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Hi, it's great to see tourists hiking and not just exploring historical sites. The nature here is stunning. I often hike in the Vitosha mountains and can tell you that the path from Boyana to the waterfalls you chose is quite underused compared to other trails. Even in summer, you rarely encounter other hikers. Most people prefer taking the bus or driving to the Golden Bridges and hiking from there, as it's shorter and easier. There are more people in the mountains on weekends, more than I prefer. Weekday hikes are a completely different experience. A quick footwear recommendation: microspikes can be very helpful in early spring when snow and ice are still present. I even use them in winter on icy terrain. They're affordable, often around 25 pounds or less if on sale, and don't need to be fancy to work well.
Thanks Marta, yes I see what you mean about the nature - so many incredible places to visit nearby. I love quiet and tranquil places too so loved this adventure, felt like I was the only one looking down on the city. I just wish I had more time so I could have made it all the way! Thanks for the footwear tip, I'll keep that in mind!
Thank you Rika, glad you enjoyed it! It was a wonderful hike and a great all round experience. Bulgaria is amazing, I suspect it will become even more popular with tourists in the coming years! Thanks for watching.
Awesome Thumbnail! The nature in this episode is STUNNING! Love the mix of greenery and snow. It is really unbelievable you didn't see others out there. Maybe there were bears and you were the only man brave enough to stand up to them. You must have trained hard for this mission! Glad you are okay after the tumble. We really struggled going down the mountains in Nepal. We completely agree with you. That is a high frog count. Thought you were gonna jump in and swim a few laps. What a magical day!!!
Thank you, much appreciated as always! That was one crazy hike but very enjoyable. I was totally amazed by how quiet it was, maybe you're onto something with the bears?! They must know not to mess with Matt Whiting's Europe! Going up is tough but coming down again can be harsh on the knees and legs - I guess I'm using different muscles to decline! If only I'd have taken my speedos!!!
Whenever there's a fresh water in Bulgaria you will find frogs in it. I live near the river in my town and in the summer there's a frog concert every night PS but they are not as much annoying as the nightingales in the morning.
Haha yeah I bet those nightingales are loud in the early morning silence! Frogs everywhere but always a pleasure to see nature doing its thing. Thanks for watching!
Beautiful surroundings and you have balls mate , any mention of bears would scare the hell out of me never mind the wife lol . I love bears and visited a sanctuary in kosovo but that’s my limit . Fantastic Bulgaria and certainly a bit of us and not sunny beach lol cheers Matt, your content is first class
Watching it now. It's like Beat Grylls adventures, Matt. How could you even see what a path was? I must admit, my navigation skills disappear as soon as the trees are around. It's harder with trees in the way. It looked quite rough for what was supposed to be a touristy path. Love the tip for making noise in thr areas with brars. When we went to the Rila mountain in Bulgaria, I didn't even think that there are bears there.
Haha Bear Grylls, I'll take that as a complement! Thank you. It was a bit of a wild hike, tough to follow at times - I just kept listening out for the river and helped to guide me. I thin k the more steady way is the track that most people use but I wanted to stretch myself and I always like to take a different path up and down if possible! Did you like the Rila mountains? I really want to include those in my next trip to Bulgaria!
@@MattWhitingsEurope yes, loved the Rila mountains, I really like Bulgaria. Watching you slide down now. I think it's more interesting to make a walk into a circular one if possible. By the way, ever since I've discovered fell shoes, I can't hike in normal boots because the grip on fell shoes is amazing, especially when you go downhill, you can just relax and not worry about slipping. I always only buy cheap ones (called More Miles, only £25-30 a pair.) The grip on fell shoes is better even than on trail shoes, the studs are more triangular going vertically and they are still fine to walk on the hard surface too and tarmac. Plus, they are light and dry quickly on your feet while you are walking.
I hadn't heard of fell shoes, they sound very useful especially if they offer increased traction for hikes like this. I will look at them, £30 sounds very reasonable for a pair of shoes these days. They may be useful when I take a second pair with me (often I don't) and when walking/hiking in the UK. Thanks for the info!
@@MattWhitingsEurope they are also proper expensive ones made by Innov8 but I prefer the cheap ones by More Miles, the grip is the same and they do the same job, just not a famous brand.
The highest peak of Vitosha mountain (the Black peak) is actually at 2290m above sea level, so the figure in your description - 1,275 metres, can, probably, be interpreted as the height over average level of the Sofia valley, which is also not true, because average elevation of the latter is 550m, so the right match for the mentioned figure is the elevation of the Boyana waterfall.
Thanks for the information, I have amended the comment to say "Boyana Waterfall can be found at an elevation of approximately 1,275 metres (4,183 ft), which is just over 500 metres (1,640 ft) above the city of Sofia". Hopefully that's a bit more accurate. Many thanks and I hope you enjoyed the video!
