What a day for a hike…

It’s sunny, wonderful day at the Balkan mountains in Eastern Serbia. Just as we hoped when we planned our hike to Midžor peak. Starting point is at the mountain hostel “Babin Zub”, located just below the Babin Zub peak (how surprisingly :)).

We are packing our backpacks with water, rain suits (in case of rain), food, fruits… The clock shows 11:30 AM and we are ready to start our hiking adventure.

As we walk through the nearby forest to our destination, we find interesting shapes of old beech and the source of the coldest water on the mountain. We fill our canteens with water and continue.  After 15 minutes and first 500 m of walk we reach the clearing called “Sunčana dolina” (Sunny valley). The path lead us next to the restaurant “Plaža” located at the bottom of a “Sunčana dolina”. 200 m from it, following the path, starts our first uphill hike. After the app. 1000 m of easy uphill walk  we are reaching the treeline and continue to Midžor peak through the Juniper flowers field.

Uphill, uphill, uphill…

It is a bit harder walk in front of us, but after next 500 meters we reach “Žarkova čuka”, located at an altitude of 1700 m. After a short break we continue further following the path, red from a rocks and stones beneath our boots. The scenery is beautiful in this part of year and we enjoy in green/yellow/blue colors that mountain offers. Here and there we are passing by snowdrifts, saved from the sun on “hidden” slopes of the mountain.

After next 1000 meters of steep uphill walk along the path to Midžor peak we are reaching next plateau. Already breathtaking view at the mountain is now fulfilled with beautiful flowers Kaćun (Colchicum autumnale). Be cautious however, because this flower is toxic when ingested.

This blue and purple flower bloom in the spring and can be found in a large quantities in this part of a Balkan mountains in Eastern Serbia. It is time to take a pictures and a short brake.

Reaching the Midžor peak (2169m)

The next 4000 meters to the summit is pretty much easy hiking. We enjoy the landscape, saving the breath for the mountain top. After a 3 hours of walking from starting point we are finally there. The Mižor peak. We did it, again The border stone is at the very top of a summit, telling us that we are ate the right place. Clear sunny weather allows us to see all eastern part of Serbia, western Bulgaria, part of Romania…

Here we take a break for a meal, make bunch of photos and enjoy every second in scene that this mountain give us. Total distance covered to Midžor peak from stating point is approximately 7,5 km.

An hour and some after a summit reach we are ready to go back. We choose the same path as we take to go to top.

Coming back to Sunny valley

The hike back take us next 2,5 hours of mostly downhill walk and after 15 km of hiking we make our last break at the restaurant “Plaža”. Smooth evergreen and Roma music combined with the sunset on the mountain makes the beer (essentially wished at the top of the Midžor:)) even tastier. While we talk about hiking experience and new pleasures every time we hike to Midžor, our senses reach the state of “fully recharged”.

It is almost evening and we are heading to our next destination- Balta Berilovac village. There’s another surprise waiting for us, in the form of domestic food and drinks. Our host is lady Nada, widely known for her kitchen skills and artistry of traditional food preparation. And that food is… Well, you should come and see for yourself

A note for those who read all above

If you still didn’t do it, we encourage you to try this hiking trail to Midžor peak. And if you need, we are here to give you all the info, logistic support and our guides are more than happy to share with you those unforgettable experiences.

Welcome…

The post The hiker story: How we conquest the Midžor peak in Balkan mountains appeared first on Serbia UNDISCOVERED.

Pilj Waterfall.

The adventure begins.

Our hiking story begins in the village of Topli Do. That’s our starting point. From there we have about 4. 5 kilometers of breathtaking views, picturesque landscape, and numerous stimuluses for all our senses, along the way to our final destination.

Signs by the road.

It is early morning and we have just had our breakfast. Needless to say it is a homemade cheese pie called gibanica with soured milk. A very delicious and popular combination here!

Homemade cheese pie called “gibanica”

Yet some among us are quite impatient and eager to go. The sun rays spread over the slopes of nearby hills. It is still a bit chilly and we can feel a fresh breeze in our face.

