aimed at preserving for the next generations the beauties of the mountain. Vitosha, nevertheless, has been developed. There are more than 100 places for accommodation with almost 6000 beds (not counting beds provided in near-by villages), two cabin elevator lines, numerous open-seat lifts, catering facilities, mountain shelters, kilometers of asphalt roads. All these are concentrated mainly along the northern slopes of the mountain, facing Sofia. There are two main tourist centers - Aleko and Zlatnite Mostove (The Golden Bridges). The first is at about 1800 m above sea level in the eastern part of the mountain and is one of Bulgaria''s biggest ski-centers. There are several hotels - the 3 star Prostor and Aglika Hotels, the 2-star Moreni Hotel. There is also Aleko Chalet offering 88 beds in 3 suits and rooms of 2, 3, 4, 8 and more beds. The chalet is the starting point of the Bulgarian section of European hiking route E-4. Above it is the huge slope Stenata - the biggest natural ski-track in Bulgaria. Of course, there are lots of facilities to add to the comfort of skiers - open-seat lifts, snow-leveling trucks, special marking, etc. Near-by shops, booths, coffee-bars and restaurants offer wonderful opportunities for a pleasant stay. Behind the Aleko Chalet is the office of the Mountain Rescue Service (phone: 02 9671155). Aleko is also the starting point for climbing the highest peak of Vitosha - Mt. Cherni Vrah. The steep climb, at a difference of altitude of approximately 500 m typically takes 1.30 hours, and for those who think it is difficult, there is an lift to Mt. Malak Rezen, from where they can proceed along a flat route and reach the dreamed peak in 30 minutes only. All routes to the peak are marked by high metal pickets or pass by skiing facilities, thus reducing to the maximum the possibility of one getting lost. Still it is not recommended to climb the peak in bad weather!The four main ranges of the mountain pile together to Mt. Cherni Vrah (2290 m) as a true center of the mountain.
Vitosha is a typical dome-like mountain - one of the few in Bulgaria. It has a slightly prolonged profile from north-west to south-east. It consists primarily of granite rocks, but there are karst rocks as well especially in the southern part. A unique natural phenomenon are the so-called '"stone rivers'" (moreni) - piles of huge rounded granite stones along many of the river valleys, reaching up to 2 km in length and 50 m in width. Especially expressive and beautiful are the moreni in the Zlatni Mostove area (Golden Bridges). Similar phenomena can be seen in other Bulgarian mountains, too, the Vitosha moreni however being unique. They are the symbol of the mountain