Bulgarian Mountains :: Stara Planina
The longest marked tourist route in Bulgaria passes along the central ridge of Stara Planina, named after the names of its two final points - [B]Mt. Kom[/B] (2016 m), in the immediate proximity to the border with Serbia, and the Black Sea Cape [B]Emine[/B] – the eastern end of the mountain and the country.
It is approximately 650 km in length, measured with a mileage recorder of a bicycle along the terrain itself. The middle of the route is around the Uzana Chalet i.e. it coincides with the geographical centre of Bulgaria.Dozens of Bulgarians pass along the unique mountain “highway” each year. The hiking tour takes normally between 20 and 25 days under summer conditions and approximately 1 month under winter conditions (with skis). Kom - Emine is an arena of marathon competitions as well, the official record for the time being 5 days and 17 hours! It is the completing part of the European Transitional Pedestrian Route E-3 and that is the reason for this designation being indicated in the marking. All the normal daily hiking tours finish next to a chalet or another sheltering facility. Bathing in the Black Sea is mandatory, regardless of the season and the meteorological conditions.