Following red macadam road.

From there we are taking a macadam road and soon after that there is the first mild ascent which is about 1- 1. 2 kilometers long. Along the road there are clearly visible markings which help us follow the right way. Although, we suggest you a experienced guide, because last segment of a hike goes through the forest and markings are not visible on all locations.

Visible markings along the path.

On our left side we are looking at the Pilj stream canyon. The nature around us is stunning. We are amazed by the richness of flora and fauna. The abundance of grass, flowers, ferns, various bushes, berries, and trees.

On our left side we are looking at the Pilj stream canyon.

And a huge diversity of butterflies, grasshoppers, and different flies. All around us there is a plenty of tracks witnessing often presence of wild animals crossing by (footprints and animal organic waste :)).

From red road to forest path.

The macadam road that we are following is of intensely red color, which is typical of this region. The crossroads we are passing are clearly marked by the road signs and directions.

Signs and directions are placed on crossroads along the macadam road.

The sun is high above us now and we are more than happy to stay in shades of trees and have a short break.

Going to the forest after red macadam road.

Approximately 2.5 kilometers and the macadam road continues into a forest path.

Path through forest is a bit more intense.

This part of the path through the forest is a bit more intense, as the road is slightly steeper and there is a plenty of bushes, trees and rocks.

Forest path is more intensive and we recommend a experienced guide.

On our left side there is still the Pilj Stream following us and we know we are on the right path. We are refilling our water supplies directly from the stream.

Refilling water on Pilj stream in the forest.

Finally! The beautiful Pilj Waterfall.

After two and a half hours’ walk we come to the Lower Pilj Waterfall. We enjoy a pleasant forest shade and the very humming sound of the waterfall. The words are powerless to explain the ultimate pleasure that we feel in this surrounding. The water is chilly, somewhere just above 10℃.

Lower Pilj Waterfall with water of just above 10℃

The bravest ones among us dare to take a swim, which is definitely a unique experience.

The bravest dare to take a bath

Having been refreshed and re-energized we are heading up the Higher Pilj Waterfall. We need roughly about 10 minutes of a bit more intensive hiking.

Pilj Waterfall

And this is it! This is our reward, our final destination. The cascades of the Pilj Waterfall, the red rocks and the rich fragrance of untouched nature that you can feel in the air assure us that we are in a special place where a man’s foot has rarely stepped. A truly amazing experience. We take out our lunch packs and have a lunch break. And we don’t speak much. We are trying to absorb as much vibes of this place as we can.

Streams of Pilj Waterfall.

After one hour of pure hedonism we have to go back. For us, it is just the right measure. The whole tour, along with one hour break for lunch and relaxation, took about six hours. A total distance we walked is approximately nine kilometers in both directions.

Pure hedonism in untouched nature surroundings.

We are ready to go back to Najda’s place, and make preparation for next adventure.

Accommodation at Najda’s place, in Topli Do village.

What’s next?

To sum up, this is just a small part of what you can find in eastern Serbia. A hiking tour that we recommend includes Pilj waterfall as well as several others from this region and each of them is unique in its own way. Taking into account distances among them and the intensity of the routes we recommend that you spend not fewer than four days with us. In addition, you will have a chance to experience some traditional Serbian hospitality, try authentic local food and drinks and stay in cozy, ethno houses.

If you are interested do not hesitate to contact us. We will send you more details about hiking tours that we carefully planned for you. Furthermore, we offer you: pickups from airport on the first day and drive offs on the last day of your stay, accommodation in rustic ethno houses, and professional licensed hiking guides. Additionally, there is a degustation of traditional local specialties and drinks (the rakia, wine, juice). In case you would like to plan your tour for yourself we suggest you to visit our SELF GUIDED HIKING TOURS section.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Welcome to Eastern Serbia

The post Hiking adventure to Pilj waterfall- enter the hidden world of the Balkans appeared first on Serbia UNDISCOVERED.